OFI Crete vs Hoffenheim prediction 17.09.2026 | Europa League

OFI Crete are usually a mid-table Super League side. However, last year they surprisingly triumphed in the domestic cup and earned a spot in the Europa League qualifiers, where they beat CSKA Sofia. OFI Crete are excellent this season. Besides beating Bulgarians, Christos Kontis' team also won three of four domestic league games. Last weekend, OFI Crete won 1-0 on the road against Olympiacos Piraeus. The hosts were a huge favorites for all three points, but the visitors were exceptional in defense and picked up a surprising victory.

OFI Crete head coach Christos Kontis was ecstatic after the big win against Olympiacos. He commented, "What can I say? A big win, a huge win. Congratulations to the players; it was a very good game. Concentration, confidence, courage, self-sacrifice. Every day I tell them to take one more step forward, and they do it. I'm very happy to be coaching these players. This is theirs, 100%! I'm happy because after many years we managed to beat Olympiacos away from home."

Nikolaos Marinakis is injured and will not play on Thursday against Hoffenheim.

Last season was one of Hoffenheim's best ever. They finished fifth in the Bundesliga and returned to the Europa League. Two years ago, in their previous appearance, Hoffenheim collected only nine points and now expect to be significantly better. Christian Ilzer's team opened the domestic league with two defeats, but in the most recent outing, they won 2-1 at home against Stuttgart. Both teams had plenty of goal-scoring chances throughout the game, but Hoffenheim's much better efficiency was enough for all three points.

Hoffenheim's head coach, Christian Ilzer, was very satisfied with a victory against Stuttgart. He said, "It was a 50-50 game; either team could have won. We had a very strong opponent in VfB, who pushed us to our limits. We also needed a strong performance from Oliver Baumann in goal."

Hoffenheim's Alexander Prass and Luis Engelns are unavailable for the trip to Crete. It's also possible that head coach Christian Ilzer will rotate the squad slightly for Thursday's game.