We’ll continue to analyze Saturday’s matchup in German Bundesliga with this two-match preview of two very interesting duels. First one will take place at HDI Arena in Hannover between hosts that suffered their first defeat of the season in last round against Monchengladbach on the road, and Eintracht Frankfurt team who recorded their first home win of the season in last round against Stuttgart.
The second matchup will be staged at Olympic Stadium in Berlin between Hertha BSC team that managed to avoid the defeat in a showdown against Bayern Munich, prior to the international break, and Schalke 04 that recorded a nifty 1:1 draw at Veltins Arena in last round. It’s time to make your piggy bank a bit fatter so let’s take a closer look.
Hannover 96 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Three-Way: 1: Hannover 96 +170; X: +231 Draw; 2: Eintracht Frankfurt +224
Spread 0: Hannover 96 -125; Eintracht Frankfurt +127
Total +2: Over -135; Under +131
HANNOVER 96
The newcomers in the top tier of German soccer have had a very successful start of the Bundesliga season, recording the first loss after month and a half of play in round 7. Prior to that, they had three wins and three draws including a road win over Mainz team.
Currently, they rank at the No. 5 spot at the league table with 12 total points earned and 7-4 goal difference (3-0 at home). Only one of those seven games had over 2.5 goals in total (road loss against Monchengladbach) while both teams scored in 43% of their total games. They haven’t scored in both halves yet and they also haven’t conceded in both halves yet. Team’s leading scorer is striker Martin Harnik who already has five goals in his account while Ihlas Bebou and Jonathas have one each. Marvin Bakalorz, Niclas Fulkrug, Matthias Ostrzolek and Pirmin Schwegler recorded one assist each so far while passing segment belongs to defender Salif Sane who has 300 total passes.
Felipe (thigh) and Edgar Prib (cruciate ligament) are expected to be available at the beginning of the next year while Oliver Sorg’s (Illness), Florian Hubner’s (Flu) and Noah-Joel Sarenren-Bazze’s (thigh) status are unknown. Jonathas (thigh), and Uffe Bech (knee) are listed as day to day while Pirmin Schwegler (knee) and Miiko Albornoz (thigh) are back in training.
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
As I’ve mentioned before, the Eintracht Frankfurt team managed to snatch their first home win of the new Bundesliga season in last round in a derby match against old foe Stuttgart (2:1). The “golden middle” of the league table looks like the most favorable place for the Eagles this year too as they lurk for the opportunity to jump on one of the positions that lead to European competitions next year. Although a bold prediction, I think that this will be the case this season.
Currently, they rank at No. 8 spot in the Bundesliga table with 10 total points earned and 3-1-3 record. Their goal difference is 6-6 (3-2 on the road) and they’ve earned more points on the road than at home so far. Leading scorers are strikers Sebastian Haller and Ante Rebic with two goals each while midfielders Jonathan De Guzman and Marius Wolf have one assist each. Defenders David Abraham and Simon Falette dominate the passing segment with 223 and 217 total passes.
Falette is suspended for next two Bundesliga matches (red card) while Omar Mascarell’s (Achilles) timetable for return is set for January next year. Alexander Meier (ankle) and Danny Vieira da Costa (thigh) are expected to be back during Octiber and November while Sebastian Haller’s (Flu), Marc Stendera’s (Illness) and Yanni Regasel’s (back) status are unknown. Gelson Fernandes (thigh) is listed as day to day while Jonathan De Guzman (muscle) and Makoto Hasebe (knee) are back in training.
Hannover 96 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt – Match Prediction
Hannover team has not conceded a goal at home yet and it is about time for that to happen meaning that my first pick here will be at least one goal scored by both teams. 1:1 as a final score makes a lot of sense but if you’re not choragus enough to go for the exact score, I propose less than 2 goals in total.
My pick: Both teams score (+104)
Hertha BSC vs. Schalke 04
Three-Way: 1: Hertha BSC +170; X: +235 Draw; Schalke 04 +200
Spread 0: Hertha BSC -116; Schalke 04 +112
Total +2.5: Over +131; Under -139
HERTHA BSC
Avoiding defeat against the defending champions in last round of the German Bundesliga and scoring two goals in the process can be considered as a success for the team from the German capital. Currently, they’re ranked at No. 10 spot of the Bundesliga table with a 2-3-2 record and 8-8 goal difference (7-4 at home).
Every home soil game so far had over 1.5 goals in total while every second of those matches had over 2.5 goals in total. 14% of their total duels had over 3.5 goals scored while both teams scored in 57% of their matches. They’ve managed to concede at least one goal in both halves in 29% of their total games but didn’t manage to score in both halves yet. Midfielder Matthew Leckie tops the team in scoring with four goals so far while Salomon Kalou has two in his account. Bosnian striker Vedad Ibisevic collected team-high three assists while passing segment belongs to defender Marvin Plattenhardt with 278 total passes.
Vedad Ibisevic is unavailable for the next game due to red card suspension while Sebastian Langekamp (calf) should be back in few days and it’s unclear if he will be available for Saturday. Rune Almenning Jarstein, Valentin Stocker and Julian Schieber who all have some knee afflictions are back in training.
SCHALKE 04
Ups and downs are the exact blueprints of the Miners’ season so far and we’re about to see if they can get up from the latest hole that they have dug themselves in as they’re winless in last three rounds. The home draw against Leverkusen snapped the two-game losing streak in which they also didn’t score while conceding five goals.
They rank at No. 9 spot in the Bundesliga table currently with a 3-1-3 record and 8-9 goal difference (2-4 on the road). 33% of their away games had over 2.5 goals in total while no game had over 3.5 goals scored. Schalke team is on the other side the only squad beside Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich that managed to score at least one goal in both halves in almost every second matchup (43% of the games). Nabil Bentaleb and Leon Goretzka are the teams’ leading scorers with two goals each while midfielder Amine Harit tops the assisting aspect with two in his account.
Weston McKennie (thigh), Nabil Bentaleb (groin) and Luke Hemmerich (foot) are listed as day to day while Donis Avdijaj’s (ankle) status is unknown. Pablo Insua (rib) should be back in few days while Franco Di Santo (ankle, knee), Jorge Andujar Coke (knee) and Alessandro Schopf (back) are all back in training.
Hertha BSC vs. Schalke 04 – Match Prediction
The advantage here goes to the home team and only reason for this pick is the fact that they play in front of their own crowd. If the game was played in Gelsenkirchen I would also go to the home team’s side. Under 2.5 goals in total also looks like a bargain here.
My pick: Hertha BSC (+170)
Additional pick: Under 2.5 goals (-139)
