UEFA Champions League participants Borussia Monchengladbach inflicted a second league defeat to the defending champions Bayern Munich in a 3-2 thriller at Borussia Park last Friday which allowed the chasing pack to close the gap on the Bavarians.
Image copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Erling Haaland marked his return in style against Julian Nagelsmann’s RB Leipzig in the headline match of the previous round, proving instrumental in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 victory at the Red Bull Arena.
Schalke finally snatched their first win of the campaign after 15 games by trouncing much-fancied Hoffenheim 4-0 against all odds. This weekend we’re expecting more goals and excitement from the fast-paced, high-intensity brand of football from the German Bundesliga. Don’t miss out on 8/1 quad.
Friday 15 January
Union Berlin 49/20
Draw 23/10
Bayer Leverkusen 23/20
Union Berlin remain unbeaten from their last five matches with three draws and two wins, which is impressive when facing the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and in-form Wolfsburg last time out.
The “Iron Ones” will be aiming to continue their fine form on home soil when stumbling Bayer Leverkusen come to town on Friday night. Peter Bosz’s men have surrendered the coveted top spot after a disappointing three-game winless streak that has seen the Werkself drop off the pace, now trailing the summit by four points. At 23/20, my money is on Bayer Leverkusen to get back to winning ways by claiming their fourth straight victory over the hosts.
Saturday 16 January
Werder Bremen 13/10
Draw 22/10
Augsburg 22/10
Werder Bremen claimed a much-needed point after sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Bay Arena. The Green-Whites are in danger of falling into a fight against relegation, just collecting four points from seven matches that has steadily seen Florian Kohfeldt’s side slide down the table, just four points from safety.
Augsburg will come into the clash with the belief of grinding out a third straight victory on their travels following 1-0 wins over struggling Arminia Bielefeld and Cologne in recent trips. Instead of picking a winner, take Over 2.5 Goals to come home flying for the 14th consecutive meeting between these sides at 21/20.
Hoffenheim 6/10
Draw 31/10
Arminia Bielefeld 4/1
Hoffenheim suffered their fourth defeat from five Bundesliga matches which is a worrying sign for coach Sebastian Hoeneb’s time at the helm. To make matters worse, their latest failure was a humiliating 4-0 loss to Schalke who moved off the foot of the table by claiming their first victory this season at Hoffenheim’s expense.
Arminia Bielefeld come off their second victory in three games, edging both Schalke and Hertha Berlin by 1-0 scorelines. The Blues have only beaten Schalke away from home and seem to feed off set pieces to score goals. Go against current form and back Hoffenheim.
Wolfsburg 26/10
Draw 5/2
RB Leipzig 1/1
Wolfsburg have impressed this season, only suffering defeats to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and come into the clash in sixth spot, eight points off the top. The Wolves will be targeting their sixth straight win at the Volkswagen Arena when last season’s UEFA Champions League semi-finalists make the trip in search of their 10th league victory.
Nagelsmann’s troops had an eight-match unbeaten streak snapped by Borussia Dortmund last weekend, missing out on the opportunity to overtake Bayern Munich in the standings. I’m backing the Die Roten Bullen to claim maximum points at even money.
Cologne 24/10
Draw 23/10
Hertha Berlin 23/20 (16:30)
Cologne are languishing in 16th position after failing to score in four straight matches, while shipping 10 goals in the process. Fortunately for the Billy Goats, they play host to an equally poor Hertha Berlin outfit who are winless in their last four games away from the capital. With Cologne’s dismal form in mind, I suggest utilising the Away to Win Either Half and select (Yes) at 6/10.
Borussia Dortmund 2/9
Draw 11/2
Mainz 19/2
The Yellow and Black army will be relieved that their main source of goals Haaland has returned to full fitness. Borussia Dortmund’s number nine has led his team to back-to-back victories over Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig to begin 2021 on the right footing. Next up for “BVB” is bottom-of-the-barrel Mainz. I expect Haaland and company to dominate proceedings. Home to Score in Both Halves is my play at 13/20.
Stuttgart 37/20
Draw 11/4
Borussia Monchengladbach 5/4 (19:30)
Stuttgart come into the clash off the back of a 4-1 victory at Augsburg which ended a three-game winless streak for the newly-promoted outfit. Interestingly, the Reds have only failed to score against RB Leipzig at the Mercedes Benz Arena. Borussia Monchengladbach will be looking to put the hosts to the sword after their impressive 3-2 win over champions Bayern Munich. The Foals have scored in every away match this season after failure on the opening day. Add Both Teams to Score (Yes) at 9/20 to all multiples.
Sunday 17 January
Bayern Munich 2/9
Draw 6/1
Freiburg 19/2
Bayern Munich will be out for revenge after tasting defeat last weekend. The backlash will likely be five or more goals scored past Freiburg’s goalkeeper Florian Muller. Freiburg have surged up the table with five wins on the bounce, however, these wins have come against the bottom five clubs. Let’s keep this one short and sweet, take the Bavarians on the (-1) Handicap at 5/10.
Eintracht Frankfurt 5/10
Draw 7/2
Schalke 47/10
Eintracht Frankfurt have won three consecutive games for the first time this season, claiming maximum points against Augsburg (2-0), Bayer Leverkusen (2-1) and Mainz (2-0). The Eagles remain unbeaten at Deutsche Bank Park with five draws and two wins. Schalke claimed their first win thanks to 19-year-old American forward Matthew Hoppe netting a hat-trick against Hoffenheim. The hosts are tipped to make home advantage count.
QUAD @ 8/1
Bayer Leverkusen Win 23/20
RB Leipzig Win 1/1
Borussia Dortmund – Home to Score in Both Halves 13/20
Stuttgart vs Borussia Monchengladbach – BTTS (Yes) 7/20
Written by Bryan Naicker
