Beşiktaş and Hoffenheim Meet for the First Time: Squad Values Very Close

Beşiktaş, who opened their UEFA Europa League campaign with a win, visit German Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in the second round of matches. The black-and-whites aim to maintain their strong run in Europe in the away fixture. Beşiktaş, who moved up the table by taking 3 points and a +3 goal difference from their first match against Olympique Marseille, are looking to move to 6 points. Opponents Hoffenheim, meanwhile, take the field aiming both to end their poor run in the Bundesliga and to collect their first points in the Europa League.

Beşiktaş and Hoffenheim will face each other in a competitive match for the first time in the two clubs' histories. Although the two have never met in an official match, there have been notable transfers between them in the past. Andreas Beck moved from Hoffenheim to Beşiktaş for a fee of €1.75 million in the summer of 2015, while goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan wore the black-and-white shirt in 2010 on a loan fee of €200,000.

There is only a small gap of €14.05 million between the two teams' squad values. Hoffenheim's total market value is calculated at €287.55 million, while Beşiktaş's squad is valued at €273.50 million. The black-and-whites' most valuable player is Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović at €32 million, while Leon Avdullahu and Fisnik Asllani stand out for the German side with market values of €30 million each. Beşiktaş have an average age of 24.8, compared with 25.0 for Hoffenheim's squad.

Hoffenheim have not started the Bundesliga season as they would have liked, managing just one win in the first five weeks. Christian Ilzer's side sit in the lower reaches with 3 points, having lost four matches in that period. The German side, beaten 3-2 at home by Hamburg in their last league match, also returned from OFI Crete with a 2-0 defeat in the first round of the Europa League. Turkey international centre-back Ozan Kabak is also in the Hoffenheim squad.

Both teams have significant absentees ahead of the tough encounter. For Beşiktaş, Dušan Vlahović will miss out with viral gastroenteritis. The black-and-whites are also without Milot Rashica and Can Keleş, who are not eligible to play, Ümit Akdağ through illness and Vaclav Cerny with a thigh strain. For hosts Hoffenheim, Luis Engelns is ineligible under the regulations, while Patrick Wimmer and Albian Hajdari are out injured.