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Bundesliga Predictions & Betting Tips | Matchday 12

Bayern Munich locks horns with 1. FSV Mainz 05 in a bid to hunt down table-topping Union Berlin while Germany’s financial capital plays host to a fixture with European ambitions when Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund clash to highlight matchday 12

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Weekend Talking Points

Match Predictions & Betting Tips

SV Werder Bremen (11th) – Hertha BSC (13th)

Form: Bremen (2-1-3) – Hertha (1-4-1)

Key personnel missing:

Bremen – Jean-Manuel Mbom, Nicolai Rapp, Marco Friedl (red card), Romano Schmid (fitness), Christian Groß (fitness), Leonardo Bittencourt (fitness), Niklas Stark (doubt), Milos Veljkovic (doubt)

Hertha – Jessic Ngankam, Kelian Nsona, Márton Dárdai, Rune Jarstein (disciplinary), Jean-Paul Boëtius (fitness), Filip Uremovic (doubt)

Match preview:

Hertha, however, has only tasted defeat just once in their last six Bundesliga fixtures and enjoyed a 2-1 win at home against FC Schalke 04 last weekend, whereas Bremen is in the midst of a two-match losing run in which they have failed to score in.

Though x-factors for both Bremen (Niclas Füllkrug) and Hertha (Dodi Lukebakio) are fit, this could come down to a draw when all things are considered.

Prediction: Bremen 1-1 Hertha

VfL Wolfsburg (14th) – VfL Bochum (17th)

Form: Wolfsburg (2-3-1) – Bochum (2-1-3)

Key personnel missing:

Wolfsburg – Patrick Wimmer (doubt)

Bochum – Takuma Asano, Paul Grave, Simon Zoller (doubt), Erhan Masovic (doubt)

Match preview:

Wolfsburg continues to underperform for yet another Bundesliga campaign as the Volkswagen-backed outfit is embedded in the bottom half of the table, but their recent form may suggest a result on Saturday against pesky Bochum.

Die Wölfe have lost just once in their last six outings and, on paper, their run of form is decent enough to hopefully secure a three-point haul at home but they have managed that feat just once this season. In contrast, Bochum sits one point from the bottom and has looked odds-on favorites to be relegated, but recent wins against Eintracht Frankfurt and Union Berlin speak to possible signs of progression.

Overall, Bochum could very easily sneak something here given some of their recent outings against the big fish fighting for Europe but perhaps a more sensible move here would be to look for a draw.

Prediction: Wolfsburg 1-1 Bochum

VfB Stuttgart (16th) – FC Augsburg (12th)

Form: Stuttgart (1-1-4) – Augsburg (3-2-1)

Key personnel missing:

Stuttgart – Josha Vagnoman, Pascal Stenzel (fitness), Enzo Millot (doubt)

Augsburg – Felix Uduokhai, Tobias Strobl, Noah Sarenren Bazee, André Hahn, Niklas Dorsch, Iago (red card), Robert Gumny (doubt), Rafał Gikiewicz (doubt), Reece Oxford (doubt)

Match preview:

Under normal circumstances, if the form table was the ultimate harbinger of things to come, Augsburg could probably consider themselves comfortable favorites when they travel to Stuttgart on Saturday, but a massive injury bug that has hit the Bavarian camp could stop them in their tracks.

Augsburg has been good of late, with just one loss on their CV in recent weeks but they could be without up to nine senior figures including first-choice keeper Rafał Gikiewicz. Stuttgart are in better standing when it comes to who is fit and available, but their recent run of form makes for poor reading and overall, they have managed just one win in 2022-23.

Neither side are brilliant in front of goal, so a draw could be a fair shout here given the lay of the land.

