1899 Hoffenheim vs Sturm Graz Prediction

Two different domestic pictures

Hoffenheim's last 20 matches show 10 wins and 8 losses, a record that swings from heavy away wins to home defeats against sides like Beşiktaş and Hamburger SV. Their two most recent outings were both home wins, 3-0 over Leverkusen and 3-0 over Lyon, but the two games before that were home losses, so there's no settled pattern at the moment.

1899 Hoffenheim: 20 completed matches; Sturm Graz: 20 completed matches.

1899 Hoffenheim

20 matches

Win

50% 10 / 20

Draw

10% 2 / 20

Loss

40% 8 / 20

Scored

40

Conceded

33

Difference

+7

Sturm Graz

20 matches

Win

55% 11 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

25% 5 / 20

Scored

35

Conceded

20

Difference

+15

Sturm Graz have the healthier overall numbers, 11 wins from 20 with just 5 losses and goals comfortably in their favour. Their home form looks solid, including a 6-1 win over Grazer AK, but their away day in the Europa League went badly, a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth that stands out against an otherwise decent run.

Sturm Graz look sturdier at home than on their travels in Europe, which matters given this is an away fixture for them.

Comparative Team Statistics: 1899 Hoffenheim vs Sturm Graz

Both struggling in this Europa League phase

The league phase table shows just how tough things have been for both clubs so far. Sturm Graz sit 26th with only a point from two games and have yet to score, while Hoffenheim are down in 30th with no points at all from two defeats and five goals conceded already.

It's only two matches each, so these positions don't tell the full story of the season, but they do confirm that both teams need a lift in this competition.

Who sorts themselves out first?

Hoffenheim's recent home form has been feast or famine, two routine 3-0 wins either side of back-to-back home losses, so it's genuinely hard to know which version turns up. Sturm Graz, by contrast, have looked more reliable at home than away, and this fixture asks them to perform away from the ground where they've been strongest.

Given Hoffenheim's leaky home record in attack and defence and Sturm Graz's away-day wobble in Europe, this has the makings of an open, goals-either-end sort of contest rather than a one-sided affair.