Bundesliga Expert Picks for Matchweek 20
BUNDESLIGA EXPERT PICKS FOR MATCHWEEK 20 – We’re taking a look at Bayern Munich’s nearest pretenders to the throne ahead of this weekend.
Just five points separated the leaders from fifth-placed Frankfurt at the start of the week, keeping the title race on a knife-edge.
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Werder Bremen (8th) vs Borussia Dortmund (3rd)
Date: Saturday, 02/11/2023 at 09:30 AM EST
Pitch: Werder Bremen – Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany
Current Bundesliga Form: | Werder Bremen (WWLLL) | Borussia Dortmund (WWWWL) |
Last Bundesliga Match: | VfB Stuttgart 0-2 Werder Bremen | | Borussia Dortmund 5-1 SC Freiburg |
Head to Head
Borussia Dortmund | 2-3 | Werder Bremen | 08/20/2022 | Bundesliga |
Borussia Dortmund | 4-1 | Werder Bremen | 04/18/2021 | Bundesliga |
Werder Bremen | 1-2 | Borussia Dortmund | 12/15/2020 | Bundesliga |
Werder Bremen | 0-2 | Borussia Dortmund | 02/22/2020 | Bundesliga |
Werder Bremen | 3-2 | Borussia Dortmund | 02/04/2020 | DFB-Pokal |
Draft Kings Moneyline Odds: | HOME: +270 | TIE: +310 | AWAY: -135 |
Prop Bet: | 3-5 Goals (-125) |Â
Tips
- None of Werder Bremen’s last 12 Bundesliga games have ended level.
- Bremen have scored in the 76th minute or later in their last five league wins.
- The hosts’ previous four Bundesliga home games have ended 2-1 either way.
- Borussia Dortmund have netted exactly twice in their previous three away league wins.
- Both teams have scored in 15 of the last 16 Bundesliga head-to-head meetings.
The Word
Another fast-flowing game involving Dortmund – the second-highest Bundesliga scorers of 2023 – seems very likely, with end-to-end action and both teams high on confidence after respective upturns in form.
Following their shock comeback win from 2-0 down back in August’s reverse fixture, Werder will be see a first league double over Dortmund since 2006 as a major scalp, although their most recent chain of three straight Bundesliga wins dates back to March 2019.
Dortmund’s in-form golden boy Jude Bellingham has also reasserted his determination to add to a DFB Pokal trophy won in 2021, with no move materializing after being linked with several clubs in January. He registered an assist in the previous round’s 5-1 thrashing of SC Freiburg.
PREDICTION: WERDER BREMEN 2 – 3 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
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RB Leipzig (4th) vs Union Berlin (2nd)
Date: Saturday, 02/11/2023 at 12:30 PM EST
Pitch: RB Leipzig – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany
Current Bundesliga Form: | RB Leipzig (DWWDW) | Union Berlin (WWWWL) |
Last Bundesliga Match: | FC Cologne 0-0 RB Leipzig | | Union Berlin 2-1 FC Mainz 05 |
Head to Head
Union Berlin | 2-1 | RB Leipzig | 08/20/2022 | Bundesliga |
RB Leipzig | 1-2 | Union Berlin | 04/23/2022 | Bundesliga |
RB Leipzig | 2-1 | Union Berlin | 04/20/2022 | DFB-Pokal |
Union Berlin | 2-1 | RB Leipzig | 12/03/2021 | Bundesliga |
Union Berlin | 2-1 | RB Leipzig | 05/22/2021 | Bundesliga |
Draft Kings Moneyline Odds: | HOME: -150 | TIE: +260 | AWAY: +370 |
Prop Bet: | RB Leipzig to win by 1 Goal (+205) |Â
Tips
- RB Leipzig are unbeaten in 18 competitive matches going back to September.
- Leipzig have scored twice or more in all of their previous 21 Bundesliga home wins.
- The last five battles between Leipzig and Union Berlin all produced a 2-1 scoreline.
- Union Berlin have won from 1-0 down in three of their previous five matches.
- The visitors have kept a first-half clean sheet in all of their four most recent trips to Leipzig.
- None of the visitors’ last 12 road games in any competition have seen a stalemate.
The Word
RB Leipzig are desperate to stay in title contention, especially after the heartbreak of finishing 2nd or 3rd in all but two seasons since they gained promotion in 2016.
As for Union, they are potentially just a couple of slips away from losing their nerve – and a UEFA Champions League berth nobody expected them to occupy this far into the campaign.
For that reason, game plans could be more guarded than many expect, and Union will be particularly wary of Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai, who netted a winning double in RB’s last home league game.
Meanwhile, the visitors’ very own Washington wizard Jordan Siebatcheu looks set to be a threat, having scored the Round 19 winner against Mainz within five minutes of his deployment as a substitute.
PREDICTION: RB LEIPZIG 2 – 1 UNION BERLIN
FC Cologne (11th) vs Eintracht Frankfurt (5th)
Date: Sunday, 02/12/2023 at 11:30 AM EST
Pitch: FC Cologne – RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany
Current Bundesliga Form: | FC Cologne (DDDWL) | Eintracht Frankfurt (WDDWD) |
Last Bundesliga Match: | FC Cologne 0-0 RB Leipzig | | Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 Hertha Berlin |
Head to Head
Eintracht Frankfurt | 1-1 | FC Cologne | 08/21/2022 | Bundesliga |
FC Cologne | 1-0 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 02/19/2022 | Bundesliga |
Eintracht Frankfurt | 1-1 | FC Cologne | 09/25/2021 | Bundesliga |
Eintracht Frankfurt | 2-0 | FC Cologne | 02/14/2021 | Bundesliga |
FC Cologne | 1-1 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 10/18/2020 | Bundesliga |
Draft Kings Moneyline Odds: | HOME: +160 | TIE: +245 | AWAY: +145 |
Prop Bet: | 1st Goal interval: 21-30 min (+425) |Â
Tips
- Both teams have scored in five of Cologne’s last six home league matches.
- Seven of Frankfurt’s last eight Bundesliga battles have produced two or three total goals.
- That includes three straight Bundesliga away draws before this trip, all ending 1-1.
- A 1-1 scoreline has also been the result in four of the previous six head-to-head clashes.
- Frankfurt’s previous five trips to Cologne’s home have all produced 0-2 total goals.
The Word
Wins either way have been less frequent in recent editions of this fixture, but it’s hard to see anything other than a road win for the Eagles if they can score early on. The visitors’ top scorer Randal Kolo Muani showed that ability last Saturday, as he hit a seven-minute brace shortly before the half-hour mark in Frankfurt’s 3-0 demolition of Hertha Berlin.
Yet, while the Frenchman will go into this one with great momentum, Cologne will be in no mood to accommodate him, especially as Cologne could complete a streak of three Bundesliga shutouts for the first time since September 2016.
After being the first side since September to take an away point from Bayern back on January 24, Cologne pulled off two shutouts with goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe marshaling the backline effectively. Even so, Frankfurt’s higher placing could well give them the edge here.
PREDICTION: FC COLOGNE 0 – 2 EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
Odds shown are accurate as of February 7, 2023. Subject to change.
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