This weeks Bundesliga double-header preview starts with duels at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund and Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt. Borussia will have the chance to end the nefarious winless streak that now stretches over last five games in the league while Schalke 04 squad will probably be adamant to record their first loss in seven games.
The second matchup will feature teams that are also riding relatively long undefeated streaks at the moment. Eintracht is coming off from a 1:1 road draw in Hoffenheim (they are undefeated in last six games) and Leverkusen is coming off from a 2.2 home draw against RB Leipzig (they are undefeated in last seven rounds). Two very exhilarating matchups are in front of us so let’s take a closer look and determine the right picks.
Dortmund vs. Schalke 04
Three-Way: 1: Dortmund -111; X: +321 Draw; 2: Schalke 04 +365 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Dortmund -125; Schalke 04 +122
Total +3: Over -102; Under -101
DORTMUND
The Dortmund team is in a tough period right now as they are winless in all competitions since September 30. They are fighting for the third position in the UEFA Champions League Group H in order to transfer to the Europa League because they don’t have any chance of advancing to the knockout phase. In Bundesliga they have recorded four defeats in last five games, earning only one point during that span.
Currently, they rank at No. 5 spot in the Bundesliga table with 20 points earned and 6-2-4 record (3-0-2 at home). Their goal difference is 29-16 (16-7 at home) and 50% of their matches had over 3.5 goals in total while 69% of their home games had over 4.5 goals in total. Both teams scored in 60% of their home games and they’ve managed to score at least one goal in both halves in 67% of their overall duels. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang top the team in scoring with 10 goals while Mahmoud Dahoud collected team-high three assists so far. Goalie Roman Burki has 104 shots against, 34 saves and five clean-sheet games.
Hendrik Bonmann (knee) should be back later this month while Marco Reus (cruciate ligament) is expected to be available in late February next year. Eric Durm’s (hip), Sebastian Rode’s (groin) and Lukasz Piszczek’s (knee) status is unknown while Alexander Isak (knee), Christian Pulisic (muscle), Sokratis (rib) and Roman Burki (head) are listed as day to day.
SCHALKE 04
The Miners from Gelsenkirchen are on a big run right now with six games without a defeat. Schalke 04 team’s latest form has brought them at the top of the league table ranking and they are now placed at the No. 2 spot eight behind the defending Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich. They are 7-2-3 so far (3-0-2 on the road) and they’ve earned 23 total points, same as RB Leipzig but with slightly better goal difference (16-10).
Unlike their next opponent, they have a low-scoring tendency as 75% of their overall matches had under 2.5 goals in total. Team also managed to concede at least one goal in both halves in 20% of their away games and both teams scored in only 33% of their duels. Guiod Burgstaller and Leon Goretzka are the team’s leading scorers with four goals each while Amine Harit collected team-high two assists. Goalie Ralf Fahrmann has 119 shots against, 27 saves and five clean-sheet games at the moment.
Pablo Insua (heart) should be available in early January next year while Nabil Bentaleb’s (hip) and Donis Avdijaj’s (ankle) status is unknown. Luke Hemmerich (foot) is listed as day to day while Franco Di Santo (thigh) and Leon Goretzka (leg) are back in training.
Dortmund vs. Schalke 04 – Match Prediction
This is a matchup between two squads that are going in opposite directions right now and it’s very hard to predict who will gain the upper hand when it comes to the final score. Still, expecting both teams to score, I think that the over should be topped.
My pick: Over 3 goals (-102)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Three-Way: 1: Eintracht Frankfurt +179; X: +260 Draw; 2: Bayer Leverkusen +177 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread 0: Eintracht Frankfurt +100; Bayer Leverkusen -104
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +131
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
The Eagles are among a couple of Bundesliga teams that are on the rise right now as they are undefeated in last seven rounds. This week, they are recording their best league table ranking since the season started as they’re placed at No. 7 spot. Thanks to the poor start in September partly October, they have 5-4-3 record (2-1-2 at home) and their goal difference is 14-12 (7-7 at home soil).
An interesting fact is that Eintracht team managed to score at least one goal in last 10 games but they’ve also conceded at least one goal in each of their last seven duels. 50% of their matches had over 2.5 goals in total and only 20% of their home showdowns had over 3.5 goals in total. Both teams scored in 67% of their duels and most common score at home was 2:1 win (occurred twice). Sebastian Haller tops the team in scoring with five goals while Marius Wolf collected team-high two assists. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has 148 shots against, 39 saves and three clean-sheet games at the moment.
Jonathan De Guzman (shoulder, muscle), Alexander Meier (ankle) and Omar Mascarell (Achilles tendon) are all out until the beginning of the next year while Timothy Chandler (meniscus) is expected to be back around Christmas. Carlos Salced’s (Illness), Kevin-Prince Boateng’s (Illness), Marco Russ’s (Achilles tendon) and Yanni Regasel’s (back) status is unknown.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Similarly to their next opponent, Bayer Leverkusen squad is riding a long undefeated streak that lasts since September 20 (2.1 road loss at Hertha BSC). They’ve been searching themselves in the first couple of weeks in the new Bundesliga season, and they certainly found what they’ve been looking for because the team is firing an all cylinders at the moment. Yes, there have been a couple of unfortunate draws during this undefeated span but the team is obviously getting into the rhythm.
They are currently ranked at No. 9 spot in theBundesliga table with 17 points and 4-5-3 record (1-2-3 on the road). They score 2.08 and concede 1.50 goals per game so far (25-18 goal difference) and 67% of their road games had over 2.5 goals in total while 58% of their overall matchups had over 3.5 goals in total. Both teams scored in every single Leverkusen’s away game and the most common scores on the road were 3:1 loss and 1:1 draw (both occurred twice). Kevin Volland tops the team in scoring with seven goals while Wendell and Kai Havertz have team-high three assists each. Goalie Bernd Leno has 13 shots against, 25 saves and only two clean-sheet games.
Coach Heiko Herrlich has his entire roster available at the moment.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayer Leverkusen –Match Prediction.
Unlike the first duel in this preview, both squads are flying high right now. This makes it even easier to go over 2.5 goals in total as a pick here.
My pick: Over 2.5 goals (-133)
