The Bundesliga returned to our screens with the unthinkable happening, Bayern Munich losing to Borussia Monchengladbach… Again!
No one loves a farmer’s league; everyone wants to be competitive and strive for greatness. The benchmark has been set by Bayern Munich, but can anyone wrestle the league title from their grasp?
Personally, I highly doubt it. Nevertheless, let’s try and make some money in our weekly preview from one of the most entertaining leagues across the world.
Friday 14 January
Borussia Dortmund 5/10
Draw 36/10
Freiburg 44/10
(21:30)
Borussia Dortmund came in flying with last weekend’s value bet, completing a come-from-behind victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. BVB found themselves 2-0 down after 24 minutes but dug deep with Thorgan Hazard, Jude Bellingham and Mahmoud Dahoud goals securing maximum points in the second half.
Freiburg on the other hand let us down in last week’s 11/1 Quad, sharing the spoils in a 2-2 stalemate with Arminia Bielefeld after squandering a two-goal cushion in the last 30 minutes of the match. Dortmund won without Erling Haaland scoring and the Norwegian’s strike rate indicates he’s due to find the net, so the Anytime Goalscorer option is always worth a punt.
The last two meetings between these sides ended with Freiburg running out 2-1 winners on both occasions, however, I suggest taking Borussia Dortmund Win & Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 37/20.
Saturday 15 January
Union Berlin 16/10
Draw 51/20
Hoffenheim 31/20
(16:30)
Union Berlin return home to the capital where they’ve enjoyed much of their success. Just one home defeat in the last 25 Bundesliga games at the hands of Bayern Munich. Last Saturday, The Iron Ones rescued a point from the Bay Arena with midfielder Grischa Promel scoring twice in the 2-2 draw.
Hoffenheim were quietly going about their business but now should have everyone’s attention who’s eyeing qualification to European football. Following their ninth league victory of the season, beating Augburg 3-1, Hoffenheim leapfrogged Freiburg to take third position in the standings and only trail Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Away To Win Either Half (Yes) is my preferred selection at 15/20 odds.
Stuttgart 39/10
Draw 31/10
RB Leipzig 13/20
(16:30)
Stuttgart entertain RB Leipzig at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena hoping to turnaround their poor form which finds The Reds winless in three games after suffering back-to-back losses to Bayern Munich & Cologne and more worryingly also not finding the back of the net in last Saturday’s goalless draw with new-boys Greuther Furth.
RB Leipzig resumed their quest to move up the standings, the 4-1 win over Mainz would bring confidence to goalscorers Andre Silva, Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku, while maximum points sees the Red Bulls take ninth spot.
Die Roten Bullen are yet to claim any wins on their travels in the Bundesliga with four draws and four losses in eight attempts, while Stuttgart seem like the perfect opponent to write that wrong.
The visitors have won five games in a row when facing Stuttgart, keeping four clean sheets in the process. My best bet of the weekend is Away Win To Nil (Yes) at 21/10.
Mainz 13/20
Draw 29/10
Bochum 4/1
(16:30)
Mainz resumed their campaign with defeat to RB Leipzig and have now lost three of their last four matches, however, it has been against high-quality opposition in Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt.
All three of the above-mentioned defeats were away from home, while at the MEWA Arena they’ve earned 18 points from their overall tally of 24 points.
Bochum will be aiming to do a league double over their hosts after Gerrit Holtmann and Sebastian Polter’s goals earned a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture. At 13/20, I’m all over Mainz.
Cologne 6/1
Draw 48/10
Bayern Munich 1/3
(16:30)
Cologne come into the clash off three straight wins over Wolfsburg (3-2), Stuttgart (1-0) and Hertha Berlin (3-1) which has seen the Billy Goats climb up to sixth on the log. The hosts were undone in the reverse tie, losing 3-2 at the Allianz Arena despite Anthony Modeste and Mark Uth finding the back of the net.
Bayern Munich lost 2-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach, who are quickly becoming the Bavarians’ hoodoo team, but luckily our selection came through smoothly with the defending-champions scoring the first goal of the match at 5/10 odds.
For this encounter, I’m confident Cologne will score. My money is on Bayern Munich Win & Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 5/4.
Wolfsburg 9/10
Draw 26/10
Hertha Berlin 29/10
(16:30)
Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin meet at the Volkswagen Arena with hopes of claiming victory to distance themselves from the drop zone. Both teams are in 13th and 14th-place respectively, just three points from safety and will be desperate to win this effective “six-pointer”.
Wolfsburg come into the clash on a six-game losing streak without scoring in four of those games. Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin continue to be unpredicatable, after ending 2021 off on a high by beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 but begun 2022 with a 3-1 loss to Cologne.
The Wolves won the reverse tie 2-1, but this time around I feel it’s safer to select Both Teams To Score (Yes) 7/10.
Borussia Monchengladbach 15/10
Draw 26/10
Bayer Leverkusen 16/10
(19:30)
Borussia Monchengladbach went winless in five Bundesliga games losing to the likes of Cologne and Freiburg but shocked everyone last Friday night. Coming from behind to claim maximum points at the Allianz Arena over Bayern Munich, M’Gladbach’s Florian Neuhaus and Stefan Lainer scored the goals for the Foals.
Bayer Leverkusen’s last two matches on the road were fruitless trips as Die Werkself lost away at Eintracht Frankfurt (5-2) and Freiburg (2-1), while draws on home soil against Hoffenheim (2-2) and Union Berlin (2-2) were underwhelming, however, the neutrals will be enjoying the goal-filled football matches.
Take Bayer Leverkusen to win their fifth straight match against Borussia Monchengladbach at your own risk, I prefer playing it safe and opting for Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 9/20 – my banker of the weekend.
Sunday 16 January
Augsburg 23/10
Draw 24/10
Eintracht Frankfurt 11/10
(16:30)
Augsburg return home to the WWK Arena after suffering a 3-1 loss to Hoffenheim. After beating Bayern Munich in November, Augsburg have only won once in their six subsequent matches.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s three-game winning streak was snapped when the Eagles were downed by a determined Borussia Dortmund outfit. The visitors are well worth a punt after winning three of the previous four meetings between these sides.
Take Eintracht Frankfurt for all the marbles.
Arminia Bielefeld 9/10
Draw 26/10
Greuther Furth 29/10
(18:30)
Arminia Bielefeld and Greuther Furth round out the action as the hosts continue their gallant fight against relegation which has seen coach Frank Kramers’ men claim 2-0 wins over both Bochum and RB Leipzig, prior to last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Freiburg.
The Blues need to continue in this vein to escape relegation, while Greuther Furth are surely left with no choice but to start preparing for 2. Bundesliga football after collecting just six points all season. Clean Sheet Home Team (Yes) at 16/10 is worth a punt, if you’re going to try this fixture.
QUAD @ 27/1
Borussia Dortmund Win & Both Teams To Score (Yes) 37/20
RB Leipzig Win To Nil 21/10
Bayern Munich Win & Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 5/4
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen – BTTS (Yes) 9/20
Written by Bryan Naicker