Hamburg vs Hannover 96 Predictions

After missing out last term, Hamburg have made it their mission to dominate this division and they’re doing a good job so far. They drew first time out, but Dieter Hecking’s men have since won three on the bounce. They’ll be looking for a fourth win when they host Hannover, who’re also hoping to return to the promised land of the Bundesliga, on Sunday afternoon.

Hamburg were often frustrated last term, so it didn’t bode well when they were held at home by Darmstadt on match-day one, though there was no need to panic, as their performance was a respectable one. Since then, Hamburg have established themselves as front-runners by winning three out of three.

Going forward, there’s been lots to like about Hamburg this term; they’ve played on the front-foot, have created plenty of chances, as an average of 1.96 expected goals for suggests, while they’ve had no problem getting the ball in the net, scoring ten goals in four matches.

Defensively, they haven’t been too bad either, as they’ve kept two clean sheets and conceded just three goals. However, for the first time this term, Hecking’s men showed defensive weaknesses last weekend when conceding twice against Karlsruher. Fortunately, they had the attacking power to outscore their opponents.

Like Hamburg, Hannover have looked useful going forward. Saturday’s visitors come into this match having scored in each of their four 2. Bundesliga matches, while they’re averaging a respectable 1.47 expected goals for.

At the back, the visitors haven’t been so effective. They’ve kept just a single clean sheet, while they’ve surrendered an average of 1.58 expected goals, which tells us that teams are creating chances against Mirko Slomka’s men.

In the betting, ‘Hamburg to Win & Both Teams to Score’ catches the eye at the prices. The hosts aren’t infallible, so a Hannover side that has already been away to Stuttgart and found the net this season should make some headway, though the recent efforts of both suggest that Hamburg can outscore Sunday’s visitors. After all, Hamburg are scoring, on average, a goal more per game than Hannover.

Those looking for a ‘Correct Score’ angle might try a 2-1 home win. Hannover aren’t as strong as the hosts going forward, but they’ve scored a single goal in three of their four league games this term. Hamburg are yet to score twice at home this season, but their recent efforts point towards them notching twice against a Hannover side that has surrendered 1.58 expected goals.