The German Bundesliga Round 25 is set to kick-off over the Weekend with couple of very exciting matchups. We have already covered the Friday night opening game between Borussia Dortmund and FC Ingolstadt 04.
Now, we will take a closer look to three featured matches and bring you the previews and betting picks in hope to have a very successful weekend!!!
VfL WOLSBURG vs. SV DARMSTADT 98
3-Way: 1: Wolfsburg -169 Home; X: +340 Draw; 2: Darmstadt +600 Away
Spread: Wolfsburg -1 +100 Darmstadt +1 +102
Total 2.5+: Over -109; Under +108
One of the biggest disappointments of the 2016/2017 German Bundesliga is definitely the VfL Wolfsburg who will host SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday afternoon at the Volkswagen Arena. Prior to the season start, many saw The Wolves competing head-to-head with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund but after only couple of round into the new season, it was noticeable that it won’t be the case and that something is not clicking right among the Wolves. On the other side, Darmstadt was expected to be among the teams placed in the relegation zone and if it was not for the surprising win in the last round, I would have said that they have already given up their hopes of saving the Bundesliga status.
Anyways, let’s get into the teams analysis and see what we can expect from each team over the weekend.
The Wolves have been struggling to find some consistency throughout the season. Although they have shown some signs of excellence, their superb performances in one round where overshadowed by disastrous ones in the next round. Some might say that they are playing hot and cold and that you never know where you stand at when you talk about the Wolves. However, their latest two games indicate that the Wolves could be catching some fire and that they are finally ready to play up to the expectations. After going 1:1 away against Mainz, the Wolves visited the 2nd ranked RB Leipzig and stole all three points from the Red Bull Arena, winning with 1:0. The only goal scored came in the 9th minute from Mario Gomez, who has now scored in each of the last 7 games under the new coach Andreas Jonker (11 in the season). The German striker seems to have found his best form which is an excellent sign for the Wolves, who are currently ranked 14th, having collected a total of 26 points (the least points collected after the first 24 rounds EVER!!!). The Wolves have been dealing with a lot of injuries and have a lot of players listed to miss the Saturday’s game. Benaglio, Bruma, Jung, Rodriguez, Azzaoui, Dejagah and Osimhen are all expected to miss the matchup with Darmstatd.
The SV Darmstadt 98, on the other side, is playing up to the expectations – HORRIBLE!!! After the first 24 rounds, the Lilies have collected only 15 points and firmly hold the bottom of the league, with very slim chances of digging themselves out of the hole. There is really not a lot positive to be said about a team who has scored the least goals of all Bundesliga teams after 24 rounds (only 17)!!! Furthermore, since the season 2008-2009, when the German Bundesliga brought back the relegation system, there has not been a team that had such a large point deficit behind the first team out of the relegation zone after 24 rounds. Darmstadts deficit to the 15th ranked Werder Bremen is 11 points. However, a glimpse of hope that the Lilies could increase their points amount and maybe turn some things around, came in the last round when Darmstadt managed to record a 2:1 win over Mainz. Sulu and Sidney Sam each scored a goal after only 12 minutes into the match, giving their team a 2:0 jump start. Eventually, the visitors would score a goal but the hosts managed to keep the lead in a game that saw two red cards, one on each side. Esser, Oliinyk, Rosenthal and Vrancic are ruled out for the match against Wolfsburg.
The Wolves have won only 11 points in the 12 home games played this season, but this weekend they will certainly have a great chance to improve that count when they host the worst team of the league. I expect a sure win by the home team, but to make it even more exciting I am going with the AH -1 on Wolfsburg, offered at +100!!!
MY PICK: AH -1 Wolfsburg +100
SV WERDER BREMEN vs. RED BULL LEIPZIG
3-Way: 1: Werder Bremen +136 Home; X: +240 Draw; 2: Leipzig +248 Away
Spread: Werder Bremen -0.5 -115; Leipzig +0.5 +112
Total 2.5+: Over -118; Under +112
The German Bundesliga Round 25 will showcase some very interesting matchups over the weekend, with couple of them set to be played between the upper ranked vs. the bottom ranked teams on the table. One of those matches that should provide a lot of excitement and one that we will put our focus on (and hopefully make some money off of it) will be the clash between SV Werder Bremen and Red Bull Leipzig at the Weser Stadium.
