On Thursday, October 24, Porto will host Hoffenheim in the third round of the Europa League. The match is scheduled to begin at 21:00 Central European Time. The Sportsmacro analyst team has prepared a forecast and betting tips for this clash.
Also read: Panathinaikos vs Chelsea prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – October 24, 2024
Porto
Last season was disappointing for Porto in the Primeira Liga, where they finished third, narrowly edging out Braga in the final rounds. However, despite the departure of head coach Sérgio Conceição, the new season is proving successful for the “Dragons.”
After eight rounds, Porto sits in second place with 21 points, trailing Sporting by only three points. Their sole defeat of the season came against Sporting, while they won the remaining seven matches. Porto is currently on a four-game winning streak in the Primeira Liga. Over the weekend, they comfortably defeated modest club Sintrense in the Portuguese Cup’s Round of 64.
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In the Europa League, however, Porto had a surprising start, losing 2-3 to Bodø/Glimt. In the second round, they missed out on victory in the dying seconds against Manchester United, drawing 3-3.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim is one of the most entertaining teams in the Bundesliga. Under head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, the Blue and Whites score plenty, but they also concede a lot, turning their matches into spectacles. However, few could describe their season start as successful.
After seven Bundesliga rounds, Hoffenheim sits in 14th place with just seven points. In their most recent match, they claimed only their second win of the season, defeating Bochum 3-1. Prior to that, Hoffenheim’s only win had come against league newcomers Holstein Kiel, alongside a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart. The team’s biggest disappointment this season was a 3-4 loss to Werder Bremen, in which Hoffenheim led 2-0 by the 12th minute.
In the Europa League, Hoffenheim narrowly secured a 1-1 draw away at Midtjylland in the first round before easily defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 at home.
Match Facts
Over 2.5 goals were scored in six of Hoffenheim’s seven Bundesliga matches this season. Porto is unbeaten in their last ten home matches.
Probable Lineups
Porto: Diogo Costa, João Mário, Zé Pedro, Nehuén Pérez, Moura, Eustaquio, Varela, Pepe, Nico González, Galeno, Omorodion.
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Akpoguma, Chavez, Stach, Zendrey, Prass, Bischof, Grillitsch, Bülter, Hložek, Kramarić.
H2H
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two teams.
Porto vs Hoffenheim prediction
Both Porto and Hoffenheim boast strong attacking play but suffer from significant defensive vulnerabilities. My prediction: both teams will score.
