Erik Ten Hag kicked off his Bayer Leverkusen reign with a comfortable win in the DFB Pokal and will now be hoping he gets off to a Bundesliga flyer when Hoffenheim come calling.
The Dutchman is looking to rebuild his reputation in Germany after a rollercoaster spell as Manchester United boss but Xabi Alonso will be a hard act to follow after leading Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic campaign two seasons ago.
Ten Hag's first game was a cup tie away to fourth-tier Sonnenhof Grossapach and it would have been a major embarrassment if Leverkusen had slipped up.
But they strolled to a 4-0 win, with a penalty bet landing for me as the minnows lost their composure and ended up having two players sent off.
Hoffenheim will represent a significant step up in class but they had a disappointing campaign last term and finished fourth bottom of the Bundesliga.
Christian Ilzer took over from the axed Pellegrino Matarazzo in November but failed to turn around their fortunes and they only dodged the drop by three points.
The Austrian will be hoping for better in his first full season after beating Hansa Rostock 4-0 in the cup last weekend but Leverkusen away is a tough Bundesliga opener.
How the bookies view it: Erik Hoff to a flyer
The bookies reckon Ten Hag will enjoy a successful debut in the Bundesliga dugout, with Leverkusen 1/2 favourites at BoyleSports. Hoffenheim are 5/1 outsiders and the draw pays 7/2.
Recent head to head: Leverkusen on top
Bayer Leverkusen have dominated this fixture of late, winning the last five meetings. They won 4-1 in Hoffenheim last term then claimed a 3-1 victory on home soil.
Players to watch: A Schick to beat them with
Czech striker Patrik Schick got off the mark in that DFB Pokal win last weekend and will fancy his chances of another goal here. The 29-year-old is just 20/23 for anytime scorer at BoyleSports but backing him to score first boosts the odds to 7/2.
Max Moerstedt scored a double off the bench for Hoffenheim last weekend and that could earn him a start here. The 19-year-old is 7/2 with BoyleSports for another goal and 21/20 at Unibet just to have an effort on target.
Probable line-ups
Jeanuel Belocian remains sidelined for Leverkusen while Amine Adli's place could be under threat after being hooked at half-time last weekend. Hoffenheim will be without long-term absentees Adam Hlozek and Ozan Kabak.
Bayer Leverkusen: Flekken, Hincapie, Quansah, Tapsob, Andrich, Arthur, Tella, Garcia, Schick, Kofane, Maza.
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Hranac, Bernardo, Machida, Avdullahu, Burger, Toure, Coufal, Asllani, Moerstedt, Kramaric.
Anything else catch the eye?
This fixture has provided plenty of thrills in recent seasons, with BTTS and over 2.5 goals landing in the last five meetings. Combining those bets only pays 5/6 at BoyleSports but over 3.5 goals on its own is better at 23/20.
Both teams took a while to get going last weekend, with each side netting three of their goals in the second period. Backing most goals to come after the break in this game pays 10/11 at BoyleSports.
Leverkusen should have most of the pressure as the home team so I'm backing them at -3 in the corner handicap, which pays 21/20 at BetVictor.
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