The action is heating up in the German Bundesliga as Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich take centre stage in a blockbuster top-of-the-table encounter at the Allianz Arena, while Borussia Dortmund will aim to keep up the pace when they travel to in-form Mainz.
Friday 4 March
15/10 Arminia Bielefeld | Draw 22/10 | Augsburg 19/10 (21:30)
Arminia Bielefeld return home to the Schuco Arena for a Friday night fixture against Augsburg, with the visitors hoping to claim victory and leapfrog the home team on the log standings.
Arminia Bielefeld suffered defeats in their trips away at Hoffenheim (2-0) and Bayer Leverkusen (3-0), while edging out a 1-0 win at home against Union Berlin from their last three Bundesliga games.
Augsburg are precariously hovering above the relegation zone after claiming just one win in nine matches and don’t inspire any confidence. Under 2.5 Goals at 15/20 is my play.
Saturday 5 March
7/20 Bayern Munich | Draw 46/10 | Bayer Leverkusen 56/10 (16:30)
Bayern Munich entertain their hoodoo team Bayer Leverkusen who are enjoying a purple patch in the league which has seen Die Werkself work their way to third on the log under the guidance of Swiss manager Gerardo Seoane and come into the clash with five victories in six matches while scoring 21 goals in the process.
Bayern Munich have failed to win three matches since the turn of the year – a surprising 1-1 stalemate with RB Salzburg away in Austria, while suffering losses to Borussia Monchengladbach and Bochum in the league.
Let me get straight to the business – I’m tipping Leverkusen to triumph in Munich at 56/10 odds.
23/10 Hertha Berlin | Draw 49/20 | Eintracht Frankfurt 11/10 (16:30)
Eintracht Frankfurt fly to capital to lock horns with Hertha Berlin who’re bound to spend the rest of the season trying to avoid relegation after five defeats and two draws in their last seven Bundesliga games.
The Eagles are suffering a horrible dip in form with three consecutive losses against Wolfsburg, Cologne and Bayern Munich without scoring a goal, but will be licking their lips at the sight of Hertha Berlin, who are the perfect opponents to face at this very moment. Eintracht Frankfurt for the win at 11/10 is excellent value.
11/20 RB Leipzig | Draw 32/10 | Freiburg 42/10 (16:30)
RB Leipzig and Freiburg promise to provide a humdinger at the Red Bull Arena in the pick of Saturday’s lunch time kick offs. Goal difference separates both teams on 40 points in fourth and fifth position on the table – so one team currently has their foot in the UEFA Champions League, while the other find themselves in the UEFA Europa League.
There’s a lot on the line between two quality teams, RB Leipzig come into the clash with six victories in seven games – losing one match to Bayern Munich (3-2).
Meanwhile, Freiburg are quietly going about their business with back-to-back wins against Augsburg (2-1) and Hertha Berlin (3-0). The last meeting between these teams ended in a 1-1 stalemate and I foresee the Red Bulls dropping points this weekend.
11/10 Wolfsburg | Draw 23/10 | Union Berlin 49/20 (16:30)
Wolfsburg’s inconsistency continues after claiming wins over Greuther Furth and Eintracht Frankfurt, suffering a 2-1 defeat against Hoffenheim, and come off a 2-2 draw away at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Union Berlin slipped out of the top-four positions following a disappointing run of defeats against Augsburg (2-0), Borussia Dortmund (3-0) and Arminia Bielefeld (1-0) but returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Mainz last Saturday.
Both Halves Under 1.5 Goals (Yes) is my preference in this tie at 12/10 odds.
8/10 Bochum | Draw 26/10 | Greuther Furth 34/10 (16:30)
Bochum and Greuther Furth were separated by Anthony Losilla’s goal when these sides met five months ago and another tight affair between two evenly matched teams is expected at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.
Bochum are unpredictable – Die Unabsteigbaren failed to win four of their last five matches but the one opponent they did manage to slay was the Bavarian giants Bayern Munich. Under 2.5 Goals at 17/20 odds is the way to go.
2/1 Stuttgart | Draw 49/20 | Borussia Monchengladbach 5/4 (19:30)
Stuttgart entertain Borussia Monchengladbach hoping to dig their way out of their current rut of nine Bundesliga matches without a victory, including seven defeats and are now favourites to be relegated along with Greuther Furth.
Borussia Monchengladbach on the other hand are also inconsistent with just two victories in 12 matches despite having quality players in the squad. Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 11/20 is a banker.
Sunday 6 March
9/4 Mainz | Draw 24/10 | Borussia Dortmund 12/10 (16:30)
Borussia Dortmund lost ground on defending-champions, Bayern Munich, sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw away at Augsburg as star man Erling Haaland missed his sixth match across all competitions for BVB.
Mainz had their three-match unbeaten streak snapped in the capital when they faced off against Union Berlin. However, on home soil, the ‘Carnival Club’ have been enjoying themselves with five straight wins against Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin, Bochum, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen at the MEWA Arena.
Call me crazy but I’m taking Mainz to edge out a victory against a weakened Dortmund outfit without Haaland.
17/10 Cologne | Draw 5/2 | Hoffenheim 29/20 (18:30)
Hoffenheim will be keeping an eye on Saturday’s match where RB Leipzig and Freiburg are also tied on 40 points. The visitors know that they climb up the log standings this weekend and victory is the only option.
Cologne have failed to win their last three matches away from home including trips to Bochum and Greuther Furth. Select Hoffenheim to claim their fourth straight win.
QUAD @ 110/1
Bayer Leverkusen Win 56/10
Eintracht Frankfurt Win 11/10
Mainz Win 9/4
Hoffenheim Win 29/20
