In recent days, we have looked at the Ligue 1, Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, Premier League and Carabao Cup. We now turn our attention to the Bundesliga.
Treble winners Bayern Munich begin their 2020/21 campaign in earnest. The Bundesliga curtain raiser pits Die Roten against Schalke 04. The Royal Blues are not the force they were used to, but counting them out will be a folly.
However, all eyes will be on Hansi Flick’s men. The reigning European and German champions have been an all-conquering force, decimating everyone that stood in their path to silverware. To their credit, they managed all of this in a season of upheaval.
Bayern sacked Niko Kovac after being humiliated by Eintracht Frankfurt. Flick was supposed to be an ad-hoc solution but the performances spoke for themselves. The rest is history.
The late Friday night kick-off has some interesting odds on offer and we will evaluate them for you. We have seen some good results lately and will like to build up on it.
So, without further ado, let’s get straight to the action of the day, shall we?
18/09/20: Featured Match: Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04
Preview
Bayern Munich are unbeaten in 28 competitive fixtures. The year 2020 has been hard for everyone for a variety of reasons but not the Allianz Arena faithful, who have yet to witness their team taste defeat.
From European big wigs to Bundesliga minnows, everyone has tried and everyone has failed. Robert Lewandowski led the offense while Manuel Neuer rolled back the years to keep everyone at bay. This Bayern side looks difficult to penetrate in and impossible to stop.
The Royal Blues have an impossible task. Moreover, their form has been poor to say the least. They finished the 2019/20 Bundesliga season with three defeats on the trot.
David Wagner has had time to introduce his methodologies. A lot of faith cannot be placed on a squad assembled on a shoestring budget.
Bayern to win
There is a huge mismatch between the two sides and it is evident in the bookmakers confidence. On one hand we have conquerors of Europe and on the other, a spent force of German football.
It is understandable then that Bayern are odds on favorites to win their opening fixture. Bet365 has valued them at 1.12 to take the three points on offer while odds for a Schalke win are 15.0.
We are confident to claim a Bayern win but the odds on offer are not exciting. However, it is a banker if there is ever any.
Goals – Over 2.5
It is always difficult to gauge how players react to the new season. The clean slate makes some hungry to prove themselves again, to others, they are slow to get in the run of things.
This Bayern side falls in the former category. They are a well-oiled machine that knows one thing, defeat their rivals emphatically. Flick’s men demoralize their rivals and this is what makes them different to other all-conquering sides.
Lewandowski, Muller, Gnabry and Sane will be looking to make an impression from the get go. It is a scary attacking lineup and Schalke defenders will not get a good night’s sleep today.
Bet 365 is offering reasonable odds of 1.22 for the other, while the under 2.5 are at 4.33. Our selection going forward is to pick the over for an easy profit. .
Both teams to score – No
Bayern Munich will score goals and that is a certainty. The Bavarians not conceding a goal is difficult to predict. In their last 10 encounters in Germany, they conceded a goal in six of them.
Vedad Ibsevic is the best option for the Royal Blues, and at 36 he still has plenty in the tank. Moreover, the Bosnian has good company in exciting young talents looking to make their name. However, Schalke have only scored four times in their last 10 away trips.
The odds for both teams to score by Bet365 are 1.90 for both the yes and no options. We believe Bayern will not concede and this is a selection with and comfortable with.
Anytime Goalscorer – Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski should have won the Ballon d’Or had it been held this year. He is in the goal scoring form of his life and should open his account against Schalke. However, the odds of 1.22 are not very enticing.
Leroy Sane will make his debut for Bayern Munich. The import from Manchester City would be looking to make an immediate impact in his new surroundings. Sane will have competition from Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller.
But it is Sane who we have selected as our option. The Schalke youth academy graduate has a knack for scoring goals and we believe he will trouble his alma mater. Bet365 is offering odds of 1.57, and has the best value out of the available options.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
