Porto go in search of their first win in the UEFA Europa League this season as they host Hoffenheim on Thursday. The Portuguese giants are often solid at home and should have the upper hand over their German visitors, who have been unconvincing on their travels.
Porto are still without a win in this season’s Europa League, having suffered a defeat and played out a draw in their opening two matches. They fought back from two goals down to play out a 3-3 draw with Manchester United in their previous fixture with Samu Omorodion netting a brace.
The good news for Porto is that they will head into Thursday’s clash with a solid home record having won six of their last seven matches in front of their fans. Vitor Bruno’s men also claimed a 3-0 victory at Sintrense in a domestic fixture last weekend.
Hoffenheim were victorious last time out in the Europa League as they triumphed 2-0 over Dinamo Kiev with Adam Hlozek netting a brace. That result means Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men are still unbeaten in the competition having begun their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Midtjylland.
A small problem for Hoffenheim is that they have been a bit erratic lately, claiming just two wins from their last eight matches across all competitions. They are also winless in their last four away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it: Porto to triumph
FC Porto have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 8/15 by Betfred. A victory for Hoffenheim is valued at 9/2 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 16/5 for a draw.
Head to head: First ever meeting
There are no previous matches between Porto and Hoffenheim.
Players to watch: Galeno to star
Galeno was on target for Porto last time out in the Europa League and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward has three goals in the last four matches and is priced at 8/5 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Andrej Kramaric often carries the attacking threat for Hoffenheim and could be the one to watch on Thursday. The forward has six goals across all competitions this season and is priced at 23/10 by Betfred to find the net once again.
Probable line-ups
Samu Omorodion featured on the bench last weekend and could be set to start on Thursday. Nehuen Perez and Ze Pedro are also expected to continue their central defensive partnership.
Kramaric and Adam Hlozek should continue their partnership up front for Hoffenheim. Kevin Akpoguma is set to feature at the back while Florian Grillitsch is expected to retain his place in midfield.
Porto: Diogo Costa, Moura, Perez, Ze Pedro, Joao Mario, Eustaquio, Varela, Pepe, Gonzalez, Galeno, Omorodion
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Akpoguma, Stach, Chaves, Prass, Grillitsch, Bischof, Gendrey, Kramaric, Butler, Hlozek
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 4.5 goals in Porto’s last two Europa League matches and could be set for a repeat at 3/1 with Betfred. Over 3.5 goals could also be considered at 5/4 with Betfred.
Porto are priced at minimal odds for a straight victor, so a win and both teams to score could offer more value at 9/5 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Porto and Hoffenheim will be played on Oct 24, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Porto vs Hoffenheim prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