The hosts, although ranked 15 and just outside the relegation zone, enter this game as one of the hottest teams over the past couple of Rounds, going undefeated in the last 4 games (3W and 1D). There is no doubt that after that streak, everyone at the club is feeling much better, but the battle for the German Bundesliga status is just beginning and the Green-Whites cannot let their guards down. The stats show that no other team in the German Bundesliga has won more points over the last four Round than Werder Bremen (Bayern has won the same amount). What is even more optimistic for the hosts is the fact that they have finally started to win points away, defeating Mainz (0:2) and Wolfsburg (1:2). In their last away game (Round 24) Bremen managed to steal a point at the Bayer Arena against Leverkusen with a lucky goal in the 79th minute by Claudio Pizarro, who became the oldest goal scorer in the history of the Bundesliga (38 years). Prior to the match against Bayer Leverkusen, Bremen secured a 2:0 win at home against Darmstadt. One thing that could worry the fans is the consistent injury problems of the team. Junuzovic and Pizarro have dealt with injuries most recently but seem to be just fine for the matchup against Leipzig and should step on the pitch from the first whistle blow. Max Kruse was unable to practice during the week and his status is upgraded to questionable for Saturday. Bargfrede, Hajrovic and Eggestein will most likely miss the match with the captain Clemens Fritz ruled out for the season after suffering a tough injury in the game vs. Darmstadt.
The visitors on the other side are still considered as the most pleasant surprise of the season, especially after their superb performances in the first part of the season. However, they have slowed down a bit in the second part of the season but still play good enough to keep the 2nd spot at the table and decent points margin over the 3rd and 4th ranked Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim. The Red Bulls cannot be satisfied with the latest performance. In round 23 of the German Bundesliga, RB Leipzig visited the currently ranked 13th FC Augsburg and despite dominating the pitch and holding a 2:1 lead, they failed to win all three points, allowing the hosts to level the score in the 60th minute. The things got even worse in the last round when the Bulls hosted the 14th ranked VfL Wolfsburg and conceded a goal in the 9th minute, failing to score for the remainder of the game and allowing the visitors to take away all three points. Luckily for Leipzig is the fact that the 3rd ranked Borussia Dortmund also suffered a loss in Berlin, failing to close the gap for the 2nd spot. Another notable thing regarding the Bulls is the fact that over the last 7 Bundesliga rounds they have conceded at least 1 goal. Keita is ruled out for the match and will serve a 1 game suspension with 5 yellow cards.
The visitors are definitely having a much better season and surprisingly to all, still firmly hold the high ranking on their quest to reach the UEFA Champions league next season. In order to do so, they will need to pump up their form over the remaining 10 rounds (5 home and 5 away). The hosts will try to extend their great form and playing in front of their home crowd at the Weser Stadium is a much needed booster that should guarantee a great show. The visitors have struggled to keep their net clean as of recently, while scoring 1.75 goals away. On the other side, the hosts score at least 1 goal at home on average, which is why I expect both teams to score, with the possibility to go over the 2.5 goals offered at -118!!! In their first ever official matchup, played in October 2016, RB Leipzig won with 3:1.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals -118
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT vs. HAMBURGER SV
3-Way: 1: Eintracht Frankfurt +136 Home; X: +240 Draw; 2: Hamburger SV +248 Away
Spread: Eintracht Frankfurt -0.5 +133; Hamburger SV +0.5 -141
Total 2+: Over -139; Under +141
The final game of the German Bundesliga Round 25 scheduled for Saturday afternoon is the matchup between Eintracht Frankfurt, who will play host to the Hamburger SV at the COMMERZBANK ARENA. The host will enter this game hoping to put an end to their 5-game losing streak, while the visitors have found some momentum winning their last two games against some respectable opponents, Borussia Monchengladbach (2:1) and Hertha Berlin (1:0).
Eintracht Frankfurt is looking for a break after losing their last 5 Bundesliga matches and the break could come on Saturday when they take on the HSV in front of their home crowd. The Eagles have recorded a 1:0 win over a lower division opponent Arminia Bielefeld in the Cup game, but when it comes to the Bundesliga, Frankfurt struggles continue. If we were to count only the number of points won in the New Year, then the Eagles would be placed in the relegation zone. However, despite losing the last 5 games, Frankfurt is still sitting at the No.6 spot, with the European competitions still in sight. Bastian Oczipka and Jesus Valleja are ready to play, while Marco Fabian could actually start for the first game ever.
On the other side, the Hamburger SV have caught some momentum winning their last two and 5 of their last 8 games (5W 1D 2L). Their last two wins came as a nice bounce back from the 8:0 thrashing to the Bayern Munich in Round 22. With 16 points from the 8 games, Hamburger is slowly climbing their way out of the relegation zone. However, they will not have it easy on Saturday, considering that they have failed to defeat the Eagles in their last 9 meetings (5L 4D). Bastian Oczipka and Jesus Valleja are ready to play, while Marco Fabian could actually stat for the first game ever.
Overall, this should be a very interesting matchup wrapping up the German Bundesliga Saturday Round 25 play. With both teams conceding quite a bit goals in their last 5-6 matches, and considering that both teams are in desperation to win some points, my pick for this matchup is to go with the over, which is offered at -139. I would not play with the 3-way as both teams could pull an upset.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals -139
