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Hoffenheim will travel north this weekend looking to secure their second Bundesliga victory in a row when they face newly promoted Paderborn at the Home Deluxe Arena on Sunday evening.
Ralf Kettemann's side are winless from their opening three matches back in Germany's top flight after six years away, following an opening-day draw with Mainz and subsequent defeats to Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund.
As for Die Kraichgauer, they started the new campaign with back-to-back defeats but secured their first league win of the season last weekend with a 2-1 victory over Stuttgart, although they have since suffered defeat in their Europa League opener during the week.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Paderborn vs. Hoffenheim key stats
- Paderborn are one of two sides yet to score in the Bundesliga this season.
- Ralf Kettemann's side secured promotion via the playoffs in May despite winning just one of their final five regular-season matches.
- No player has created more chances than Adam Daghim (5) across the opening three Bundesliga outings.
- Christian Ilzer's side are averaging two goals per game across their five matches in all competitions this season, although they have won just two of those games.
Paderborn vs. Hoffenheim preview: Can the hosts end their Bundesliga goal drought?
Paderborn vs. Hoffenheim — Tale of the Tape
| Paderborn | vs | Hoffenheim |
|---|---|---|
| 15th | Position | 13th |
| 1 | Points | 3 |
| 0 | Goals For | 6 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 7 |
| 1 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 16th / 11th | Home / Away Rank | 11th / 12th |
After securing a return to the Bundesliga following six seasons in the second tier, Paderborn turned their attention to building a squad capable of avoiding relegation.
Following a busy summer that saw the arrival of more than 10 first-team players, Ralf Kettemann's side enjoyed a strong pre-season, losing just once and entering the 2026-27 campaign in high spirits.
However, after three Bundesliga outings, Paderborn are yet to score and head into the weekend with just one point.
Kettemann's men began the new season with a narrow DFB-Pokal victory over fourth-tier outfit FC Phonix Lubeck before starting their league campaign with a goalless draw against Mainz, showing some encouraging signs across those two matches.
However, Paderborn have since suffered defeats to Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund and are now one of two teams yet to score this season, meaning their last Bundesliga goal came more than six years ago.
As for the visiting side, they make the 222-mile journey north having secured their first Bundesliga victory of the season last weekend by beating Stuttgart 2-1.
Adam Hlozek, who endured an injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign, netted a brace to help Hoffenheim claim their first victory after they had started the new season with successive 3-2 defeats to Koln and Dortmund.
Those narrow defeats, along with their 4-0 cup victory, showed there were positives to take and suggested it was only a matter of time before their performances were rewarded with points, something they achieved in their latest league outing but could not replicate during the week.
Christian Ilzer's side finished fifth last season and therefore qualified for the Europa League, with Die Kraichgauer beginning their continental campaign on Thursday night.
Taking on OFI Crete, goals from Aitor Cantalapiedra and Georgios Kanellopoulos condemned Christian Ilzer's side to a 2-0 defeat, meaning they head into their sixth game of the season with three losses already to their name.
Paderborn welcome Hoffenheim to the Home Deluxe Arena with four players unavailable due to injury, while the visitors have a fully fit squad to choose from.
Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant, Sebastian Klaas, Sven Michel and Timur Gayret are the four injured players for the hosts, with everyone except the latter expected to return to training in the coming weeks.
Paderborn vs. Hoffenheim form guide & betting tips
| Paderborn | vs | Hoffenheim |
|---|---|---|
|
D
L
L
|
Form |
L
L
W
|
| 1 | Points | 3 |
| 15th | Form Table | 13th |
| 0 | Goals For | 6 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 7 |
|
W
D
L
L
|
Form (All Comps) |
W
L
L
W
L
|
Whispers predicts: Paderborn 0-1 Hoffenheim
With both sides currently closer to the bottom of the table than the top, this could be a closely contested encounter lacking in attacking quality.
We expect the visitors to secure successive Bundesliga victories and move towards the top half of the standings, with an away win priced at 4/6.
We see this being a tight affair, with Hoffenheim edging to a 1-0 victory, a scoreline priced at 11/1, while Under 2.5 goals is currently available at 7/4.
Adam Hlozek netted a brace last time out and is priced at 8/11 to score or assist on Sunday.
> Hoffenheim to win at 4/6 | Likelihood: Probable
> Adam Hlozek to score or assist at 8/11 | Likelihood: Probable
> Under 2.5 goals at 7/4 | Likelihood: Likely
> Correct score of 0-1 at 11/1 | Likelihood: Outsider