📰 Table Of Contents
Key weekend Talking Points
Another weekend of action awaits at the top flight of German football as the Bundesliga is quickly back at it after the midweek program.
In one of the highlights of the weekend, Bayern Munich welcomes Eintracht Frankfurt to Bavaria as Julian Nagelsmann’s outfit has yet to secure a win during the opening stages of the Rückrunde, with key absences possibly playing a part as to why the champions-elect have started slowly out of the gate. A Berlin derby offers another prize fixture on Saturday with foundering Hertha BSC hopeful of slowing down a reinvigorated Union Berlin who sit just two points off Bayern and continue to push for Champions League football next year for the first time in their history.
Start of the preparation for Saturday’s game against Eintracht Frankfurt [🎥 @FCBayern] pic.twitter.com/FMnq72drxE
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) January 26, 2023
On Sunday, in-form Bayer 04 Leverkusen under the guidance of Xabi Alonso looks to clash with a lucky Borussia Dortmund side that has relied on late heroics of late through American international Gio Reyna, with the Bay Arena crowd hopeful of the club reestablishing itself as a perennial top-four contender.
Here now are 101 Great Goals Bundesliga Predictions & Betting Tips for all the action across Matchday 18.
Team News, Predictions & Betting Tips
- RB Leipzig (3rd) – VfB Stuttgart (15th)
- Form: WWWWDW – WLWLDD
- Key personnel missing:
- RBL: Péter Gulácsi (out), Christopher Nkunku (out), Kevin Kampl (red card), Abdou Diallo (doubt), Mohamed Simakan (doubt)
- Stuttgart: Dan-Axel Zagadou (out), Naouirou Ahamada (red card), Konstantinos Mavropanos (doubt), Tiago Tomás (doubt), Silas Mvumpa (doubt), Borna Sosa (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- Leipzig’s return to action in the Bundesliga has gotten off on the right foot after a draw with Bayern and a 6-1 thrashing of Schalke in midweek and will fancy their chances against relegation-threatened Stuttgart. A pair of draws have gifted points to the Baden-Württemberg outfit, but RBL’s home record (joint-best in the league) should see them take away all three points in front of home support despite the continued absence of Christopher Nkunku.
- Prediction: RBL 3-0 Stuttgart
- SC Freiburg (6th) – FC Augsburg (14th)
- Form: WWLWLD – LLDLLW
- Key personnel missing:
- Freiburg – Nicolas Höfler (red card), Roland Sallai (doubt)
- Augsburg – André Hahn (out), Tobias Strobl (out), Robert Gumny (doubt), Reece Oxford (doubt), Iago (doubt), Rubén Vargas (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- Freiburg’s dreams of Champions League football next season took a massive hit during the early stages of the Rückrunde after back-to-back losses as football returned to Germany, but dominant head-to-head form against visiting Augsburg could be just the tonic, as well as the return of talisman Vincenzo Grifo. Augsburg bagged a late winner last time out, but a string of potential selection headaches could be a reason to deny them points.
- Prediction: Freiburg 2-1 Augsburg
- 1. FSV Mainz 05 (12th) – VfL Bochum (16th)
- Form: LLLDDL – LLWWWL
- Key personnel missing:
- Mainz – Marlon Mustapha (out), Robin Zentner (doubt), Jonathan Burkardt (doubt), Delano Burgzorg (doubt)
- Bochum – Michael Esser (out), Cristian Gamboa (out), Ivan Ordets (doubt), Saidy Janko (doubt), Konstantinos Stafylidis (doubt), Lys Mousset (in-house suspension)
- Match-up preview:
- Mainz and Bochum lock horns in an intriguing clash in the former Bishopric city on Saturday as the home side’s usual solidarity on their own patch has been reversed in 2022-23 as Mainz boasts one of the worst home records in the Bundesliga. Bochum are dreadful away from the Ruhr valley, however, and something may have to give as both outfits look to bounce back from midweek losses, with Bochum looking to get back to winning ways while Mainz is after their first win since October.
- Prediction: Mainz 1-1 Bochum
- TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (13th) – Borussia Mönchengladbach (9th)
- Form: DLLLLD – LWLWLL
- Key personnel missing:
- Hoffenheim – Jacob Bruun Larsen (out), Grischa Prömel (out), Kevin Akpoguma (red card), Dennis Geiger (doubt), Kevin Vogt (doubt), Robert Skov (doubt), Angelo Stiller (doubt)
- Gladbach – Jonas Hofmann (doubt), Christoph Kramer (doubt), Marcus Thuram (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- Sinsheim-based Hoffenheim continue to tumble down the table as the Bundesliga got back to action after the 2022 World Cup, with Hoffs midweek draw their first points collection since matchday 12 as they now sit in the bottom half of the table. Gladbach has also started the Rückrunde poorly under Daniel Farke with two losses on the spin and is now well off the pace for a top-six finish. Hoffenheim has a number of selection headaches to contend with, while Marcus Thuram may not be fit for Gladbach at the other end. With both sides deadlocked in recent clashes, this could be a draw.
