Hoffenheim vs. Bayern Munich: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Bayern Munich visit Hoffenheim on Saturday as they aim to make it three wins in a row to start their campaigns in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.

Pep Guardiola and company had a dream start to their domestic league campaign last week as they blitzed Hamburg in a 5-0 win, the largest margin of victory around the Bundesliga and therefore enough to put them atop the league after the first round.

Douglas Costa and Thomas Muller were particularly brilliant in the opener against Hamburg, but Bayern were impressive all around the pitch, their team play proving simply irresistible at times.

For Hoffenheim, things have been much the opposite as of late, their form suffering greatly in the post-Roberto Firmino era. They were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by 1860 Munich in the first round before suffering a Bundesliga defeat to Leverkusen despite having taken an early lead.

Markus Gisdol's side have made some significant improvements in the offseason despite the loss of Firmino, with Fabian Schar a high-profile transfer in particular. And their extension of Kevin Volland's contract was a major coup.

However, Hoffe are deep in a rut right now and will have it all to do if they are to match a high-flying Bayern side in Saturday's match.

Date: Saturday, August 22

Time: 2:30 p.m. BST/9:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. local time

Venue: Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena

TV Info: Fox Soccer 1 (U.S. only), BT Sport Europe (UK only)

Live Stream: Foxsoccer2go (U.S. only)

Form Guide

Hoffenheim	Bayern
Leverkusen: Loss	Hamburg: Win
1860 Munich: Loss	Nottingen: Win
Fredrikstad: Win	Real Madrid: Win
Lillestrom: Draw	Milan: Win
Neckarsulmer Sport-Union: Win	Wolfsburg: Draw

Predicted Lineups

Gisdol will be without Jiloan Hamad, who is still in rehabilitation following an anterior cruciate ligament tear, as well as Kai Herdling, who is suffering from a knee injury. Hoffenheim should otherwise have a full squad available.

Possible Hoffenheim starting XI: Baumann; Kaderabek, Schar, Sule, Kim; Schwegler, Schmid, Polanski, Zuber; Volland, Kuranyi

Guardiola will be unable to call upon Javi Martinez, Jan Kirchhoff and Holger Badstuber, who are all still in rehabilitation training, as well as Franck Ribery. The Spanish coach is one to shuffle his lineup regularly, but on form, the following lineup is most likely.

Possible Bayern Munich starting XI: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Benatia, Alaba; Alonso, Vidal; Robben, Muller, Costa; Lewandowski

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Players to Watch

For Bayern, the attacking quartet of Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa and Robert Lewandowski is simply breathtaking to watch at times, and will be absolutely worth a closer look.

Supported by the likes of David Alaba, Philipp Lahm and Arturo Vidal, with Thiago Alcantara a possibility as well, the amount of firepower this Bayern team can put forward is absolutely world-class.

From Hoffenheim's side, Kevin Volland is absolutely the danger-man for the hosts. The former Germany under-21 captain will be especially keen to score against the local rivals of his former club, 1860 Munich.

Additionally, center-back pair Niklas Sule and Fabian Schar have great potential to form a rock-solid partnership, but have yet to impress since uniting this summer. They could have a breakout match on Saturday.

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Key Battles

Kevin Volland vs. David Alaba

Volland is a versatile player who will play as a center forward-winger hybrid. He more likely than not will drift wide to the right, and will try to find space behind Alaba. He has an enormous work rate and is very versatile, capable of scoring, dribbling and creating. The 23-year-old will likely be Hoffenheim's biggest threat in attack.

Alaba, on the other hand, is perhaps the world's best left-back and an extremely versatile player in his own right. The Austria international has plenty of freedom in Guardiola's system, but with the freedom to attack comes the responsibility to do so without compromising his defensive positioning. How he juggles his duties may play a big role in deciding the match.

Niklas Sule vs. Robert Lewandowski

It was hugely important to Hoffenheim's long-term squad planning that Volland extended his contract recently, but the village side also did some great business in convincing Niklas Sule to prolong his deal. The center-back was one of Germany's finest before his anterior cruciate ligament tear a year ago, and his physicality makes him a very imposing force in central defense.

Lewandowski, meanwhile, is strong enough to manhandle many defenders while also being clever and cunning enough to win free-kicks and create space for his teammates in attack. Bayern look very fluid in attack with many thanks to the Poland international, who is an absolute perfect fit in their team and has enjoyed a good run of form to start the season.

Odds (courtesy of Odds Shark)

Hoffenheim: 168/25

Draw: 173/50

Bayern: 21/50

@Mr_Bundesliga