Prediction: Stuttgart 1-1 Augsburg

Bayern Munich (2nd) – 1. FSV Mainz 05 (6th)

Form: Bayern (3-2-1) – Mainz (2-2-2)

Key personnel missing:

Bayern – Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sané, Lucas Hernández, Bouna Sarr

Mainz – Marlon Mustapha, Maxim Leitsch (out indefinitely), Danny da Costa (fitness)

Match preview:

Bavaria and the Allianz Arena play host to perennial Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich hosting upstarts Mainz on Saturday as both clubs come into proceedings on the back of consecutive wins in the league.

Julian Nagelsmann’s men could be additionally bolstered by doing the Champions League double over Barcelona in the group stage after an away win in Catalunya last night, and their ability to produce results at home should serve as a warning for a Mainz outfit who boast the best away record in the league this season.

Despite their success, this should really be a Bayern home win this weekend, despite the continued absences of Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sané, and Lucas Hernández, though it may prove difficult for the Bavarians to truly run riot over what is a credible Mainz outfit.

Prediction: Bayern 2-0 Mainz

RB Leipzig (8th) – Bayer Leverkusen (15th)

Form: RBL (3-2-1) – Leverkusen (1-3-2)

Key personnel missing:

RBL – Péter Gulácsi, Lukas Klostermann, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Halstenberg (fitness), Dani Olmo (doubt)

Leverkusen – Sardar Azmoun, Karim Bellarabi (fitness), Florian Wirtz (fitness), Charles Aránguiz (doubt), Patrik Schick (doubt), Exequiel Palacios (doubt), Kerem Demirbay (doubt)

Match preview:

RB Leipzig managed an improbable midweek win when they dispatched Champions League holders Real Madrid at Red Bull Arena and are in pole position to reach the knockout stage in Europe.

Marco Rose’s men could come into proceedings against visiting Bayer Leverkusen full of confidence against Xabi Alonso’s troops that are still struggling under new management and have returned to form that saw former boss Gerardo Seoane relieved of command, to begin with.

The continued absences of a host of attacking and creative talent for Leverkusen will likely prove decisive here against a Leipzig side that is on a four-match unbeaten run on the domestic front. RBL should take all three points at the weekend, which would compound Leverkusen’s worst point total at this stage of the season in forty years.

Prediction: RBL 3-1 Leverkusen

Eintracht Frankfurt (4th) – Borussia Dortmund (5th)

Form: Frankfurt (4-0-2) – Dortmund (2-3-1)

Key personnel missing:

Frankfurt – Makoto Hasebe, Ansgar Knauff, Aurélio Buta

Dortmund – Sébastien Haller (out indefinitely), Thomas Meunier, Mahmoud Dahoud, Mateu Morey, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Donyell Malen (illness), Raphaël Guerreiro (doubt), Marco Reus (doubt)

Match preview:

The anomaly that has been Borussia Dortmund this season travels to the German financial capital to clash with Champions League-hunting Eintracht Frankfurt to close the book on the Saturday match program after a hectic European midweek.

Frankfurt kept their hopes alive when they ousted Olympique de Marseille at home in a 2-1 win that leaves them with a chance of progressing into the knockout stages while Dortmund held Erling Haaland’s Manchester City to a 0-0 affair at Signal Iduna Park, but Dortmund comes into the weekend amidst an ever-present injury crisis for Edin Terzić.

In contrast, Frankfurt has a near-clean bill of health in the senior set-up, and given they were at home in midweek, Oliver Glasber should field his strongest possible XI. With both sides capable of goals on any given day but less than stellar performances at the back that have marred certain outings this season, a high-scoring draw would hardly be out of the realm of possibility here.

Prediction: Frankfurt 2-2 Dortmund

Union Berlin (1st) – Borussia Mönchengladbach (9th)

Form: Union (4-0-2) – Gladbach (1-4-1)

Key personnel missing:

Union – Sven Michel (Covid-19)

Gladbach – Yann Sommer, Jonas Hofmann, Florian Neuhaus, Hannes Wolf, Ko Itakura, Manu Koné (red card), Stefan Lainer (Covid-19), Nico Elvedi (doubt)

Match preview:

Table-topping Union Berlin continues their improbable position in the Bundesliga as they remain ahead of German juggernaut Bayern Munich but only just after a shock 2-0 loss away at Bochum last weekend that has now seen Urs Fischer’s men drop two of their last four in the league.

