BUNDESLIGA fanatic Jonny O'Sullivan (@libero_the) has taken a deep dive into matchday seven from Germany, picking out his best bets.
After a mixed week of fortunes for German sides in Europe, attention will turn once again to the Bundesliga. Dortmund found a way to win on the road in the Champions League; something that Leipzig and Leverkusen could have only dreamt of as RB were demolished by a stuttering Lyon side and Leverkusen were powerless to resist Juventus.
Bayern piled on the misery for Mauricio Pochettino and co with an emphatic 7-2 win, resulting in arguably Niko Kovac's best result so far during his pretty underwhelming reign.
In the Europa League, Eintracht Frankfurt continued their encouraging recent form (which will we will look to exploit this weekend), whilst both Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach flattered to deceive on the road, drawing 1-1 in their respective matches.
After two wins out of three last weekend, here are this weekend's recommendations ahead of matchday 7.
Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim | Saturday 5th October 2019, 14:30
Robert Lewandowski is simply unstoppable right now. The Polish marksman has scored 14 goals in all competitions so far this season, which is the most in Europe by some distance, as Manchester City's Raheem Sterling is next with nine. On top of this, Lewandowski has scored the most goals in Europe in 2019, having scored 32.
In the last five years, Lewandowski has scored 95 goals – only Lionel Messi having scored more. Europe's leading goalscorer will be hoping to continue his record of scoring in every single match this term, grabbing more than one in three of these matches.
To put it simply, it seems inevitable that Lewandowski will find the net against Hoffenheim. It seems a matter of how many does he feel like grabbing. Since drawing against Leipzig, Bayern have scored 17 goals in four games and Hoffenheim are likely to not be able to withstand the pressure they will undoubtedly be under.
Hoffenheim are struggling with life without Julian Nagelsmann, having only kept one clean sheet all season, winning just one match. This positions them in a miserable 12th spot.
Bayern fans will be heading to the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon expecting to see plenty of goals for the Bavarians. Lewandowski to notch twice or more appeals at 13/10 (SkyBet).
Schalke v Koln | Saturday 5th October 2019, 17:30 | BT Sport
Schalke 04 are absolute flying right now. Since their defeat against Bayern Munich, the Royal Blues have won four out of four, scoring goals like there is no tomorrow. With 13 goals in these four fixtures, David Wagner’s men will be confident home advantage will count when they welcome a Koln side that cannot buy a win right now.
Koln had a miserable matchday last time out, getting slaughtered 0-4 at home to struggling Hertha Berlin. Back to back 4-0 losses will be heavy on the minds of the Billy Goats’ players and they will not fancy a trip to one of the in-form sides in the Bundesliga.
Schalke will definitely see this match as the perfect opportunity to put the sword into a dispirited Koln side and enjoy their spot in the European spots over the International break.
Amine Harit has been flying for Schalke in recent weeks. With four goals and two assists in his previous three matches, the Moroccan magician will be looking to continue his impressive start to the season against the third-worst defence in the league on Saturday evening.
Schalke to overcome the -1 handicap is the play at 31/20 (BetVictor).
Eintracht Frankfurt v Werder Bremen | Sunday 6th October 2019, 17:00 | BT Sport
Eintracht Frankfurt face Werder Bremen in the last of a trio of Sunday matches and look good things at 23/20 (Ladbrokes) to continue their encouraging recent form.
Since a spirited performance against Dortmund, Frankfurt achieved an impressive away win in the Europa League when their compatriots failed and a decent 1-2 away win at Union Berlin.
Werder are shipping goals left right and centre. Having conceded 14 goals in six matches whilst keeping no clean sheets, the likes of Andre Silva and Bas Dost will view this weekend as an opportunity to improve their strike partnership and goal tallies.
If Bremen continue conceding in this fashion then it would be no surprise for Frankfurt to continue their recent upturn. The game will no doubt be a close encounter, but with Eintracht improving every game with a new look strikeforce, it seems likely that they will have a little too much for their visitors.
Best Bets
Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim – Robert Lewandowski to score two or more goals (13/10 SkyBet)
Schalke v Koln – Schalke -1 Handicap (31/20 BetVictor)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Werder Bremen – Eintracht Frankfurt to win (23/20 Ladbrokes)
