Dortmund will be challenging for the title this season, they are currently sitting on top with 21 points with Mainz 05. However you wouldn`t expect from Mainz to keep up their good form, while Dortmund is a big name and i think a lot of this success is due to Shinji Kagawa, who is an excellent player. I talked about him since he was in Cerezo and i was saying that he has bright future, now he is in Dortmund and he is their top goalscorer alongside Lucas Barrios. In a match like this against Hoffenheim you would expect goals to happen, however in the end i expect a win for Dortmund and they will be sitting in the top for another round of the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim with a decent start
Hoffenheim had a decent start of the season. They are 7th having 14 points from 8 matches and will be challenging this season for a place in Europe. They have some very good players in their squad like Luiz Gustavo, Demba Ba, Chinedu Obasi, Vorsah and Ibisevic who are all very good players. They have a very good team all round i should say. However they are facing the team in form in Dortmund and i think that Hoffenheim might score a goal, but Dortmund will score 1 more than them.
Kagawa to score
I expect Shinji Kagawa to score in this match, i am an admirer of him for a long time now and now that i have the chance to play for him to score in a match i will take it. So in a match like this Dortmund v Hoffenheim goals are expected and i will go for Kagawa to score at least one.
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Prediction:
Tip: Kagawa – Anytime goalscorer
Odd: 3.85
Bookie: Unibet
Mainz is the most pleasant surprise of this season`s Bundesliga as they are currently the only undefeated side after 6 rounds, but not only that, they have recorded all 6 wins including the triumphs over Bayern Munich, Werder and Wolfsburg on the road, and one can not differentiate which one of those wins was more shocking. Mainz squad is looking too compact and it is about time we give them credit. If they manage to keep playing up to this level, we`ll see them ending quite high in the standings next spring. Back to their team, they are primarily a side made out of good, hard-working players, almost nobody is sticking out too much above the others and that`s what decorates them the most. If I had to mention a few, they would be Fuchs, Allagui, Szalai and Karhan.
So far, so good
Hoffenheim proved everybody they mean business again this season after scoring 8 goals in their first two official games of the season, and I believe their 4th spot in the standings should`ve been even better as they have recorded their only loss this season against Bayern Munich in quite an unfortunate way, or should I say they were robbed, as Bayern Munich scored the winning goal from offside in the dying minutes of the match. Anyhow, Ibisevic, Salihovic, Ba, Luiz, Vorsah… I believe they again have the team capable of holding the top for very long like they did a few seasons ago, and if they remain injury-free, this nice little town will have something to be proud about late in the season.
Open match
I just feel like avoiding a bet on the hosts under these circumstances will be a sin, but in my eyes Mainz`s streak has got to end some time. And, Hoffenheim is a very dangerous side, which plays some very attacking footie, and the opposing defenses can never be comfortable with them. I feel like the visitors will put up a much bigger fight than expected and therefore see a huge value in these odds for the over, as I believe both sides will surely score, maybe even twice or more each. Last year, Mainz won by 2:1 at home, but now both sides are playing even better offensively than they were doing a year ago. What do you reckon that can bring us? Goals I say.
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Prediction:
Tip: Over 3
Odd: 2.52
Bookie: 10bet
Koln is currently on 13-th position on the table, but we must have on mind they had hard schedule. Koln played against Bayern Munchen, Werder Bremen and two very hot teams at the moment – first placed Mainz and K`slautern. Only the game against St. Pauli was some kind of “easy game” and Koln won that game. However, Koln showed an excellent performance against the champion Bayern at Allianz Arena in Munchen. They managed to stay unbeaten, a result that we must respect. That is why I am thinking Koln is able to stay unbeaten against Hoffenheim at home. The problem for Koln is strikers form as Koln didn`t score a single gaol in last two games. Still, Koln best striker Lucas Podolski is very experienced and I am sure he will improve.
