Bundesliga Predictions & Betting Tips | Matchday 8

Matchday 8 of the 2022-23 Bundesliga heats up from the off on Friday night when Bayern Munich welcomes Bayer Leverkusen to the Allianz Arena as both sides are in the midst of incredibly poor runs of form.

Two young stars with the potential to light up this #Bundesliga #MD8 fixture! ⭐️ 💡

Who comes out on top in #FCBB04? 🔮 🤔 pic.twitter.com/FmrMVnhL9F

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) September 29, 2022

The Bavarian giants have fallen to fifth in the table and are winless in their last four fixtures; their worst run of form in over twenty years. Leverkusen is worse for ware by comparison after winning one of their opening seven fixtures and embarking on their worst start to a domestic campaign in four decades.

Two of the top-scoring sides in the top flight of German football clash with table-topping Union Berlin travel to Eintracht Frankfurt in what could be a swashbuckling affair in the nation’s financial capital, while Borussia Dortmund will hope for a slip up from Union when they hope to keep pushing for a run of form while taking advantage of Bayern’s missteps when they lock horns with 1. FC Köln at RheinEnergieStadion.

Neutral fan-favorite SC Freiburg host 1. FSV Mainz 05 at the foot of the Black Forest in what offers up another tasty affair with two sides continuing to punch above their weight in the Bundesliga, with these matches and more all covered in this week’s Bundesliga predictions and betting tips for matchday 8.

Bayern Munich (T-5th) – Bayer Leverkusen (T-15th)

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

Key personnel missing:

Leverkusen – Florian Wirtz, Karim Bellarabi, Exequiel Palacios (doubt), Andrey Lunyov (fitness)

Match-up preview:

The Bundesliga returns from the international break with what is traditionally one of the ties of the season when Bayern Munich host Bayer Leverkusen, but there is some added flavor on Friday night given the struggles of both sides. Bayern, winless in four, are on their worst run of form in 20 years while Leverkusen is amidst their worst start to a season in four decades. Something has to give at the Allianz Arena, a traditional near-impregnable fortress for Bayern regardless of who they line up against. It may not be a brilliant outing, but back the Bavarian’s to end their recent struggles.

Prediction: Bayern 2-1 Leverkusen

RB Leipzig (12th) – VfL Bochum (18th)

Form: Leipzig (2-1-3) – Bochum (0-1-5)

Key personnel missing:

Leipzig – Lukas Klostermann, Konrad Laimer, Dani Olmo (doubt), Yussuf Poulsen (fitness)

Bochum – Takuma Asano, Paul Grave, Jannes Horn (doubt), Konstantinos Stafylidis (doubt), Dominique Heintz (doubt), Danilo Soares (doubt)

Match-up preview:

RB Leipzig is enduring their worst start to a Bundesliga since their ascension to the top flight of German football but on paper are still an incredibly capable side and will look to press the restart button after the international break. Thankfully, a gracious clash against bottom-dwelling VfL Bochum awaits them, with RBL winning their last seven consecutive fixtures against the Ruhr valley outfit and still able to call on the bulk of their attacking talent to help them get back on track in the form table. Christopher Nkunku’s could also add to his club-leading four goals in the league this term.

Prediction: Leipzig 2-0 Bochum

SC Freiburg (3rd) – 1. FSV Mainz05 (T-7th)

Form: Freiburg (3-2-1) – Mainz (2-2-2)

Key personnel missing:

Freiburg – Roland Sallai, Kimberly Ezekwem, Lucas Höler (fitness)

Mainz – Jonathan Burkardt (doubt), Marcus Ingvartsen (doubt), Alexander Hack (red card)

Match-up preview:

High-flying SC Freiburg is set to host upstarts 1. FSV Mainz 05 at the foot of the Black Forest on Saturday as both outfits look to keep their push to upset the establishment in German football alive and well. The two sides have split recent meetings down the middle (2-2-2) and Mainz has not tasted defeat in their last four against Christian Streich’s men, but Freiburg’s impressive defensive record lies in stark contrast to that of Mainz, who have also struggled slightly in the attacking third. A narrow win for Freiburg could be a really good shout here in what will be a close-run thing.

Prediction: Freiburg 1-0 Mainz

1. FC Köln (9th) – Borussia Dortmund (2nd)

Form: Köln (1-4-1) – Dortmund (4-0-2)

Key personnel missing:

Köln – Sebastian Andersson, Timo Horn, Julian Chabot, Mathias Olesen, Dimitris Limnios, Mark Uth (fitness), Jonas Urbig (fitness)

Dortmund – Sébastien Haller (out indefinitely), Marco Reus, Gregor Kobel, Giovanni Reyna, Mahmoud Dahoud, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Mateu Morey, Salih Özcan (doubt), Raphaël Guerreiro (fitness)

Match-up preview:

Borussia Dortmund is back in familiar territory as Edin Terzić’s men have climbed into second place in the Bundesliga just before the international break but come back to league play amid a swath of selection issues with at least seven players out at least, which home side 1.FC Köln could use it to its advantage in front of home support at the RheinEnergieStadion on Saturday despite similar issues in their own senior squad. Köln has lost just once this season while picking up four draws and remains a tricky customer to contend with and could secure their fifth share of the spoils at their home patch.

