Bundesliga Weekend Preview: Bremen misery continues and Klinsmann must deliver

European Leagues / Razhan Miran / 29 August 2008 / Leave a Comment

Hoffenheim's flying start will come to an abrupt end this weekend, says Razhan Miran.

Hoffenheim's second week at the helm of German football seems to have left title challengers Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen scratching their heads in disbelief as both are still to claim three points. The third round of matches of this unpredictable Bundesliga season may spell continued misery for Bremen, whilst Bayern should register their first win.

Bremen travel away to a Borussia Monchengladbach who sit at the bottom of the table still without a point. Monchengladbach came close to a point last weekend and will certainly be feeling low on confidence with a few key players out due to injury, namely captain Oliver Neuville who's likely to be on the bench. Bremen will welcome back Olympic bronze medallist Diego, who will slot straight back into the team in place of Mesut Ozil. Although a fine boost for Bremen, I believe that three losses on the trot for last year's Bundesliga Two champions will be something that Monchengladbach will strive to avoid at all costs. An odds on Bremen at [1.93] suggests this is a tricky one to call, which I believe may prove a wise lay.

Bayern play hosts to Hertha Berlin in front of an anxious Allianz Arena on Sunday, and should Klinsmann fail to record his first win of the season, he can expect a mountain of criticism. Martin Demichelis returns to action for Bayern, which will sure up unconvincing defensive displays thus far, whilst Lukas Podolski is set to partner Luca Toni in attack.

Bar last weekend's blip at home to Bielefeld, Hertha have shown signs of improving on last year's mid-table form which saw them finish tenth. With the likes of Ribery, Altintop, and Van Bommel all missing, and a confidence crisis ensuing at Bayern, Hertha will be aware that there will be no better time this season to face the German champions. The home win at [1.45] is short and does not represent value, although I believe Bayern will come out on top in their Sunday showdown, as they usually do against Hertha. History also shows that this is a fixture with goals, so the over 2.5 at [1.74] is probably my pick of the bets from this fixture.

Dortmund will feel that they gifted Bayern a point last weekend, as they dominated and outplayed the Bavarian side for long spells. An impressive start to the campaign has seen Dortmund take four points from six after a tough opening schedule, which certainly gets easier this weekend away to struggling Energie Cottbus. Last Friday's fixture away to Hannover saw Cottbus barely attempt a strike on goal, as they desperately defended for the point. A further boost for Dortmund will surely be the retention of Kuba Blaszczykowski who has been linked to a move away from the Westfalenstadion, with suitors including Liverpool showing a keen interest. A Dortmund away win at [2.24] should be taken whilst it is still available, as I can see this dropping significantly by kick off on Saturday.

Hoffenheim's flying start should come crashing down on Saturday, when they face Bayer Leverkusen away. Despite taking apart Stuttgart last weekend, Leverkusen have been performing poorly at home, losing the last three at the Bay-Arena. Bruno Labaddia will want to resurrect the Bay-Arena as a stronghold if he has aspirations of European qualification, and judging from last week's performance the Champions League places do not seem as distant as once thought. Leverkusen will miss the influential Bernd Schneider and Gonzalo Castro this weekend, whilst Hoffenheim have their own injury concerns. The Brazilian influence will surely play a key role in events at the Bay-Arena on Saturday, as wonder-kid Renato Augusto continues in his free role behind Theofanis Gekas, and new Hoffenheim signing Wellington will make his way onto the bench after recovering from injury. Do not let your heart rule your head, an experienced Leverkusen at [1.87] against the Bundesliga newcomers appeals to me, as it should to you.