Schalke vs Hoffenheim Betting Tips

Schalke enjoyed an incredibly good start to their season, winning eight of their first ten games in all competitions and only losing once.

But then they suffered a bit of a dip in form and went on a streak of seven matches without a win in all competitions and saw themselves slip down the table.

Eventually they did manage to break out of this spell, and they come into this game having won three of their last five and only lost once.

This loss was to Augsburg last time out, with a 92^nd minute winner proving the difference as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat away from home.

Schalke are still trying to get out of the hole they dug themselves though. They are in 8^th position, and five points separate them from the 3^rd placed Champions League position occupied by Hertha Berlin.

Hoffenheim managed to get themselves a win last weekend, with that 1-0 win over Hannover seeing them pick up their first victory since September and end an eight match winless streak.

To be fair to Hoffenheim, only three of these eight matches ended in defeat, but their lack of winning mentality has sent them into the doldrums of the relegation zone. They sit in 17^th position with 13 points from their opening 16 games, but a win on Friday could see them rise as high as 13^th.

Hoffenheim have lost five of their nine competitive games on the road this season, and their only points have come against promoted sides such as Darmstadt and Ingolstadt and out of form sides like Cologne and Augsburg.

Schalke should be able to get a win on Friday, and I’m backing a home victory at fair value odds of 8/13 along with a 2-0 correct score prediction at a good value 15/2.