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Hosts Bochum are in freefall
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Visitors chasing European spot
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In-form Beier worth backing at 3.052/1
Bochum v Hoffenheim
Friday 26 April, 19:30
Live on Sky Sports
Our winning streak ended in Romania, as both Universitatea Craiova and CFR Cluj grew a backbone and played out a tight 1-0 win for the visitors, even though there were 30 goal attempts in the game. With a gnashing of teeth, we head to Germany, because Bochum are sinking, and I think they could be undone by one of Hoffenheim's exciting forwards.
Just a few weeks ago, Bochum seemed on course for safety after a superb 3-2 win over Bayern Munich. Since that heady Sunday night at the Ruhrstadion, Bochum have collapsed, taking just two points from eight games. The hasty, panicky decision to fire coach Thomas Letsch just weeks after extending his contract hasn't reaped rewards, with caretaker boss Heiko Butscher taking just a point from his two games in charge.
Bochum have now slipped into the relegation playoff spot, a victim of Mainz's incredible recent revival. They have claimed just two points from the last four home games, and I think they'll have trouble tonight against a Hoffenheim side that's still pushing hard for Europe.
However, even though I think Bochum are way too short here at 2.35/4, Hoffenheim aren't necessarily a team to be trusted fully in this kind of environment. In their last away game they were hammered 4-1 at Mainz, and last weekend they did their best to throw away a win against Borussia Mönchengladbach, only to rescue a 4-3 win at the death.
TSG do have plenty of firepower though, and I'll back Maximilian Beier to score here at a generous 3.052/1. The rising star has netted 13 Bundesliga goals this term, and the 21-year-old has scored five goals across his last eight appearances.