Union should still remain confident in front of home support on Sunday despite last weekend’s setback, however, with a 1-0 win against SC Braga that keeps their Europa League destiny alive, and will look to get back to winning ways on the domestic front against injury-ravaged Gladbach.

Coming off a 3-1 home loss against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, Gladbach boss Daniel Farke must contend with no less than six key figures from the first-team, which could increase to eight if both Stefan Lainer and Nico Elvedi are unfit for service. Gladbach has looked better under the former Norwich City manager this season but the thin nature of the matchday squad, including key shot-stopper Yann Sommer, may be a bridge too far in what should be a home win for the capital outfit.

Prediction: Union 2-1 Gladbach

FC Schalke 04 (18th) – SC Freiburg (3rd)

Form: Schalke (1-0-5) – Hertha (2-3-1)

Key personnel missing:

Schalke – Ibrahima Cissé, Marcin Kaminski, Rodrigo Zalazar, Sepp van den Berg, Leo Greiml

Freiburg – Roland Sallai, Kimberly Ezekwem, Manuel Gulde (doubt), Jonathan Schmid (doubt)

Match preview:

Christian Streich’s Freiburg remains on the hunt both at home and abroad for continued progression and possible success as the Europa League knockout stage-bound Black Forest club still sits in the top three in the Bundesliga and uncertainly views their Sunday clash against visiting Schalke as the ideal avenue to keep pressure on both Union Berlin and Bayern Munich while outpacing Borussia Dortmund as the race for Europe is as tight as ever.

Schalke are back to their hapless ways after five consecutive defeats in the wake of their only win of the season saw the Gelsenkirchen-based outfit part ways with Frank Kramer and look to put faith in Thomas Reis as the man to get them out of the pickle they are in.

Freiburg was in action in midweek against Olympiacos but was at home, so travel may not be that big of a factor when they have to be on the road to the Ruhr valley. SCF boast a 4-2-0 record against Schalke in their last six meetings, and that record of recent success in conjunction with their form overall should be enough to see them head back to the Black Forest with all three points.

Prediction: Schalke 0-2 Freiburg

1. FC Köln (10th) – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (7th)

Form: Köln (2-1-3) – Hoffenheim (2-2-2)

Key personnel missing:

Köln – Sebastian Andersson, Dejan Ljubicic, Julian Chabot, Mathias Olesen, Dimitris Limnios, Luca Kilian (red card), Jan Thielmann (fitness), Jonas Hector (doubt), Kristian Pedersen (doubt), Tim Lemperle (doubt)

Hoffenheim – Benjamin Hübner, Luca Philipp, Ermin Bicakcic (fitness), Andrej Kramaric (doubt), Pavel Kaderábek (doubt), Munas Dabbur (doubt), Ihlas Bebou (doubt)

Match preview:

Both Köln and Hoffenheim come into the book-end fixture of matchday 12 in the Bundesliga carrying medical stretchers in tow as both sides are dealing with a massive fitness crisis, particularly Köln, who could be without up to ten players from the senior squad.

To make matters worse for Köln, their Europa Conference League clash on Thursday was called off due to heavy fog and recheduled for Friday, which means if the league does not reschedule Sunday’s fixture, their less than 48-hour turnaround would put them at a massive disadvantage.

Hoffenheim looks to bounce back from a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich but remains in striking distance of the top six places and may look to tap into their recent 6-0-0 record against Köln in the last few years as proof that they should get back to winning ways. A narrow win for Hoffenheim is a fair shout, if the match is to go ahead at all.

Prediction: Köln 0-1 Hoffenheim

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Picture of Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson

US-based Football writer. German football guru with a wealth of experience in youth development and analysis. Data aficionado. Happily championing the notion that Americans have a knowledgeable voice in the beautiful game.

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