Bundesliga – Match Preview: Hoffenheim versus Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich are all prepared to travel to Hoffenheim for their fifth league game of the season. The German champions have not had it all their way in the 2010-2011 season thus far and will be looking to add another three points
to their tally when they play against Hoffenheim.
It will be evidently difficult for Bayern Munich to achieve what they accomplished last season. In the 2009-2010 season, under Louis Van Gaal, Munich were quite brilliant as they completed a domestic double. They won the Bundesliga
title and the VFB Cup; Bayern also reached the final of the UEFA Champions League, where they fell short of the ultimate prize after they lost to Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan by two goals to nil. Nonetheless, it was one of the most successful seasons in recent
history for the German giants.
In the summer transfer window, Bayern were quite subdued and their focus was on retaining their stars like Thomas Mueller, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Mueller and Bastian both were in demand by other top class European
football clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid but, Bayern held off competition to retain the German starlet’s services. Thomas Mueller and Schweinsteiger rose to prominence through their performances for the German national team in the 2010 FIFA World
Cup in South Africa. The Bayern duo played a crucial role in their national teams run to the semi-finals of the competition, where Germany lost to Spain.
Bayern’s start to the German league has not been spectacular in any sense of the word. They won their first league match of the season against Wolfsburg, who are under Steve McLaren’s managerial ship. The win did not come easily for
the Champions as they had to fight hard against the resilient Wolfsburg side who finished eighth in last year’s Bundesliga season. Bastian Schweinsteiger’s heroics in the last minute of the match gave Bayern Munich the win. In their second match of the season
against F.C Kaiserslautern, Munich were quite poor as they lost the match by two goals to nil.
Bayern had a perfect chance to bounce back from the defeat to Kaiserslautern in their third league match of the season against Werder Bremen as the match was played at Munich’s home stadium i.e. the Allianz Arena. However, the German
giants disappointed again as they only managed to draw the game against Die Grün-Weißen. Louis Van Gaal’s men performed at their best when they hosted Roma in the UEFA Champions League last week, their performance merited them a convincing two goals to nil
win over the Scudetto runners up for the 2009-2010 season.
Die Roten were again short of their own standards in their last league match against F.C Koln. Despite the fact that the match was at their home stadium, Bayern failed to play their usual free flowing football and had to be content
with only a single point at the end of the match. Currently, Bayern Munich are 9th in the Bundesliga table after only obtaining five points from four matches.
Conversely, Hoffenheim have been on fire in the Bundesliga so far. In their opening match of the season, they thrashed Hansa Rotock by four goals to nil. In the second match of the season, they won against Werder Bremen by a comfortable
three goal margin. However, in their last league match, Hoffenheim only managed to achieve a goalless draw against F.C Kaiserslautern.
In the past four meetings between Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich, Munich have won two times whereas two matches have resulted in a draw. Hoffenheim have failed to win in any of the four matches and it will be difficult to get over that
psychological barrier as they host the German champions. It is expected to be an interesting game but as Bayern’s form is on a low at the moment, one can anticipate this match to end in a scored draw.
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