BUNDESLIGA fanatic Jonny O'Sullivan (@libero_the) has taken a deep dive into Matchday 19 from Germany, picking out his best bets.
The Bundesliga is in full flow once more and the cream is gradually rising back to the top.
Bayern Munich looked superb last weekend against a rejuvenated Hertha Berlin. Thomas Muller, in particular, is flourishing right now and is chasing Kevin de Bruyne's record of assists in the German top-flight.
Borussia Dortmund's new striker, Erling Haaland, became the first debutant in the past 30 years to come off the bench and score a hat-trick as he helped his side overcome their obvious defensive frailties to beat Augsburg 5-3.
However, both these sides appear to be chasing a huge RB Leipzig shaped shadow. Last week I continued to bore the life out of people following my weekly Bundesliga segment by recommending Leipzig to score Over 2.5 Goals again. This selection, yet again, landed.
Leipzig are simply terrifying in front of goal and with the likes of Timo Werner firing, it seems like a huge possibility that they can break Bayern Munich's dominance.
Elsewhere, Schalke continued their progress by overcoming first-half surprise package Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0. It was a performance which could have been even worse for the away side and it looks like Gladbach's superb start to the season may be on the verge of slowing down.
Schalke have a huge ask this weekend in the form of Bayern Munich, but only a fool would write Die Knappen off against the champions.
Bayern Munich v Schalke | Saturday 25th January 2020, 17:30 | BT Sport
Bayern face Schalke in the Saturday evening match with both sides steaming into the match-up. The second-placed champions are only three points ahead of fifth-placed Schalke and it would be no surprise to see the small margins between the club reflecting on the pitch.
Schalke have managed to hit the back of the net in their last eight Bundesliga matches with only Leverkusen managing to beat them in this impressive run of games. This is a clear sign of the superb job that David Wagner is doing.
The Royal Blues also have in their locker a big away performance. Their 3-1 win at Leipzig is a feather in their caps this season as limiting Leipzig to just one goal deserves a medal in itself.
Bayern will be well aware of their opposition being more than capable to provide an upset. However, the Bavarians have won six in a row against Schalke and are unbeaten in 20. This form may provide the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Muller the confidence to comfortably dispatch their opponents, as they will have been present in most of those matches.
With this in mind, it appears that Bayern will have enough to brush Schalke aside, but may face stiff competition. This is the reason why Bayern to win with both teams getting on the scoresheet appears a decent choice, especially due to Bayern's ridiculously low odds to win the game outright. The preferred play is 11/8 (BetVictor).
Bayer Leverkusen v Fortuna Dusseldorf | Sunday 26th January 2020, 17:00 | BT Sport
Bayer Leverkusen are simply a better team than Fortuna Dusseldorf and in Sunday evening’s match, there should be no doubt where the three points go.
This is down to two major factors; Leverkusen are enjoying a positive run of form and Dusseldorf are hopeless away from home.
Starting with the latter, Fortuna have won just one of their last eight Bundesliga fixtures. Furthermore, they have lost five of their last seven league outings; Fortuna have also been the Bundesliga’s second-least successful side over the past eight fixtures, earning only five points.
The visitors have lost six out of their nine away matches thus far also and are facing a team who have lost just two of their last eight Bundesliga games, winning five of their last eight. Only Bayern and Leipzig have managed to gain more points in the same number of matches.
Dusseldorf have also failed to score in five of their last seven matches and have proved this season that it is a lack of firepower which may prove too much in their fight for survival.
Best Bets
Bayern Munich v Schalke – Bayern Munich to win and Both Teams To Score (11/8 BetVictor)
Bayer Leverkusen v Fortuna Dusseldorf – Bayer Leverkusen to win ‘to nil’ (6/4 SkyBet)
