German Bundesliga: Gameweek 22 Preview

Florian Wirtz

Borussia Dortmund fell further behind defending-champions Bayern Munich after losing 5-2 to third-laced Bayer Leverkusen and now find themselves nine points off the log-leaders. Meanwhile, there are a host of bottom-of-the-table ‘six-pointer’ clashes that are set to entertain football purists.

https://bit.ly/3pEaOH5

Friday 11 February
RB Leipzig 9/20
Draw 38/10
Cologne 5/1
(21:30)
Cologne leapfrogged RB Leipzig on the log-standings last weekend as the Red Bulls suffered a 3-2 loss away at the Allianz Arena to Bayern Munich, while Cologne edged Freiburg 1-0 thanks to Anthony Modeste’s 7th goal in seven games across all competitions.

After three games without victory, Cologne claimed maximum points, however, RB Leipzig will be aiming to return to winning ways after their four-match winning streak was ended by the Bavarians.

Modeste has been in fine form for the Billy Goats, while Portuguese striker Andre Silva has netted six times in seven Bundesliga clashes for the Red Bulls. While in charge last season, Julian Nagelsmann failed to beat Cologne twice, while Jesse Marsch shared the spoils in a 1-1 stalemate earlier this season.

My money is firmly on new-manager Domenico Tedesco to break the duck and claim victory at 9/20 odds, however, Modeste and Silva in the Anytime Goalscorer market are solid value bets.

Saturday 12 February

Borussia Monchengladbach 6/10
Draw 31/10
Augsburg 39/10
(16:30)
A massive bottom-of-the-log encounter between Borussia Monchengladbach and Augsburg is the perfect example of a ‘six-pointer’. The visitors sit in the relegation zone on 22 points after 21 matches and trail their hosts by a single point, which has all the makings of an enthralling 90 minutes at Borussia Park.

Borussia Monchengladbach are priced 6/10 for the win, as they come off four straight losses plus last Saturday’s 1-1 draw away at Arminia Bielefeld. Meanwhile, Augsburg ended a five-match winless spell in the Bundesliga with a 2-0 win over Union Berlin at the WWK Arena.

My value bet of the weekend is Augsburg to claim their third consecutive win over a struggling Borussia Monchengladbach outfit at 39/10.
Eintracht Frankfurt 12/10
Draw 24/10
Wolfsburg 22/10
(16:30)
Eintracht Frankfurt entertain Wolfsburg at Deutsche Bank Park and the first thing that springs to mind is a goal-filled encounter. These sides never disappoint fans in attendance when they meet. The last four matches have seen both teams finding the net in each encounter with a total of 15 goals being scored.

Wolfsburg’s dismal run of 11 matches without a win came to an end in last weekend’s 4-1 win over new-boys Greuther Furth. While Eintracht Frankfurt broke a three-game winless streak thanks to Ajdin Hrustic scoring a brace that saw the Eagles come from 1-0 and 2-1 down to eventually claim bragging rights away at Stuttgart in a 3-2 victory.

Banker bet – Both Teams To Score (Yes) 7/10, however, I only see one winner in this clash and suggest taking Eintracht Frankfurt Win & Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 7/2 odds.
Greuther Furth 43/20
Draw 24/10
Hertha Berlin 5/4
(16:30)
Greuther Furth collected six points from draws with Augsburg, Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld, then went on to edge out a 2-1 win over Mainz to take their tally up to 10 total points for the season. After showing improvement, the league’s bottom-placed club suffered a 4-1 loss away at Wolfsburg last time out.

Hertha Berlin are also in a fight against relegation this campaign, precariously hovering above the drop zone by a single point. The visitors come off a disappointing 1-1 draw with newly-promoted Bochum which stretched their winless spell to five matches across all competitions, including three defeats.

Hertha earned a 2-1 victory in the reverse-tie when these teams met at the Olympiastadion Berlin and my money is firmly on the Old Lady claiming a league double over Greuther Furth.
Freiburg 11/10
Draw 49/20
Mainz 23/10
(16:30)
Freiburg return home to the Europa-Park Stadion after their 1-0 loss away at Cologne saw the Breisgau Brazilians drop out of the top-four. Interestingly, only Bayern Munich (21), have conceded fewer goals than both Freiburg (24) and Mainz (23), so we might not be in for the most entertaining end-to-end Bundesliga-branded matches.

Mainz have been very straightforward to read – at home the Carnival Club have won their last four matches but lost all five games on their travels. Seeing as these teams have solid defences, I suggest taking Under 2.5 Goals at decent odds of 17/20.
Bayer Leverkusen 9/20
Draw 37/10
Stuttgart 5/1
(19:30)
Bayer Leverkusen were the talk of the town, smashing title-chasing Borussia Dortmund (5-2) in their own backyard. The win over BVB, followed consecutive victories over Borussia Monchengladbach (2-1) and Augsburg (5-1).

Stuttgart are in poor form – losing five of their last six Bundesliga games and played out to a goalless draw with newly-promoted Greuther Furth. With this type of form, it’s no surprise Stuttgart are in a desperate fight against relegation with 18 points after 21 matches.

Take Bayer Leverkusen for the win at 9/20.

Sunday 13 February
Union Berlin 29/10
Draw 28/10
Borussia Dortmund 17/20
(16:30)
After succumbing to a humiliating 5-2 defeat at home against Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund will be aiming to return to the winning ways that saw the Yellow and Black convincingly sweep aside Eintracht Frankfurt (3-2), Freiburg (5-1) and Hoffenheim (3-2).

It won’t be an easy task at “Fortress-Berlin” or Stadion An der Alten Forsterei as its officially named, with the “Iron One’s” finding themselves in fourth-place despite the shock 2-1 loss away at Augsburg last Saturday.

Borussia Dortmund fell further behind Bayern Munich and now need to close a nine-point deficit. The last two meetings in Berlin have seen the hosts claim glory, while Dortmund have won the past three game on their home patch. I’m going for value and selecting Union Berlin at 29/10.

Hoffenheim 11/20
Draw 33/10
Arminia Bielefeld 44/10
(18:30)
Following a brilliant string of results during November and December that propelled Hoffenheim up the standings, the hosts have lost their last three Bundesliga matches and were dumped out of the DFB Pokal by Freiburg.
Arminia Bielefeld come into this clash unbeaten in six league games, with three draws and three victories. The visitors have been decent in recent travels, claiming maximum points away at RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt.
The last four meetings between these teams have been low-scoring affairs with Under 2.5 Goals scored in each match. Follow the trend and get on at 5/4 odds.
QUAD @ 123/1
RB Leipzig Win 9/20
Augsburg Win 39/10
Union Berlin Win 29/10
Eintracht Frankfurt Win & Both Teams To Score (Yes) 7/2
Written by Bryan Naicker