- Prediction: Hoffenheim 2-2 Gladbach
- Hertha BSC (17th) – Union Berlin (2nd)
- Form: LLLWLL – WLDLWW
- Key personnel missing:
- Hertha – Kelian Nsona (out), Chidera Ejuke (out), Agustín Rogel (red card), Jonjoe Kenny (doubt), Stevan Jovetić (doubt)
- Union – Morten Thorsby (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- A capital derby in Berlin is one of the weekend highlights in matchday 18, with Union Berlin back in form in time to travel across town to the Olympiastadion to clash with foundering city rivals Hertha. After a hiccup in form before the Winterpause, Union’s six points from six to resume play in Germany has them up to second and just three points behind Bayern, while Hertha remain as hapless as ever and currently sitting in seventeenth. This should be a strong result for Union, but as the last week of action has proven, anything is possible in Germany.
- Prediction: Hertha 1-2 Union
- SV Werder Bremen (11th) – VfL Wolfsburg (7th)
- Form: WWLLLL – WWWWWW
- Key personnel missing:
- Bremen – Romano Schmid (out), Felix Agu (out), Eduardo dos Santos Haesler (doubt), Amos Pieper (doubt)
- Wolfsburg – Lukas Nmecha (doubt), Josip Brekalo (doubt), Felix Nmecha (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- Wolfsburg comes into the weekend as the form side in the Bundesliga having won their last six combined fixtures on the bounce on either side of the Winterpause and looks the real deal under Niko Kovač as they clash with struggling Werder at the Weserstadion. Bremen will no doubt rely on a return to goalscoring form of Niclas Füllkrug, but Wolfsburg’s 11 goals in their last two outings, including a 5-0 thrashing of Freiburg, should put them in good stead for an away win here.
- Prediction: Bremen 0-3 Wolfsburg
- Bayern Munich (1st) – Eintracht Frankfurt (4th)
- Form: WWWWDD – LWWDWD
- Key personnel missing:
- Bayern – Manuel Neuer (out), Sadio Mané (out), Lucas Hernández (out), Bouna Sarr (out), Noussair Mazraoui (doubt)
- Frankfurt – Marcel Wenig (out), Luca Pellegrini (out), Kevin Trapp (doubt), Paxten Aaronson (international duty)
- Match-up preview:
- Arguably the pick of the weekend fixture list, table-topping Bayern host Champions League-motivated Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena to bookend the Saturday program, with the Bavarians hardly capable of looking at the home clash as a guaranteed result. Bayern has studdered as action has returned in the country on the back of consecutive draws, and the continued absence of key assets under Julian Nagelsmann could be enough for Oliver Glasner’s men to share the points.
- Prediction: Bayern 1-1 Frankfurt
- FC Schalke 04 (18th) – 1. FC Köln (10th)
- Form: LLWLLL – DLLLWD
- Key personnel missing:
- Schalke – Sepp van den Berg (out), Sebastian Polter (out), Justin Heekeren (out), Niklas Tauer (out), Thomas Ouwejan (doubt), Rodrigo Zalazar (doubt), Leo Greiml (doubt), Alex Král (doubt)
- Köln – Luca Kilian (out), Sebastian Andersson (out), Dimitris Limnios (out), Mark Uth (out), Kristian Pedersen (out), Timo Hübers (doubt), Florian Dietz (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- Schalke’s abysmal return to the Bundesliga has been a painful reminder to the German giants just how far they have fallen from grace in recent seasons, and a Sunday clash in Gelsenkirchen may not be enough to stop them from suffering another defeat when Köln comes to town. Die Geißböcke have begun the Rückrunde well after a 6-1 drubbing of Bremen was followed up by a very credible point against Bayern Munich that featured a blockbuster equalizer from Joshua Kimmich. Steffen Baumgart’s troops should be taking all the points in this one.
- Prediction: Schalke 1-3 Köln
- Bayer Leverkusen (8th) – Borussia Dortmund (5th)
- Form: LWWWWW – WWLLWW
- Key personnel missing:
- Leverkusen – Timothy Fosu-Mensah (doubt), Charles Aránguiz (doubt), Patrik Schick (doubt)
- Dortmund – Thomas Meunier (out), Mateu Morey (out), Marco Reus (doubt)
- Match-up preview:
- The resurgence of Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso has been one of the main talking points in the Bundesliga of late as the former Spanish international midfielder (see a trend yet?) has the club purring on the pitch to the tune of a five-match winning run while being one of the form sides in the league. Dortmund has gotten results to start the Rückrunde but has relied on late heroics in both of their wins and still has yet to hit form. This should be highly entertaining, with either side capable of winning. Leverkusen to sneak it.
- Prediction: Leverkusen 2-1 Dortmund