Prediction: Köln 1-1 Dortmund

Eintracht Frankfurt (T-7th) – Union Berlin (1st)

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

Key personnel missing:

Frankfurt – Jérôme Onguéné, Almamy Touré, Christopher Lenz, Aurélio Buta, Luca Pellegrini (doubt)

Union – None

Match-up preview:

Eintracht Frankfurt has gotten back into the swing of things in the recent weeks before the international break when Die Adler won three of four before the pause in play and will come into the home clash against table-topping Union Berlin with confidence. But so will Union, who boasts an undefeated record that spans back to March and has seen them avoid defeat in fourteen matches since the loss against Bayern Munich. Frankfurt knows how to score goals, but so does Union. But in the capital outfit’s case, they can defend in a manner that far exceeds Frankfurt’s numbers this season, so that could be enough to get them over the line.

Prediction: Frankfurt 1-2 Union

VfL Wolfsburg (T-15th) – VfB Stuttgart (T-15th)

Form: Wolfsburg (1-1-4) – Stuttgart (0-4-2)

Key personnel missing:

Wolfsburg – Max Kruse, Jonas Wind (doubt), Lukas Nmecha (doubt)

Stuttgart – Nikolas Nartey, Laurin Ulrich, Borna Sosa (doubt), Josha Vagnoman (doubt)

Match-up preview:

A bottom-third match-up featuring two sides struggling for goals this season sees VfL Wolfsburg host VfB Stuttgart with both sides in desperate need of a three-point haul after Wolfsburg have managed just one win in six as they continue to perform well below expectations, while Stuttgart remains winless in 2022-23 but remain one of the toughest outfits in the league to beat with four draws on record and a decent defensive record despite their position in the table. In what is a relegation six-pointer, this could have another draw for Stuttgart written all over it.

Prediction: Wolfsburg 1-1 Stuttgart

SV Werder Bremen (T-10th) – Borussia Mönchengladbach (T-5th)

Form: Werder (2-2-2) – Gladbach (2-3-1)

Key personnel missing:

Werder – Jean-Manuel Mbom, Amos Pieper (red card)

Gladbach – Florian Neuhaus, Hannes Wolf, Ko Itakura, Alassane Plea (doubt), Nico Elvedi (doubt)

Match-up preview:

Promoted outfit SV Werder Bremen has had a decent start to life back in the Bundesliga this season and has taken points in four of their six fixtures thus far while sitting in mid-table at the time of writing but they have banked on late goals to salvage results in situations that are not the norm, like their improbable comeback against Borussia Dortmund. Gladbach has been in decent form but has yet to string back-to-back wins together this season but has that chance here this weekend, and having lost just once this season while boasting a very credible defensive record, they could steal a win on the road here.

Prediction: Werder 1-2 Gladbach

Hertha BSC (T-13th) – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (4th)

Form: Hertha (1-3-2) – Hoffenheim (4-1-1)

Key personnel missing:

Hertha – Jean-Paul Boëtius (out indefinitely) Kelian Nsona (doubt), Myziane Maolida (fitness), Rune Jarstein (disciplinary)

Hoffenheim – Benjamin Hübner, Philipp Pentke, Ihlas Bebou (doubt), Ermin Bicakcic (doubt)

Match-up preview:

The Hertha BSC revitalizing project set to be undertaken just a few seasons ago has undoubtedly fallen well short of the lofty expectations set by the club’s hierarchy and the capital outfit has already been outstripped by city rivals Union Berlin in short order. This season is no different, with Hertha managing just one win thus far but their defensive numbers deserve credit and they currently are enjoying a three-match unbeaten run in time to host Hoffenheim. When Hoffenheim is on, they bag goals for fun but have been inconsistent in that vein this season. If they’re in the mood they should win, but this should be a close affair.

Prediction: Hertha 1-2 Hoffenheim

FC Schalke 04 (T-13th) – FC Augsburg (T-10th)

Form: Schalke (1-3-2) – Augsburg (3-0-3)

Key personnel missing:

Schalke – Marcin Kaminski

Augsburg – Felix Uduokhai, Noah Sarenren Bazee, Tobias Strobl, Reece Oxford (doubt), Niklas Dorsch (fitness)

Match-up preview:

Bavarian minnows FC Augsburg travel to Gelsenkirchen to close the book on matchday eight in the Bundesliga but may not be happy with the result as Schalke could be primed for an unexpected home win. Though Augsburg has managed three wins this season, they average less than a goal per game (5) while allowing double that amount at the other end. Schalke has managed just one win but has shown attacking quality that outstrips the visitors but is hardly known for their ability to defend at the minute. Both sides should find goals here but Schalke could come out on top given Augsburg’s selection issues plus dangerman Marius Bülter.

Prediction: Schalke 2-1 Augsburg