PREVIEW: What a weekend of Bundesliga action ahead

Friday 28 October

1/1 Werder Bremen | Draw 28/10 | Hertha Berlin 47/20 (20:30)

Werder Bremen was unbeaten on the road as they head into their fixture with Freiburg but made life difficult for themselves just 14 minutes into the game as their captain Marco Friedl was handed his marching orders.

Head coach Ole Werner was forced into a solid defensive structure but struggled to keep Freiburg at bay, losing their first away fixture of the season 2-0.

Hertha Berlin did well to stay positive despite going down late in the second half and was rewarded with an opportunity to steal all the points later on against Schalke, winning 2-1. It is hard to separate these two, so Hertha Berlin on the Draw/Win Double Chance is what I’m inclined to back at 7/10.

Saturday 29 October

8/10 RB Leipzig | Draw 3/1 | Bayer Leverkusen 3/1 (15:30)

It has been a rocky start to the season for Bayer Leverkusen and travelling to face RB Leipzig is seeming to make the ride a little bumpier. Xabi Alonso opened his account at Leverkusen with a 4-0 victory at the start of October over Schalke but has yet to register another win. After the 2-2 result against Wolfsburg, Leverkusen has now recorded their lowest tally in 40 years after 10 fixtures.

RB Leipzig showed incredible resolve to come back from three goals down in under 30 minutes to draw 3-3 with Augsburg.

Head coach Marco Rose was scathing in his analyses of his players but simultaneously praised the response. Leipzig should find themselves victorious but adding Both Teams to Score (Yes) gives value to the home Win/Draw Double Chance at 17/20.

1/4 Bayern Munich | Draw 58/10 | Mainz 9/1 (15:30)

Eric Choupo-Moting secured the right to start against Hoffenheim after scoring against Freiburg and twice in the DFB Pokal match against Augsburg. He returned the favour to Julian Nagelsmann by converting for a third consecutive game in their 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim last time out.

You could look at Mainz’s last three results across all competitions (three wins, three clean sheets), but when facing tougher opposition they falter, and this is the toughest fixture they will have all season. Bayern should win, but for value wait for the teamsheet, and back Choupo-Moting to score anytime.

9/10 Stuttgart | Draw 11/4 | Augsburg 29/10 (15:30)

After scoring 10 goals in their wins over Bochum and Arminia Bielefeld, Stuttgart was utterly undone in a 5-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.

Two goals conceded in the first 15 minutes left them deflated and when the third went in a minute before the half-time whistle, the second half was just an attempt at damage limitation.

Both teams have had just one win in the last five fixtures across all competitions and despite what the odds suggest, there is very little separating the two. The draw is an option, but I personally am staying out of this fixture.

7/10 Wolfsburg | Draw 3/1 | Bochum 7/2 (15:30)

Wolfsburg’s mini-unbeaten run stretches to four after drawing 2-2 against Bayer Leverkusen away from home. While there can be positives taken from the run of form, getting over the line has been difficult, registering three successive draws in which both teams have scored.

Bochum enters this encounter, registering their second win of the season with a 2-1 victory over log leaders Union Berlin. The three points elevate Bochum from the foot of the table and a win here will put them just one point behind 14th-placed Wolfsburg.

The confidence boost of a win and desire could see Bochum grind a result, but the draw is my play.

2/1 Eintracht Frankfurt | Draw 26/10 | Borussia Dortmund 13/10 (18:30)

Arguably the match of the weekend takes place slap-bang in the middle of Germany as Eintracht Frankfurt host Borussia Dortmund in Frankfurt at the Deutsche Bank Park.

This tie could prove vital in the latter stages of the Bundesliga as both teams vie for a Champions League spot with Eintracht currently fourth on 20 points and Dortmund fifth on 19.

This fixture has always produced goals over the years, and both sides are currently in fine scoring form with rather leaky defence. Both Teams to Score (Yes) and Additional Totals Over 2.5 at 8/10.

Sunday 30 October

12/10 Union Berlin | Draw 24/10 | Monchengladbach 23/10 (16:30)

Union Berlin remains top of the Bundesliga by a single point over Bayern as they welcome Monchengladbach to Stadion An der Alten Försterei where they are currently riding an 11-match unbeaten streak. Union will be kicking themselves after missing chance after chance as well as showing a lack of concentration in the dying moments as they lost 2-1 to Bochum, who were bottom of the table when they faced off.

Monchengladbach has not been in the finest of forms having won just three of their last 10 Bundesliga games, but a positive would be that coach Daniel Farke’s men have scored at least a goal in all but two in just as many fixtures. Back Union Berlin and Both Teams to Score (Yes) at 33/10.

29/10 Schalke | Draw 11/4 | Freiburg 9/10 (18:30)

Freiburg lost only their second game of the season in the previous week, which was away in Munich to Bayern, but they won their midweek Cup match ahead of a 2-0 thumping of Werder Bremen. I say thumping because Freiburg was dominant from start to finish.

33/20 Cologne | Draw 5/2 | Hoffenheim 16/10 (20:30)

It’s a rather tight affair as we close out the Bundesliga weekend on Sunday evening. Cologne is in search of major redemption after being rattled by five Mainz goals with no reply, and Hoffenheim’s 3-0 win over Schalke is a distant memory after Bayern Munich were 2-0 the victors in their own backyard.

Cologne’s home record is rather impressive considering their 10th-placed position on the table. Back-to-back 3-2 home victories over Dortmund and Augsburg is pretty impressive, and a Billy Goat’s win at home is the value option of the weekend.

DOUBLE @ 48/10

Union Berlin Win 12/10

Cologne Win 33/20