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In a dead-rubber Europa League match this Thursday, German side Hoffenheim face off with Belgian team Gent in one of the final matches of Group L.
Hoffenheim are unbeaten in European action this season, with four wins and a draw.
Gent, meanwhile, have suffered five straight losses. That means that Hoffenheim will be big favorites in this encounter.
Hoffenheim vs Gent Head-to-Head
Hoffenheim haven’t been in the best form during 2020-21. They won their opening two Bundesliga matches, but then went on a winless run of seven games. However, that run was snapped at the weekend as they defeated Augsburg 3-1.
In European action, meanwhile, they’ve been excellent. They won their opening four Europa League games, and then drew with Red Star Belgrade last week. They will top the group regardless of the result of this Thursday’s match.
Gent, meanwhile, have had a poor 2020-21 season overall thus far. They’ve won just five matches of their 15 in the Belgian Jupiler League, and have lost on nine occasions. Their last two domestic games have ended in defeat, and their run in Europe has been even worse.
They’ve lost all five of their Europa League games, and have now been eliminated from the competition.
More worryingly, their earlier game against Hoffenheim saw them hammered 4-1 at home, which doesn’t bode well for Thursday’s game.
Hoffenheim form guide: D-W-D-D-W
Gent form guide: W-L-L-L-L
Hoffenheim vs Gent Team News
Hoffenheim have a number of injuries and issues to deal with leading into this game. Pavel Kaderabek, Ermin Bicakcic, Benjamin Hubner and Konstantinos Stafylidis are definitely sidelined, while Ishak Belfodil is a doubt. However, Sargis Adamyan and Jacob Bruun Larsen should be available following their bouts with COVID-19.
Injured: Pavel Kaderabek, Ermin Bicakcic, Benjamin Hubner, Konstantinos Stafylidis
Doubtful: Ishak Belfodil
Suspended: None
Gent will be without two players for this game. Midfielder Alexandre de Bruyn is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Igor Plastun is likely to be out due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Injured: Alexandre de Bruyn
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Igor Plastun
Hoffenheim vs Gent Predicted XI
Hoffenheim predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Oliver Baumann, Melayro Bogarde, Kevin Vogt, Havard Nordtveit, Robert Skov, Dennis Geiger, Sebastian Rudy, Ryan Sessegnon, Christoph Baumgartner, Munas Dabbur, Andrej Kramaric
Gent predicted XI (3-5-1-1): Sinan Bolat, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Dino Arslanagic, Nurio Fortuna, Alessio Castro-Montes, Niklas Dorsch, Elisha Owusu, Sven Kums, Milad Mohammadi, Osman Bukari, Roman Yaremchuk
Hoffenheim vs Gent Prediction
It’s very hard to see a way for Gent to get anything from this game. Hoffenheim are simply far stronger and even if they rest a couple of key players, they shouldn’t struggle to win this match.
They already dismantled Gent once this season and, considering the fact that they are at home this time, it’s likely to happen again.
Prediction: Hoffenheim 3-0 Gent
