Match Information
Match Overview
SC Paderborn 07 host 1899 Hoffenheim at the Home Deluxe Arena on September 20, 2026, in a Regular Season Matchday 4 fixture that finds both sides looking to arrest early inconsistency. With Paderborn sitting 15th and Hoffenheim 13th, this is a clash between two teams still searching for their footing rather than one with title or European implications at this early stage, but the early points gap makes every result valuable as the table begins to take shape.
Form is the defining storyline here. Paderborn under R. Kettemann have lost their last two Bundesliga outings, falling 3-0 away to Borussia Dortmund on September 12 and 0-1 at home to SC Freiburg on September 5, sandwiched around a 0-0 draw at Mainz 05 on August 29. That run has left them without a league win through three matches, and they have failed to score in two of their last three Bundesliga fixtures. Hoffenheim, by contrast, arrive under C. Ilzer having found a response after an opening two-match slide, defeating VfB Stuttgart 2-1 at home on September 12 following back-to-back losses to Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Köln. That win offers Ilzer's side clear momentum heading into this trip.
Both teams also carry DFB Pokal wins from late August into this fixture - Paderborn's 4-2 success at Phönix Lübeck and Hoffenheim's emphatic 4-0 win at Erzgebirge Aue - though neither result carries direct bearing on this league encounter beyond confirming both squads' attacking capability against lower-tier opposition.
With no injuries reported for either club, both managers should be able to field their strongest available options, making squad selection and tactical setup the more decisive factors rather than enforced absences. Paderborn will look to reverse their scoring drought at home, while Hoffenheim aim to build on their first league win of the campaign.
Predicted Lineups
SC Paderborn 07
N. Noll; J. ter Horst, T. Scheller, M. Hansen; L. Curda, L. Ulrich, S. Castañeda, G. Vidović, R. Obermair; S. Marino, M. Pieringer
1899 Hoffenheim
O. Baumann; V. Coufal, O. Kabak, A. Hajdari, M. Rots; B. Conté, L. Avdullahu, W. Burger, A. Daghim; A. Hložek, T. Lemperle
Team Form Analysis
SC Paderborn 07
League Position: 15SC Paderborn 07 Form Analysis
Paderborn's form heading into this fixture is a cause for concern. Across their last three Bundesliga matches they have collected just one point, losing to Borussia Dortmund (3-0) and SC Freiburg (0-1) either side of a goalless draw at Mainz 05. The pattern is stark defensively and offensively: they have scored just once in those three league matches, and that came in the DFB Pokal against Phönix Lübeck rather than in the league itself. The home defeat to Freiburg is particularly notable, suggesting difficulties in front of their own supporters as well as on the road. The heavy 3-0 loss at Dortmund shows the gap in quality against the division's stronger sides, though the draw at Mainz indicates they can still find defensive solidity against comparable opposition. Under R. Kettemann, generating goals has clearly been the priority issue, with the attack misfiring in back-to-back league games. Turning that around at home against Hoffenheim will be central to arresting the current three-match winless run in the league.
1899 Hoffenheim
League Position: 131899 Hoffenheim Form Analysis
Hoffenheim's recent trajectory shows a team finding its rhythm after a slow start. Their September 12 home win over VfB Stuttgart (2-1) snapped a two-match losing run that included a 2-3 defeat to Borussia Dortmund and a 3-2 loss away at 1. FC Köln. Notably, all three of those league fixtures have been high-scoring, with Hoffenheim finding the net in every single one - a sign that C. Ilzer's side carry attacking threat regardless of result. The concern has been defensive: they have conceded multiple goals in each of their last three league outings. Still, the win over Stuttgart demonstrates they can convert attacking output into results, and their 4-0 DFB Pokal win at Erzgebirge Aue on August 22 further underlines their firepower against lesser opposition. Heading to Paderborn, Hoffenheim will look to build on that Stuttgart victory and carry their goal-scoring consistency into back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.
Head-to-Head
SC Paderborn 07
1899 Hoffenheim
Recent Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-05-23 | SC Paderborn 07 | 1 - 1 | 1899 Hoffenheim |
| 2019-11-01 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 3 - 0 | SC Paderborn 07 |
| 2015-03-21 | SC Paderborn 07 | 0 - 0 | 1899 Hoffenheim |
| 2014-10-25 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 1 - 0 | SC Paderborn 07 |
Memorable Matches
The head-to-head history between these two clubs stretches back over a decade, with four recorded meetings showing a fairly even balance. Their most recent encounter on May 23, 2020 ended level at 1-1, a result that reflected the tightness typical of this fixture. Hoffenheim hold the more emphatic result in the pair's history, a 3-0 win on November 1, 2019. Going further back, the sides also played out a goalless draw on March 21, 2015, while Hoffenheim edged an earlier meeting 1-0 on October 25, 2014. With two draws, one Hoffenheim rout, and one narrow Hoffenheim win across the available history, the fixture has generally favored the visitors on paper, though the low-scoring nature of most meetings points to tightly contested affairs.
Venue Factor
The Home Deluxe Arena provides Paderborn with the advantage of familiar surroundings, though their recent home form - including the 0-1 defeat to SC Freiburg on September 5 - shows that home advantage alone has not translated into results this season. For Hoffenheim, travelling remains a mixed proposition based on their recent away trip to Köln, which ended in a 3-2 defeat on August 29. The atmosphere generated by
Injury Concerns
SC Paderborn 07
1899 Hoffenheim
