Bremen and Hoffenheim both have ways to attack before the opposing defence resets. Leverkusen and Stuttgart put greater emphasis on the first controlled reception under pressure, while Augsburg and Freiburg bring direct passing and wide deliveries into focus. Across these matches, the work after an initial chance matters as much as the first opening.
Bremen can feed Füllkrug through Weiser, Grüll and the supporting midfield runners. Hoffenheim retain Kramarić, Hložek and Asllani against a home side recently exposed behind its press and by wide deliveries. Bremen's main striker and several supporting players had short cup appearances, whereas Hoffenheim's workload included extra time.
Gendrey is out after his cup injury, Coufal remains doubtful and Prass is suspended for this league match despite playing in the cup. That makes Hoffenheim's right-side coverage a particular contest, with some fresher central defensive options still available. I expect the opening pressure to give way to further attacks and changes in supply after the interval. That's why I'm backing goals to keep coming in Bremen against Hoffenheim.
Leverkusen's Garcia, Maza and Schick provide passing, movement and a central target against Stuttgart's recent difficulty protecting good receiving positions. Bayer's improved cup second half demonstrated successive attacks through the available group. Stuttgart's possession against Gladbach still allowed repeated box entries, making the quality of defensive coverage more revealing than possession share.
Stiller is officially unavailable after playing the first half of Stuttgart's cup match. Promel and Karazor are plausible replacements, while Bayer's attack continues without Diaby and its defence is projected without Bade. Schick and Maza had shorter cup workloads, though their entire projected supporting group has not been tested together. I expect a competitive opening followed by more sustained Bayer entries. That's why I'm siding with Leverkusen to win.
Augsburg's Behrens can release a runner early or connect with an aerial target, while Freiburg can work through Suzuki and deliver toward Matanovic or Goto. Augsburg's recent concessions from crosses and uncleared restarts meet that visiting supply directly. Freiburg have also been exposed by a direct ball and by a counter following their own attack.
Bah's league suspension joins Banks and Brackelmann's absences in changing Augsburg's central defence. Engelhardt played the full cup match for Freiburg, so an older doubtful label does not remove his midfield role; Treu's injury concern is current. Augsburg retain lightly used attacking alternatives in Kade, Ibrahimovic and Gregoritsch, and the scoring case does not require Claude-Maurice to return.
I expect Freiburg to seek wide territory and Augsburg to answer with earlier forward passes, with the benches changing delivery and receiving roles later. Both teams have shown ways to continue attacking after falling behind. That's why I'm backing further scoring in Augsburg against Freiburg.
