Bayern Munich are well set to claim their 10 straight Bundesliga Meisterschale (championship shield) and are my personal favourites to conquer Europe and win this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Friday 7 January
2/9 Bayern Munich | Draw 6/1 | Borussia Monchengladbach 9/1 (21:30)
Bayern Munich will be aiming to extend their gap at the summit while piling further misery onto Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday night. The Foals come into the clash at the Allianz Arena winless in five Bundesliga matches, suffering four defeats, while conceding 18 goals in the same period.
The reigning champions have their eighth straight victory across all competitions in their sights, however, more importantly will seek to avenge their humiliating 5-0 defeat to Monchengladbach in DFB Pokal action earlier this season.
First Half – First Team To Score: Bayern Munich is my suggested bet at 5/10.
Saturday 8 January
6/10 RB Leipzig | 32/10 | Mainz 38/10 (16:30)
RB Leipzig find themselves in 10th place after ending 2021 with poor displays in the 1-1 draw away at Augsburg, prior to suffering a 2-0 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld. Meanwhile, Mainz are one position above their hosts in 9th position.
The visitors’ form reflects that they enjoy playing in front of their home crowd at the MEWA Stadium. On home soil, Mainz have only lost once all season in 11 matches, although losing five of their last six games on the road doesn’t bode well for their chances.
Interestingly, Mainz have also won the last two meetings between these sides, so I’m sitting on the fence and selecting Both Teams To Score (Yes) at 7/10.
8/10 Bayer Leverkusen | 11/4 | Union Berlin 31/10 (16:30)
Bayer Leverkusen are aiming to claim third position on the standings that’s well within their sights, while being six points behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Die Werkself will be desperate to get back to winning ways after sharing the spoils with Hoffenheim and losing away at Eintracht Frankfurt and in-form Freiburg. On the other hand, seventh-placed Union Berlin will be looking to crack into the top six positions that guarantee passage to European football.
Union Berlin have been underwhelming on their travels, only tallying their second away win over newly-promoted Bochum last time out, following disappointing performances against Greuther Furth and Freiburg where the visitors drew blanks in both occasions. Bayer Leverkusen are expected to edge out maximum points.
11/20 Hoffenheim | 34/10 | Augsburg 44/10 (16:30)
Hoffenheim are equal on 28 points with Bayer Leverkusen and are on the verge of cracking into the UEFA Champions League qualification spots. The hosts won five straight home games in the Bundesliga before Kevin Akpoguma’s 90th-minute goal rescued a point in the 1-1 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach.
After beating Bayern Munich against all odds, Augsburg have drawn three games with Hertha Berlin, RB Leipzig and Greuther Furth, while losing to Bochum and have only been capable of claiming maximum points away at Cologne.
Back Hoffenheim at 11/20, although if you’re searching for more value, try the (-1) Handicap option at 27/20.
13/20 Freiburg | 29/10 | Arminia Bielefeld 4/1 (16:30)
Freiburg welcome Arminia Bielefeld to the Dreisamstadion, hoping to get back to winning ways. The Breisgau Brazilians have lost 14 points from a possible tally of 21, but still hold onto their third position on the standings with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt and Union Berlin hot on their heels.
Arminia Bielefeld ended 2021 with back-to-back 2-0 wins over Bochum and RB Leipzig which took them up to 16 points, however, the visitors are still in deep trouble with a fight against relegation on their hands during the second half of the campaign.
My money is firmly on the home win.
26/10 Greuther Furth | 26/10 | Stuttgart 1/1 (16:30)
Greuther Furth have a monumental task on their hands to remain in the Bundesliga, the Cloverleaves are rooted to the foot of the table and are required to overturn a 12-point deficit over three teams by May.
Stuttgart are in the same fight against relegation in 16th place on the log, although a month of positive results could easily change their fortunes and have them punching into midtable. When these sides met on the opening day, Stuttgart ran riot in a 5-1 thrashing at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena.
Stuttgart is well worth a punt at even money.
47/20 Eintracht Frankfurt | 3/1 | Borussia Dortmund 19/20 (19:30)
Eintracht Frankfurt have the opportunity to close down a six-point gap between themselves and second-placed Borussia Dortmund when the Black and Yellow army resume their 2021/22 campaign at Deutsche Bank Park.
The Eagles will be hoping to continue where they left off, winning six of their last seven Bundesliga games, while Borussia Dortmund need to get back to winning ways after losing 3-2 in capital to Hertha Berlin.
Erling Haaland in the Anytime Goalscorer market is always a runner, however, I’m all over Borussia Dortmund & (Yes) at 23/10 in the Matchbet & Both Teams To Score market.
Sunday 9 January
33/20 Hertha Berlin | 49/20 | Cologne 15/10 (16:30)
Hertha Berlin ended 2021 off in style with a 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund in front of their fans at the Olympiastadion. The Old Lady are unbeaten in five home games, while their struggles on their travels find Hertha Berlin winless in four matches with three defeats.
Anthony Modeste and Florian Kainz inspired Cologne to a 3-1 victory over Hertha Berlin on the opening day and come into the clash after impressive back-to-back wins over Wolfsburg and Stuttgart.
Both Teams To Score (Yes) is the best bet at 6/10.
TBA Bochum | TBA | Wolfsburg TBA (18:30)
Bochum come off consecutive losses to Arminia Bielefeld (2-0) and Union Berlin (1-0), while Wolfsburg have lost seven straight matches across all competitions that find the Wolves languishing in 13th-placed equal on points with newly-promoted Bochum.
Wolfsburg manager Florian Kohfeldt will be hoping to add quality within his ranks with American striker Ricardo Pepi being lined up. Add the visitors to weekend multiples.
QUAD @ 11/1
First Half – First Team To Score: Bayern Munich 5/10
Hoffenheim Win 11/20
Freiburg Win 13/20
Borussia Dortmund & Both Teams To Score (Yes) 23/10
