Bundesliga Betting: Kings of the north to stage a battle royale

Werder Bremen v Hamburg
Sunday April 16, 14:30
Live on BT Sport

German football's two northern powerhouses have had it tough in recent seasons. Hamburg have needed a relegation playoff to escape the drop in two of the last three campaigns, while last term Werder needed a goal two minutes from the end of the season to secure survival.

This season, both clubs have jettisoned coaches after awful starts to the campaign. Werder parted company with Viktor Skripnik, who seemed to have lost confidence in his ability to turn the season around. Hamburg's dismissal of Bruno Labbadia just hours after a creditable display against Bayern Munich seemed brutal at the time, but it has been justified by HSV's subsequent revival.

At Werder, Skripnik's successor Alexander Nouri has developed a speedy offensive style, but he has also started to tighten up a chronically awful defence. Bremen have been playing well since the turn of the year, but defeats in the first four games of 2017 gave sporting director Frank Baumann a big decision to make. Baumann stuck by his man, and that loyalty has been rewarded.

Werder have won six and drawn two of their last eight games, a run that has taken them to within a couple of wins of safety. Skipper Zlatko Junuzovic has really stepped up, and Max Kruse has hit top gear after an injury-hit start to his second spell at the club.

Hamburg's revival under Markus Gisdol has been based almost exclusively on their home form. The Redshorts have won seven of their last eight league matches at the atmospheric Volksparkstadion, but their patchy away form is keeping them in the relegation mix.

Both teams are at their best when they play on the front foot, and they played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the season. Seven of Hamburg's last nine league games have featured three goals or more, and that's true of eight of Werder's 12 league games in 2017, including the last four. The last three Nordderby clashes have featured at least three goals.

Recommended Bet 

Back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.85

Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt
Saturday April 15, 14:30

Much has been written about the horrific bomb attack on Borussia Dortmund's team bus on Tuesday night, an event that has shaken the football world. This isn't the place to be digging into the debate over whether BVB should have played their Champions League quarter-final against Monaco, but given the situation, I'll simply say that Thomas Tuchel's men showed extraordinary courage and spirit to even push Monaco close. In the end, Monaco were 3-2 winners, but Dortmund are still in the tie, and I expect them to win this weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt.

BVB have been consistently excellent at home in the Bundesliga since Thomas Tuchel arrived at the start of last season. They haven't lost at Signal Iduna Park in the league for two years, and they have won their last five Bundesliga home matches. It's the home form that's been keeping them afloat, as they bid to qualify automatically for next season's Champions League.

Eintracht Frankfurt have tumbled down the league after collecting three points from their last nine games. They have scored just three goals in that period, and their European dream has faded badly. To be honest, this is probably just a natural correction, as the Eagles were massively overachieving in the first half of the season.

After an awful week, I'm expecting Dortmund to once again pull together as a unit, and they'll get ferocious support from the fans. I think they'll win comfortably.

Recommended Bet
Back Borussia Dortmund -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at [2.31]

Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich
Saturday April 15, 17:30
Live on BT Sport

Bayern Munich's dreams of Champions League glory suffered a hefty setback on Wednesday, as they lost 2-1 at home to Real Madrid. Bayern started superbly, and had Arturo Vidal scored a penalty to make it 2-0 just before the break, who knows what might have happened?

The alarming thing for Bayern was the chaos that ensued in the final half hour, after Javi Martinez had been sent off. Instead of adopting a pragmatic approach at 1-1, Bayern pushed for a winner, and left huge gaps for Real to exploit on the counter.

Bayern and their coach Carlo Ancelotti now have a point to prove, and even though Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels will miss the weekend's trip to Bayer Leverkusen, I think the champions will take another big step towards a fifth consecutive Bundesliga title.

Leverkusen just aren't responding to coach Tayfun Korkut, just as they stopped listening to his predecessor Roger Schmidt. Since the change of coach, Bayer have taken just five points from their five league games, and they aren't yet clear of the relegation battle. At home they have been terrible, winning just two of their last nine Bundesliga matches at the BayArena.

Bayern are trading at 1.75 to win, and given their squad strength, they should be able to put out a team capable of winning, even with one eye on the Bernabeu.

Recommended Bet
Back Bayern Munich to win at 1.75