Hannover 96 vs Hamburg SV Betting Tips and Predictions

Most derbies tend to be heated affairs, fueled by the hatred the fans feel for each other as well as a rivalry stretching decades. This is not the case when Hannover 96 take on fellow north-German side Hamburg SV however. Both sets of supporters actually like each other and have developed a stern friendship over the recent years, which makes the fixture between the two sides the Bundesliga’s “friendly derby”. Hannover 96 have generally gotten the better of Hamburg in recent years, but with Hannover’s poor form throughout this season, the tide may be about to turn in Hamburg’s favour.

Hannover’s hopes for any chance of working their way out of relegation were dealt a crushing blow last Bundesliga matchday with a 1-0 defeat away to fellow relegation fighters Eintracht Frankfurt, a result which left them ten points adrift at the foot of the standings. Having occupied bottom of the table since the turn of the year, time is running out for Thomas Schaaf’s men to pull off what would be one of the most dramatic and “impossible” relegation escape acts in Bundesliga history.

Hamburg’s status as the the only club to be ever-present in the Bundesliga hasn’t been in much danger this season, unlike last season where they finished 2 from bottom and barely survived the relegation play off. But poor recent form combined with a very tight bottom half of the table has left them perched in 13th place, which may sound safe enough, but in reality Hamburg are just four points above automatic relegation 17th place. Top scorer Nicolai Müller is available once more, providing a timely boost to a side desperate to avoid a third straight relegation battle.

Despite Hamburg’s worsening form, Hannover 96 are having one of the worst seasons in Bundesliga history being only the 4th team ever to have 20 (or more) defeats after 27 matchdays. The previous 3 sides were all relegated. Hannover have lost their last 6 and failed to score in their last 4 homes games in the HDI Arena, both of which are also club records. Combining all of the above with the statistics below, expect Hamburg to score first in this match with a final score of Hamburg win 2-0 at 10/1 being most probable.

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