Hoffenheim vs Tottenham Hotspur: Europa League preview
Tottenham Hotspur travel to Germany to face Hoffenheim in a Europa League clash on Thursday evening after yet another disappointing Premier League defeat.
What time does Hoffenheim vs Tottenham Hotspur kick-off?
- Location: Sinsheim, Germany
- Stadium: PreZero Arena
- Date: Thursday 23rd January 2025
- Kick-off Time: 5:45 pm BST
How both teams go into Hoffenheim vs Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs come into this game after their disappointing 3-2 defeat to Everton in the Premier League. Unfortunately, their recent Europa League form hasn’t been much better. They haven’t secured a win since the narrow 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in October. Since then, Tottenham have suffered a loss to Galatasaray and back-to-back draws against Roma and Rangers, leaving them in 9th place. Spurs are just outside the automatic Round of 16 spots, behind Rangers only on goal difference.
Hoffenheim, on the other hand, have their own struggles. They’re fresh off a 3-1 Bundesliga win against 18th-placed Holstein Kiel, their first victory since November. Much like Spurs, they’re sitting 15th in their domestic league. In the Europa League, Hoffenheim are currently in 26th place, with just one win, three draws, and two losses, putting them at risk of elimination.
Tottenham Europa League team news
Nothing new here unless Ange decides to surprise the fans in the coming days with another injury. Hopefully, not. Ange has just enough players (11) to field a team. Out for this match are Johnson, Romero, Udogie, Solanke, Vicario, Van de Ven, Bentancur, Werner, Odobert, and maybe Bissouma.
Spence and Reguilon are unavailable, as they’re not registered in the Europa League squad, while Antonin Kinsky cannot be registered during the group stage. Thankfully, Ben Davies returned just in time, and without him, there wouldn’t have been a natural left-back available.
Hoffenheim team news
Hoffenheim have their own set of problems, with players like Anton Stach, Christopher Lenz, Samassékou, Yardimci, Prömel, Ihlas Bebou, Bülter, Ozan Kabak, and Umut Tohumcu all ruled out.
Predicted Tottenham line-up
Forster, Porro, Drăgușin, Gray, Davies, Sarr, Bergvall, Maddison, Moore, Richarlison, Son
Our prediction
Hoffenheim, under new head coach Christian Ilzer, have been unable to gain any consistency since the sacking of Pellegrino Matarazzo. After analysing their recent 3-1 win, here are our insights.
The Bundesliga side may remind you a bit of Tamworth in that they are big fans of long throw-ins, which Spurs need to be wary of considering their ongoing struggles with set-pieces. Hoffenheim’s opener in their last game came from a throw-in.
They also like to stretch the opposition’s defence by crossing the ball into areas near the edge of the penalty box, rather than closer to the goalkeeper. It’s no surprise they rank second in their league for accurate crosses per match (5.4) and top the table in terms of most accurate long balls per match (28.4).
Defensively, though, they’re all over the place. Spurs can take advantage of their lack of awareness if they position themselves well. The main threat will come from Adam Hložek who scored twice in their last game. His left foot is a real weapon, and he’s someone Spurs will need to watch closely.
For Spurs, Mikey Moore could be the one to watch. If you saw Moore’s performance against Everton, you will know what I mean. He got his first senior assist in that game, and this fixture could see him grab his first goal.
Everyone knows the situation surrounding the manager and the chairman right now. Ange Postecoglou has to get this one right to ease some of the pressure. A solid performance and a clean sheet would go a long way towards lifting the mood.
Predicted score: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Hoffenheim
COYS!
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