Bundesliga: Can Bayern Finish the Season as the Best of the Rest?

TSG Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich

With Leverkusen already crowned as the 2023–24 Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munch’s best finish would be for the second seed, but even that won’t be a cake walk for the Bavarians, as they’d still need to get a win at PreZero in order to secure their ‘Best of the Rest’ status for this season.

They’ll be hosted by an inspired Hoffenheim outfit, as Matarazzo and his men are keen on finishing the season as the seventh seed and clinching their spot in the Europa Conference League next season.

The Bundesliga remains action-packed up until the last day of the campaign! So read more below as SBOTOP provides an in-depth preview of what will be a pivotal season finale for both outfits. 

Talking Points

Bayern aren’t out of the woods just yet

The trophyless season for Bayern Munich will finally be over, but they still have to settle with Hoffenheim if they want to finish their campaign as the second seed in the Bundesliga. It may be understandable if the Bavarians show inspirited performances after suffering their Champions League exit in the hands of Real Madrid, but their recent clean sheet win over Wolfsburg proved that Tuchel and his men remain composed and hungry.

As my fellow SBOTOP writer, Jordan, stated the reasons why Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga demise was inevitable, he immediately pointed out that it was indeed not Harry Kane’s fault.

While the Three Lions skipper may already have his head wrapped around the upcoming Euro 2024, the prolific striker displayed stellar Bundesliga 2024 results all throughout the season. Kane wasn’t in the lineup for Bayern during their first match after their Champions League loss, and his availability against Die Kraichgauer is still up in the air. But if Tuchel and his men intend to keep their status as the best of the rest in the German top flight, then deploying Harry Kane for the last match of the season might just be the move.

At the time of writing, Bayern boast just a two-point lead over third-seeded Stuttgart, who have won back-to-back matches to inch their way closer to the Bavarians in the standings. If Stuttgart manage to win against M’gladback, a Bayern loss to Hoffenheim would force Tuchel and his men to slip even further down the table.

Hoffenheim’s European aspirations are put to the test

Hoffenheim’s recent 6-0 thumping of relegation-bound Darmstadt found Matarazzo and his men one foot in the European bus. But with just a one-point lead over SC Freiburg, the lads at PreZero Arena shouldn’t count their chickens before they hatch.

The last time Die Kraichgauer featured on the European stage was back in 2021, when they competed in the Europa League after finishing sixth in the Bundesliga during the 2019–20 campaign. But since then, it was all downhill for Hoffenheim, as they became mid-table staples during the next few seasons.

Luckily for Matarazzo and his men, the efforts of the seven German teams in Europe in 2023–24 grant the Bundesliga five slots in the Champions League next year, meaning Hoffenheim just need to finish the season in seventh place to qualify for the Europa Conference League in the 2024–25 season.

But despite their dominant showing against Darmstadt, it will still be a tough outing for Matarazzo’s men, as they’d need to get past the mighty Bavarians to secure their spot for European competition.

History

Bayern Munich have totally bossed their past head-to-heads against Hoffenheim, and the Bundesliga 2024 betting odds suggest that that theme will continue for their upcoming bout at PreZero Arena.

These clubs have faced each other 33 times since 2008, and in those matches, Bayern Munich have won 22 times, while Hoffenheim have only won four while tallying seven draws to boot.

In their most recent matchup, Bayern Munich slammed the door at Hoffenheim when they visited Allianz Arena. Tuchel’s men gifted the fans in attendance with a 3-0 masterclass, forcing Hoffenheim to exit the premises without a single point in hand.

Betting Tip

Hoffenheim may show spirited efforts for their season finale, but the visiting Bayern Munich are still the favourites to win at 1.85. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, are the underdogs at 3.17 with a draw price of 4.09.

Going with Bayern to win at 1.85 may be a sound move for punters, given how fast Bayern bounced back from their Champions League defeat, which is why my betting tip is Asian Handicap Bayern Munich -0.75 at 2.09.

My prediction is that Bayern will do more of the same to Hoffenheim as they did to Wolfsburg last week. The Bavarians were able to halt Wolfsburg’s three-game winning streak without the services of Harry Kane, so to give them a slight handicap against Hoffenheim shouldn’t be that lofty of an ask.

 

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