Bundesliga Betting: Di Matteo's debut should feature goals

Roberto Di Matteo is the new manager of Schalke

Former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo has been installed as the new manager of Schalke, and in his latest Bundesliga preview, Kevin Hatchard anticipates fireworks in the Italian's first game.

Schalke v Hertha Berlin
Saturday 18 October, 17:30
Live on BT Sport 1

After a 22-month rollercoaster ride of emotion in which he used up more lives than a colony of cats, Schalke coach Jens Keller finally saw his luck run out. Less than a fortnight after securing a hard-fought Revierderby win over bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund, Keller was given his marching orders by sporting director Horst Heldt, who had already had talks with his successor.

As honest and hard-working as Keller is, he ultimately had to go. Two wins from ten games in all competitions is a totally unacceptable sequence for a club of Schalke's stature and resources, and the galling truth for Keller is that the bigger egos in the dressing room had simply stopped listening to him.

The new man at the helm is Roberto Di Matteo, who won the Champions League with Chelsea as a caretaker but was ditched just months into his first full season as manager. As such, the Italian has something to prove - rather than taking over a ready-made and star-studded team, can he develop a group of talented young players at Schalke into a winning unit?

He will have to start by working on Schalke's defending. The Royal Blues have kept just one clean sheet this season, and that was away to the bottom side Werder Bremen. With Joel Matip suspended and skipper Benedikt Howedes short of full fitness because of a hip problem, Di Matteo may struggle to change much before Saturday's game.

Hertha Berlin are locked together with Schalke on eight points, and Opta tell us they have an awful record against the Royal Blues. The capital club have lost their last six Bundesliga meetings with Schalke, and have been beaten in ten of the last 11 clashes between the sides. That said, Jos Luhukay's men have put in some decent displays this term, especially at home.

In attack, Hertha look to be compensating well for the loss of star striker Adrian Ramos to Borussia Dortmund. Forwards Julian Schieber and Salomon Kalou have both made strong starts to the season, and there is invention in midfield from the likes of Roy Beerens, Valentin Stocker and Anis Ben-Hatira. The problem for Hertha is in defence - they are shipping an average of two goals per game, and the central defensive pairing of Fabian Lustenberger and Johnny Heitinga has looked vulnerable.

A price of 1.794/5 for the home win is probably about right. Schalke are generally strong at home (they have held Bayern and beaten Dortmund at the Veltins Arena this season), and their recent record against Hertha is excellent.

However, for exactly the same odds you can back Over 2.5 Goals, which I think is a more attractive bet. Five of Hertha's seven Bundesliga games have featured three goals or more, and all but one of Schalke's league outings have contained at least three goals.

Recommended Bet
Back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.794/5

Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen
Saturday 18 October, 14:30

As mismatches go, this is a bit of a doozy. The top team against the bottom side. The best defence (two goals conceded) against the worst defence (16 goals shipped). The most accurate passers against the least accurate.

There's also little encouragement for long-suffering Werder fans when you look at the recent matches between the sides. Bayern have won their last seven games against Werder, and last season they thrashed them 7-0 in Bremen and hammered them 5-2 at the Allianz Arena. Werder are even worse than they were last season, and they have made their worst start to a league season since 1976.

Bayern have won their last six Bundesliga home games,and they've won the last two 4-0. They've also kept clean sheets in their last seven competitive matches. If Bayern are in the mood, this could be painfully one-sided.

Recommended Bets
Back Bayern to win to nil at 1.865/6
Back Bayern -2.5 & -3.0 on the Asian Handicap at 2.0621/20

FC Cologne v Borussia Dortmund
Saturday October 17, 14:30

The international break came at the right time for Borussia Dortmund, who have had a chance to regroup after an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to the bottom side Hamburg. Dortmund were porous in defence and lacked ideas in attack, and the bitterest pill to swallow was that HSV's win was fully deserved.

There may however be some good news at last for shell-shocked BVB fans, who have seen their side collect a meagre seven points from the first seven games of the campaign. Key attacking players Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are back after injury, and midfield regulator Ilkay Gundogan could make his first appearance for 14 months. Germany international Gundogan has seen his career somewhat derailed by a mystery back injury which has proved incredibly difficult to treat.

With key players back, BVB are a different proposition, and they should be too hot to handle for a Cologne team who are finding that gritty defence alone won't cut it at this level. The Billy Goats have lost their last three Bundesliga games, and they have scored in just two of their seven matches. Striker Patrick Helmes can't come back from injury quickly enough.

Recommended Bet
Back Borussia Dortmund -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 2.01/1

Paderborn v Eintracht Frankfurt
Sunday October 19, 16:30
Live on BT Sport 1

I can't praise Paderborn highly enough for the way they have started the campaign, and they deserve to be sitting pretty in ninth place. They were written off by many pre-season because of the perceived weakness of their squad, but they have been fearless and determined. Instead of trying to grind out results like their fellow new-boys FC Cologne, Paderborn are playing attacking football with the belief they can get a result regardless of who they are playing. Even in the games they have lost against Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach, Paderborn have created chances that could've altered the game if taken.

Striker Elias Kachunga has been a revelation, with three goals in seven games. Moritz Stoppelkamp looks a totally different player to the one that struggled at Hannover, and his three goals include a Bundesliga-record 83-metre strike. My worry about them is in defence - the back four does switch off from time to time, and I'm not totally convinced by keeper Lukas Kruse.

Eintracht Frankfurt are fifth after losing just once in seven games. New coach Thomas Schaaf is starting to communicate his attacking principles, and strike pairing Alex Meier and Haris Seferovic have bagged seven goals between them. There is plenty of determination and hard work in midfield, but the team's defending needs work, with just one clean sheet recorded this term.

Frankfurt's progress is all the more impressive when you consider the injury problems they have had. Keeper Kevin Trapp, defenders Carlos Zambrano and Constant Djakpa, and striker Nelson Valdez will all be on the sidelines for months.

I fancy goals in what should be an entertaining clash between two sides full of confidence. Five of Frankfurt's seven games have featured three goals or more, which is also true of five Paderborn games in the same period.

Recommended Bet
Back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.834/5

Kevin will be commentating on Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen and Paderborn v Eintracht Frankfurt for TuneIn Radio and talkSPORT this weekend. You can listen by searching for "Bundesliga English" on the TuneIn app, or follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinhatchard for details

2014/15 Bundesliga P/L (1pt per bet)

Points Staked: 26

Points Returned: 27.65

P/L: +1.65 points