Bundesliga Betting: Magath weaves his magic at Schalke

German Football / Razhan Miran / 21 August 2009 / Leave a Comment

Schalke may not win the Bundesliga under the inspired management of Felix Magath but they might come pretty close.

"The evening games do usually have a fiery element to them, and Schalke will be aware of Hoffenheim’s tendency to make the opening twenty minutes uncomfortable. Magath will sooner keep it tight than go blow for blow and try and wear Ralf Rangnick’s side down. "

Razhan Miran gives us the lowdown on the betting in the Bundesliga this week.

Two games into the season and Felix Magath once again finds himself at the top of the table. Old habits die hard with Felix the fox, and although too early to judge, Schalke's title credentials have been given a major boost by their encouraging start. Already shortened to [10.0] in the winner market and third favourites, my guess is this could get even shorter before they eventually fall short of what is, in my opinion at least, far too high a hurdle for the Konigsblauen.

Hoffenheim Vs Schalke

The Friday night offering this week is the tasty encounter at the Rhein Neckar Arena, where high-flyers Schalke take on a Hoffenheim team who fell to their first defeat last weekend at the Bay Arena.

Hoffenheim showed a lot of promise in their first game at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, but failed to build on that against Leverkusen. A single Stefan Kiessling goal proved decisive, and Hoffenheim find themselves hovering over the bottom three - somewhere they will want avoid sooner rather than later.

No major injury news should see both sides line up as they did last week, making the [2.08] available on under 2.5 goals decent value. The evening games do usually have a fiery element to them, and Schalke will be aware of Hoffenheim's tendency to make the opening twenty minutes uncomfortable. Magath will sooner keep it tight than go blow for blow and try and wear Ralf Rangnick's side down.

Although I'm considering a Hoffenheim lay, it seems a tall order for Schalke to take all three points, so get on the draw at [3.6]. Taking the under 2.5 goals and the draw into account, the conclusion can be made that the 1-1 correct score could also be worth backing at [7.6].

Dortmund Vs Stuttgart

Title contenders Stuttgart continue their difficult Bundesliga schedule this weekend with a game at one of Germany's most feared grounds, Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund were unbeaten at home last season, but after their midweek antics against the Galaticos, may have it all to do come Saturday.

Real Madrid crushed BVB five-nil in superfluous fashion, leaving an embarrassed Jurgen Klopp with his head in his hands. Although it may have only been a friendly, confidence would have been shaken, especially following a lacklustre performance against Hamburg last weekend. What follows will be crucial for both manager and players, but the question remains: can they pick themselves up from this in time to face an impressive Stuttgart?

At the odds available, I'm more than willing to trust Markus Babbel in this one. A long list of injuries is some cause for concern, although with Champions League qualification as good as confirmed midweek, the Swabians may find themselves back in the market for some further additions to a good squad.

Take the Dortmund lay at [2.44] in this one, as I can certainly see them struggling. This is my only recommendation for this match, and one of the bets of the week in my opinion.

Round-up

Leverkusen are [2.22] away at Freiburg this weekend, and could prove to be good value if their away form last season is anything to go by. They looked a far more polished side on their travels and were sensational up until the half way point, and at those odds, could be worth taking a risk on them putting the new boys to the sword.

Werder Bremen had another comic football match in Europa League qualifying on Thursday, as they were pegged back twice by Kazakh minnows FK Aktobe. The match was finally put to bed early in the second half finishing six-two in the end, but it only highlighted defensive frailties that Thomas Schaaf has been unable to remedy since 2004. They welcome Monchengladbach to the Weserstadion on Sunday which is a fixture with goals written all over it. The over 2.5 goals at [1.56] is the bet here for me. Short as usual, but odds you cannot argue with.

Recommended Bets:

Back the under 2.5 goals in Hoffenheim v Schalke @ [2.08]
Back the Draw in Hoffenheim v Schalke @ [3.6]

Lay Dortmund against Stuttgart @ [2.44]

Back Leverkusen to beat Freiburg @ [2.22]

Back the over 2.5 goals in Werder Bremen v Monchengladbach @ [1.56]