Good start
Hoffenheim started the championship very good. Three victories in first three rounds warm up the atmosphere in the club and between the fans, but then came some bad results. The draw against Kaiserslautern isn`t bad result, but the defeat from Bayern Munchen at home surely is. Because of that I think the players confidence isn`t on the highest level at the moment and Hofenheim won`t win tonight at Rhein Energie Stadion in Koln.
Tight battle
I expect a tight battle at Rhein Energie Stadion. Hoffenheim is better team, but Koln is playing at home and more then 50.000 fans are expected to support home players. Koln coach Soldo will probably be satisfied with one point. And I believe Hoffenheim coach Rangnick will also be satisfied with one point for two reasons – first, Hoffenheim is playing away, and second, the last defeat from Bayern Munchen. It is always difficult to play after the defeat and team could easily enter the series of bad results. Since Hoffenheim ambitions are not connected with the champions trophy (at least I think that), the draw here will probably be enough. After all Koln have some quality players like Wome and Podolski and it is not easy to beat them on Rhein Energie Stadion in Koln.
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Prediction:
Tip: X
Odd: 3.47
Bookie: Pinnacle
Probable starting eleven: Starke – Beck, Simunic, Vorsah, Compper – Weis, Luis Gustavo, Sigurdsson – Mlapa, Ba, Tagoe. Hoffenheim is playing very good, they have three victories (over Werder Bremen, St. Pauli and Schalke) and one draw with Kaiserslautern. It is clear coach Ralf Rangnick is doing a great job in Hoffenheim. For this game Hoffenheim coach has big worries over two best players – Ibisevic and Salihovic are injured. Bosnian internationals are very important players and it will be a big blow if doctors failed to recover them on time.
Without a single goal in last three rounds
Probable starting eleven: Butt – Lahm, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Contento – Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger – Mueller, Kroos, Ribery – Klose. It is unbelievable, but Bayern Munchen failed to score in last three rounds. After first round victory over Wolfsburg, Bayern played two goalless draws at home with Werder Bremen (which is not surprise) and Koln (which is almost sensation). As visitor Bayern lost 2:0 from Kaiserslautern. For this match coach Luis Van Gaal is without injured Robben. It is clear Arjen Robben is one of the most important players and I am sure his absence will be handicap even in the future. According to me, he is the main reason for the bad results.
Tight battle
I expect this game to end with a draw. It is interesting that Bayern played twice at Rhein Neckar Arena so far. Both matches ended with draw, 2:2 in the season 2008/09 and 1:1 in the last season. That is why I am expecting this to continue. Hoffenheim is in better form, but the fact Ibisevic and Salihovic are doubtful are handicap for them. Bayern on other side isn`t in good form, but still, Bayern is Bayern. The players are very experienced, almost all of them play for their respective national teams and it is always hard to beat Bayern.
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Prediction:
Tip: X
Odd: 3.60
Bookie: 12Bet
St. Pauli promoted from Bundesliga 2 this season. Due to this fact it could be thought that they play defence focused football. But the opposite is true. The “Kiezkicker” are an offensive minded team and their coach Stanislaski has told that they will play offensive even in Bundesliga 1. The first game in Bundesliga has shown that this is true: they won 3:1 away against Freiburg. 3 out of their last 5 away games were over 2,5.
GREAT START
1899 Hoffenheim played a disappointing last season. But we have to remember that a season ago, they were the best team in whole Bundesliga until Autumn with the best goalscorer Ibisevic. It seems they have find their form again, because they have beaten Werder Bremen in their last game 4:1. All goals were scored in their first halftime. All strikers scored.
GOALS
We have a clash between two offensive minded teams. Although the odds have fallen a bit (I took a 2,0), they still represents value. The attack of both teams is surely better than the defence. The last clash between both ended 3:1 in favor of St. Pauli. So we sould see goals. Good Luck!
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Prediction:
Tip: Over 2.75
Odd: 1.94
Bookie: 10Bet
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