Palace in Europe: Get to know Hoffenheim

First-team

7 hours ago

Crystal Palace welcome Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim to Selhurst Park this Thursday (5th November, 17:45 GMT) for their fourth UEFA Europa League fixture of the season.

The visitors arrive in South London looking to build on an impressive 3-0 victory over French side Olympique Lyonnais last time out in Europe, having lost their opening two league phase fixtures.

Christian Ilzer's side have endured a mixed start domestically, however, sitting 12th in the Bundesliga after five defeats from their opening eight matches.

Palace, meanwhile, will be looking to return to winning ways after collecting four points from their opening three European fixtures. Ahead of Thursday's clash, here's a quickfire guide to our opponents...

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Hoffenheim's season so far...

Hoffenheim have experienced contrasting fortunes across their domestic and European campaigns this season.

After opening their Europa League campaign with defeats against OFI Crete (2-0) and Beşiktaş (3-2), the German side got their first points on the board in emphatic fashion against Lyon.

Andrej Kramarić opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time before Adam Daghim doubled their advantage shortly after the restart. Adam Hložek then added a third late on to complete a commanding 3-0 victory.

Kramarić was particularly influential, scoring once and providing two assists as Hoffenheim claimed their first European win of the campaign.

Domestically, however, results have been harder to come by. Ilzer's side have lost five of their opening eight Bundesliga fixtures, leaving them 12th in the table with nine points.

Their difficulties continued last week, when they were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel following a penalty shootout defeat, before suffering a 2-0 loss away to Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Hoffenheim will therefore be looking to use their European victory over Lyon as a springboard to rediscover some consistency, with Thursday's trip to Selhurst Park presenting another opportunity to make their mark.

Hoffenheim's European history

Founded in 1899, TSG Hoffenheim have enjoyed a remarkable rise through the German football pyramid to establish themselves in the Bundesliga.

For much of their history, the club competed in the lower divisions, but investment from local businessman Dietmar Hopp helped transform their fortunes from the late 1980s onwards.

Four promotions followed between 1989 and 2000, before further progress under manager Ralf Rangnick saw Hoffenheim climb into the second tier in 2007 and reach the Bundesliga for the first time in 2008.

They made an immediate impression, sitting top of the Bundesliga at the halfway point of their debut season, and have since established themselves as a regular presence in Germany's top flight.

Their first taste of major European competition came in the 2017/18 campaign, when they reached the UEFA Champions League play-off round before dropping into the Europa League group stage.

A third-place Bundesliga finish in 2017/18 secured another Champions League qualification, and they subsequently reached the group stage of the competition in 2018/19, facing Manchester City, Lyon and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Hoffenheim have also featured in the Europa League, reaching the round of 16 in 2020/21 before being eliminated by eventual finalists Molde.

This season marks another European campaign for Die Kraichgauer, who will be hoping to progress beyond the league phase for the first time in their Europa League history.

Their record against English opposition makes for less encouraging reading, however, having lost all five of their previous meetings with clubs from England. Their most recent encounter ended in a 3-2 home defeat to eventual Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur during the 2024/25 season.

One to watch

Andrej Kramarić remains one of Hoffenheim's biggest attacking threats, with the Croatian forward continuing to make his mark after more than a decade at the club.

The 35-year-old joined from Leicester City in January 2016, initially on loan, before making the move permanent later that year.

Since then, he has become Hoffenheim's all-time leading goalscorer, establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga's most consistent attacking players.

Kramarić has been particularly influential in European competition this season, contributing to all three goals in Hoffenheim's 3-0 victory over Lyon. He opened the scoring before setting up both Daghim and Hložek to complete the win.

Match Details

Crystal Palace v TSG Hoffenheim

Thursday, 5th November
17:45 GMT
UEFA Europa League
Selhurst Park
Tickets available here.
Live audio commentary on Palace TV+.

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