With three games left to play on Sunday, October 1st, 2017, we expect to see more drama and exciting football in the German Bundesliga seventh round. In this preview we’ll take a look at two interesting matches – SC Freiburg hosts TSG Hoffenheim 1899 at Schwarzwald-Stadion, while Hertha BSC meets Bayern Munich at Olympiastadion Berlin in one of the derby clashes of this round.
Hopefully, you’ll find some useful information down below, along with our betting predictions. So, let’s start with the first game.
SC FREIBURG vs. TSG HOFFENHEIM 1899
Three-Way: 1: SC Freiburg +280; X: +270 Draw; 2: TSG Hoffenheim 1899 +122
Spread +0.5: SC Freiburg -123; TSG Hoffenheim 1899 +116
Total +2.5: Over -118; Under +117
SC FREIBURG
The winless SC Freiburg is currently at the 16th place of the German Bundesliga table, with four points out of the first six games, and a form of DDLDLD. Brazilians of Breisgau are not justifying their nickname as they’ve managed to score only two goals so far, conceding 9 times, and finding themselves in a pretty difficult situation after the sixth round of the German Bundesliga.
At home SC Freiburg is still undefeated, finishing all three games in a draw. They are the only team in the Bundesliga who succeeded to grab a point from Borussia Dortmund, with a nil-nil draw at Schwarzwald-Stadion. In the previous round Christian Streich’s team has got the first point on the road against SV Werder Bremen,0:0, after two heavy defeats from Bayer Leverkusen, 4:0, and RB Leipzig, 4:1.
SC Freiburg has a lot of problems in their play, as they’ve created 40 scoring chances in six games, while only Hertha BSC is behind them in this category. Averaging just 72% of pass accuracy, with the ball on their feet for 43% of the time, they cannot expect better results. After some great displays last season when they’ve finished at the seventh place, the start of this year’s Bundesliga campaign is surely a huge upset for their fans.
The manager Christian Streich is having some problems to field his best eleven. Defenders Manuel Gulde and Georg Niedermeier are suffering from back injuries, while midfielders Amir Abrashi, Jonas Meffert and Vincent Sierro are all doubtful for the next game. The winger Yoric Ravet is still serving a suspension after the red card.
TSG HOFFENHEIM 1899
TSG Hoffenheim 1899 is surely one of the surprises of the German Bundesliga so far, as they are still undefeated after six rounds, sitting at the second place of the table with 14 points and a form of WWDWDW. They continued with great displays, like they did in the previous season of the Bundesliga, managing to get to the UEFA Europa League group phase, as well.
The manager Julian Nagelsmann doesn’t give up on his aggressive tactical approach and a high pressure on opponent’s defensive line, so TSG Hoffenheim 1899 is playing a quite entertaining football. His boys created 52 scoring chances so far (10th in the league), but they’ve managed to find the net 11 times from those opportunities, bagging eight goals from inside the box.
The striker Mark Uth is the team’s top goal scorer, finding the net four times in the Bundesliga, while Sandro Wagner and Andrej Kramaric added two goals each. The Croatian forward and the Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber both have two dishes on their accounts.
Julian Nagelsmann is doing a great job with his team, as the young tactician has a lot of injury worries. Robert Zulj, Adam Szalai, Ermin Bicakcic, Kerem Demirbay, Florian Grillitsch – they are all suffering from different kind of injuries. One of the best players Serge Gnabry has problems with a thigh muscle strain, while Sandro Wagner was sick in the last couple of days.
SC FREIBURG vs. TSG HOFFENHEIM 1899 – Match Prediction
The home team was pretty close to take the first win of the season in the previous round against Werder Bremen, failing to take advantage of some great scoring chances. On the other hand, TSG Hoffenheim 1899 lost against Bulgarian side Ludogorets in the Europa League second round last Thursday, so there will certainly be some tired legs among the squad.
I expect to see an open game, as Hoffenheim’s fatigue could be a decisive factor. Therefore, I’ll go with both these teams to score on Sunday afternoon and a reasonable over 2.5 goals as well.
MY PICK: Both Teams to Score YES (-145)
ADDITIONAL PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-118)
HERTHA BSC vs. BAYERN MUNICH
Three-Way: 1: Hertha BSC +950; X: +450 Draw; 2: Bayern Munich -222
Spread +1.5: Hertha BSC -110; Bayern Munich +120
Total +2.5: Over -135; Under +131
HERTHA BSC
The Old Lady is having a lot of ups and downs at the start of the season, holding the eight spot of the German Bundesliga after six rounds with eight points, and a 6:6 goal difference, with a form of LWDDLW. On last Thursday Hertha BSC lost their second round match of the Europa League against Ostersunds, 1:0, so the manager Pal Dardai certainly has some concerns over team’s performance in the last couple of weeks. One win out of the previous seven games in all competitions cannot satisfy anyone at Olympiastadion Berlin.
Hertha Berlin is the worst team in the Bundesliga when it comes to creating chances, making just 36 scoring opportunities so far. Pal Dardai’s team was already known for their patient approach, but this year they are playing way below fans’ expectations. Mathew Leckie is leading his team with four goals so far, while the striker Vedad Ibisevic is a top assistant with three dishes. Hertha’s midfield is having problems with play organization, while the team averaged 78% of pass accuracy.
Pal Dardai will have more problems in the front, as he cannot count on three strikers. Davie Selke and Julian Schieber are sidelined due to injuries, while Vedad Ibisevic is suspended because of the red card in the last game against Mainz.
BAYERN MUNICH
The defending Bundesliga champion dropped the two-goal lead in the previous round against VFL Wolfsburg at home, while they’ve suffered a 3:0 defeat from Paris SG on the road in the second round of the UEFA Champions League on last Wednesday. The Bavarians are struggling with their form at the start of the season, sitting at the third place of the German Bundesliga table with 13 points from the first six games.
Carlo Ancelotti’s boys have created 90 scoring chances so far, bagging 14 goals, as only one came outside of the box. The team is having the ball on the feet for 60% of the time per game, averaging 88% of pass accuracy. The Poland star Robert Lewandowski scored seven Bundesliga goals in six appearances, while Joshua Kimmich is a top assistant with three dishes so far. Arjen Robben has the highest shot accuracy as eight of his 11 shots went on target. The Dutchman added two goals to his account.
There are no serious injury worries among the Bayern’s squad, besides the keeper Manuel Neuer, who’ll be out for at least three months. The left-back Juan Bernat is still struggling with fatigue, so he’ll probably miss another game.
HERTHA BSC vs, BAYERN MUNICH – Match Prediction
Both teams are playing way off their standards, particularly the home team, as visitors are certainly favorites in this clash. The last season’s game at Olympiastadion Berlin was finished in a 1:1 draw, but with all injured players in the front, I can’t see Hertha getting anything from this match. Although their defense is pretty decent, I’ll expect the Bavarians to win in this one, with my safe pick being the over.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-135)
