Bundesliga Betting: Frings aren't very promising for descending Darmstadt

Werder Bremen v Darmstadt
Saturday March 04, 14:30

Werder Bremen made a disastrous start to the year in terms of results, losing their first four games of 2017, but the performances were far more encouraging. Those displays have finally borne fruit, with recent away wins at Mainz and Wolfsburg.

The notherners had to really dig in and cling to their advantage at Wolfsburg last Friday, but in the end an early double from Serge Gnabry made the difference. He has now scored ten Bundesliga goals, with only one of them coming at Werder's Weserstadion.

Werder are boosted by the return of midfielder Clemens Fritz (suspension) and Thomas Delaney is touch-and-go as he returns from a fractured cheekbone. Youngsters Milos Veljkovic and Maxi Eggestein did well in their absence last weekend.

Darmstadt suffered a bitter blow last weekend, as they lost 2-1 at home to Augsburg. Marcel Heller had put the rock-bottom Lilies a goal to the good just after the break, but FCA snatched the points with a late winner from Raul Bobadilla. SVD are now eight points adrift of the relegation playoff spot, and ten points adrift of complete safety.

Darmstadt boss Torsten Frings knows all about Werder's players, as he was assistant coach in Bremen earlier this season. He hopes to exploit some weaknesses, but I doubt he has the players to achieve this ambition. Darmstadt have lost all ten of their away games, scoring just four goals in the process.

Werder are on a high, and have been pretty good in a lot of their home games this season. This should be another step in the right direction.

Recommended Bet
Back Werder Bremen -0.5 & -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 1.90

Hoffenheim v Ingolstadt
Saturday March 04, 14:30

Hoffenheim are still on course for a place in the Champions League next season, after a remarkable campaign. Last week at Schalke, their innate confidence was there for all to see. They conceded an early goal at the Veltins Arena, but stayed true to their footballing principles, refused to panic, and scored a thoroughly deserved late leveller.

Hoffenheim almost always score these days. They haven't drawn a blank in the league since early December, and they haven't failed to score in a home game since the middle of September. Sandro Wagner leads the line with strength and bravado, while Kerem Demirbay pulls the strings behind him. 29-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann is doing a wonderful job of pulling former bad boys into line.

Hoffe have won six of their last nine home games in the league, and I expect them to enhance that record against struggling Ingolstadt. The Bavarians are still in the automatic relegation zone after losing three of their last four matches. 

The biggest problem that coach Maik Walpurgis has is finding some firepower. FCI have scored just 19 goals in 22 matches in the league, and last season they only netted 33 goals in 34 matches. That means they have scored an average of 0.93 goals per game since the start of last term.

Those pitiful attacking displays put enormous pressure on the defence, and Ingolstadt have only managed two clean sheets on the road all season. The hosts are trading at 1.80 for the win, and that seems overly generous.

Recommended Bet
Back Hoffenheim to win at 1.80

FC Koln v Bayern Munich
Saturday March 04, 14:30

Bayern Munich have clicked into top gear in the last week, but no-one in the Bavarians' camp should be getting too carried away. Hamburg were routinely awful in last Saturday's 8-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena (they have leaked 44 goals in their last seven visits to Munich), and Schalke were surprisingly bad in Wednesday's 3-0 loss in the DFB Cup.

Of course, Bayern still deserve credit for both results, and Robert Lewandowski is once again proving that he is one of the world's top strikers. He has scored 16 goals in his last 14 matches, and if you include his games for Poland, his hat-trick against Hamburg was his fourth of the season.

However, Bayern haven't consistently shown under Carlo Ancelotti that they can sparkle on the road, and this weekend they face one of the toughest away games in the league. FC Koln haven't lost at home since April, and against Bayern last season in the corresponding fixture, they only went down 1-0.

Anthony Modeste is one of the league's best goalscorers, Japanese attacking midfielder Yuya Osako is in the form of his life, and on-loan Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic has lent experience to a backline that was already very strong. A suspension for the ever-dependable Jonas Hector is a blow, but not a fatal one.

On the road, Bayern have only won one of their last five games by more than one goal, and that was a 2-0 win at Ingolstadt that featured two last-gasp goals. I'm happy to give the hosts a headstart, and back them to give Bayern a tough workout, just as they did in a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena in October.

Recommended Bet
Back FC Koln +1.0 & +1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 1.93