BUNDESLIGA fanatic Mark O'Haire (@MarkOHaire) shares his favourite fancies from Tuesday night's card in Germany.
Borussia Dortmund v Augsburg | Tuesday 19:00 | BT Sport 2
Borussia Dortmund trail Bundesliga pace-setters Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig by 10 points as we head into the winter break with Thomas Tuchel’s troops struggling for consistency on their travels this term.
BVB are in the midst of a 28-match unbeaten run at their Westfalenstadion base, dropping just four points as hosts in 2016/17 (W5-D2-L0). However, Die Schwarzgelben have W2-D3-L3 on the road whilst Friday night’s draw at Hoffenheim means Dortmund have now managed just one victory in five.
Nevertheless, Tuchel’s men are back in front of their home supporters on Tuesday and normal service should resume despite a catalogue of players unavailable. Marco Reus is suspended – Andre Schurrle should take his place – whilst Gonzalo Castro, Raphael Guerreiro, Lukasz Piszczek and Sokratis are all crocked.
The betting angle
Dortmund have scored 25 goals in their past nine outings and hit the back of the net nine times in their past four at the Westfalenstadion. The aforementioned 28-game unbeaten streak includes 17 triumphs by at least a two-goal margin and Die Schwarzgelben have bagged W-W double results in 14/24 (58%) of their home encounters under Tuchel.
With that in mind, I’m keen to grab a slice of the 19/20 (Coral) available on Dortmund/Dortmund in the Half-Time/Full-Time market. It’s already proven profitable in five of BVB’s seven Bundesliga outings at home this season.
Dortmund have kept only three clean sheets in league action this campaign but Augsburg arrive with major issues up front. Key forwards Caiuby, Raul Bobadilla and Alfred Finnbogason remain sidelined and it’s no coincidence to see FCA fire blanks in three of their past five fixtures.
Augsburg in state of flux
The Fuggerstadter and scored only two first-half goals in 15 Bundesliga battles this term with their only away day triumphs coming at struggling Werder Bremen and Ingolstadt. What’s more, the visitors are in a state of flux following the surprise sacking of Dirk Schuster last week.
Reports from Germany suggested the players had lost faith in the ex-Darmstadt boss with his less than aesthetically-pleasing style of play also to blame according to sporting director Stefan Reuter. Youth team coach Manuel Baum has taken charge of the team on an interim basis.
Baum did guide Augsburg to their first victory in five at the weekend and only their second success in 10. Defender Martin Hinteregger's 75th-minute header was enough against out-of-sorts Borussia Monchengladbach but a trip to Dortmund promises to be doubly difficult for the guests.
FCA are a solid and organised unit that are unlikely to drop into the relegation mix. But their road record at the Bundesliga’s leading lights (W2-D2-L8) since the beginning of 2014/15 suggests they’ll be out-classed on Tuesday night.
Best Bets
Borussia Dortmund v Augsburg – Borussia Dortmund/Borussia Dortmund (19/20 Coral)
