Hamburg will trip Borussia Dortmund up
Borussia Dortmund extended their Bundesliga lead to four points last weekend by swatting aside a Hannover side that started matchday 11 in the top six 4-0 at the AWD-Arena, and so head into Friday night's televised clash with Hamburg having taken 28 of the last 30 points available to them.
How outrageous is it of us to suggest laying Jurgen Klopp's [2.02] title favourites at [1.77] then? Hugely, you may feel, however there is a fairly firm argument for pursuing such a wager.
It hasn't been a fantastic opening to the season for Hamburg but they're gaining momentum with every game and, even more crucially, they appear to enjoy the big ones the most. HSV are, after all, one of the reasons Dortmund are top right now, for it was they who ended Mainz's perfect record by beating them away last month.
Another victory over a team above them in the table, Hoffenheim, saw them climb to sixth last Saturday and it also provided further evidence that Armin Veh's men are game-raisers. They've defeated the three top-five clubs they've faced and haven't lost any of their five encounters with top-half opposition.
That's no great surprise though, given that Hamburg were the third best side in the division against the top nine in 2009-10 despite finishing seventh. What is more perhaps more unexpected is that they look to be coping quite comfortably with the injury absence of top goalscorer Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The man benefitting from his unavailability is Croatian striker Mladen Petric, who has netted four times in his last three appearances having previously been stuck on the bench. His Bundesliga career started at Dortmund and he has scored against them since leaving, so don't be surprised if he grabs another tonight at [3.5].
Borussia Dortmund v Hamburg
Kick-off: 7.30pm
Live on ESPN
Are we wrong to oppose the table-toppers? Dortmund are [2.96] to lead at both intervals...
Published: 12 Nov 2010
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