Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen are coming off unsuccessful results in the return from the winter break will now look for their first win of the new year. Hoffenheim will play host to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, with the two teams only being a single point apart in the Bundesliga standings. Hoffenheim were stuck at a draw against Werder Bremen at home, while Bayer Leverkusen suffered a tough loss at home against league leaders Bayern Munich.
Bayer Leverkusen (7-4-7) are coming off a really bad loss in their return from the break, as they fell hands down by 3-1 at home against Bayern Munich. Their opponents had already scored two goals before Bayer Leverkusen scored in their only shot on target. They did not threaten their opponents at all after that, and conceded one more goal that sealed the deal at the stoppage time. It was a somewhat expected loss against the league leaders, as Bayer Leverkusen are now sitting at the 5th spot of the Bundesliga with 28 points. They have just as many as Gladbach, while both teams are just three points off the 2nd spot. Bayer Leverkusen have been quite competitive on the road so far (3-3-3), where they are actually undefeated in their last seven in all competitions (4-0-3). They will be coming here with a single absence, as Yurchenko has been ruled out.
On the other hand, Hoffenheim (7-5-6) are coming into this match after a pretty balanced match against Werder Bremen on the road, where the two teams split the points in a 1-1 draw. Hoffenheim were much better at the first half, where they took the lead at the 39th minute. However, their opponents were much better at the second half, and managed to pull even at the 63rd minute for the final 1-1. Hoffenheim are now sitting at the 7th spot of the Bundesliga with 27 points, just as many as Augsburg and Frankfurt. All teams are just one point behind Gladbach and Bayer Leverkusen, and just four points off the 2nd RB Leipzig. Hoffenheim have actually been one of the best home teams this season (5-1-3), where they have only lost to Gladbach. Hoffenheim will have a handful of injury concers ahead of this match, as Kobel, Demirbay, Amiri and Akpoguma have all been ruled out of this one.