Gladbach's Max Kruse is in superb form
The Bundesliga's top two go head-to-head this weekend, and in his latest preview, Kevin Hatchard expects goals at Borussia Park...
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich
Sun October 26, 16:30
Live on BT Sport 1
This is undoubtedly the biggest Bundesliga game of the season so far, with Borussia Monchengladbach unbeaten in all competitions, and just four points adrift of the leaders Bayern Munich. If we are to have anything approaching a competitive title race in Germany's top flight, Gladbach really do need to pick up a positive result, especially with Bayern's traditional nemeses Borussia Dortmund so far off the pace.
Lucien Favre's Foals have done a terrific job this season. Summer signings like keeper Yann Sommer, utility player Fabian Johnson and winger Andre Hahn have all settled in well, and as I suggested in my Europa League preview this week, Gladbach have strength in depth in all departments.
Gladbach are rattling in plenty of goals, and Thursday 5-0 Europa League thrashing of Apollon Limassol took their tally to 30 goals in 14 games. Although last season's top scorer Raffael isn't firing on all cylinders just yet, the goals are flowing from elsewhere. Six different players have found the back of the net in the first eight Bundesliga games of the campaign. After missing the first few matches with illness, Max Kruse has quickly rediscovered his best form, and has scored five goals in his last six league games.
Bayern were jaw-droppingly sensational against Roma in the Champions League in midweek, and their 7-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico was surely their best performance since Pep Guardiola took the reins. Guardiola's Bayern have been accused of being too indirect in their approach at times, with too much of a focus on keeping the ball rather than doing anything with it, but the Bavarians were back to their ruthless best on Tuesday. Bayern went for the jugular, and Roma could find no way to stem the bleeding before it was too late, as Bayern went 5-0 up in the first 36 minutes.
Bayern have now scored 24 goals in their last six matches, and that period they have conceded just one goal. That's the size of the challenge that faces Gladbach, but I think they are a strong enough side to give Bayern a sterner test than Roma did. It's tempting to back Gladbach +1.0 & +1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 1.991/1, but I'm conscious of the fact that if Bayern hit top form as they did in midweek, even Favre's unbeaten side won't be able to stop them.
Instead, I'm leaning towards backing Both Teams To Score at 1.824/5. That price wouldn't be so big in many Bundesliga games, and it may have been inflated by the teams' defensive records. Bayern have the best rearguard in the top flight (two goals conceded), while Gladbach have the second-best (four goals conceded). That said, I think Gladbach will have to go for it. If they try to dig in and allow Bayern to have the ball for long spells, there's only one outcome. Gladbach have only failed to score once all season, and although Bayern's defending has improved this term, there are still gaps to be exploited by the home side's talented attack.
Recommended Bet
Back Both Teams To Score at 1.845/6
Borussia Dortmund v Hannover 96
Sat October 25, 14:30
Although Borussia Dortmund have made a horrendous start to their Bundesliga campaign - they have lost five of their first eight matches - they are shredding all comers in their Champions League group. A 4-0 win at Galatasaray in midweek was well deserved, and it featured a simply stunning long-range goal from Marco Reus. Having missed the World Cup and the start of the season with injury, Reus has plenty of catching up to do, and he looks hungry.
After embarrassing defeats to potential relegation battlers Hamburg and FC Cologne, BVB need to turn things around domestically, and Hannover could be the perfect opponents. Tayfun Korkut's men looked pretty good in the opening weeks of the season, but the wheels have come off in spectacular fashion.
H96 have lost four of their last five games, scoring just once in that period. In the last two games they have been spanked 4-0 by Bayern Munich and 3-0 by Borussia Monchengladbach, and whilst Hannover were once the kind of team that would make life tough for the big boys, under Korkut they roll over more easily. Their defending was particularly poor against Gladbach last week, and the 3-0 defeat could have been much worse had The Foals been more clinical in front of goal.
I've been burned by backing Dortmund on the Asian Handicap once or twice this term, and the odds are pretty prohibitive (Dortmund -1.5 &-2.0 is a miserly 1.865/6), so I'm looking elsewhere. Reus has looked very bright in the past couple of games, and he scored against Hannover both at home and away last season. I'd expect him to start, so he's definitely worth backing at 2.05n/a to score at any time.
Recommended Bet
Back Marco Reus to score at 2.05n/a (Sportsbook product)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Stuttgart
Sat 25 October, 14:30
These two sides had differing experiences of stirring comebacks last week. Eintracht Frankfurt went 1-0 up at Paderborn at the Benteler Arena, but thanks to one of the goals of the season from youngster Marvin Ducksch, the newly-promoted side roared back to win 3-1. A day earlier, Stuttgart had put in one of the worst first-half displays in the club's history to go 3-0 down to Bayer Leverkusen, but they somehow salvaged a 3-3 draw.
What do these events tell us about these two sides? They can't defend, that's what. Stuttgart have shipped 15 goals at an average of nearly two per game, while Frankfurt have let in 13. Stuttgart just can't defend as a team, while Eintracht Frankfurt are really missing the presence of injured centre-back Carlos Zambrano.
This game sees the return of former Frankfurt coach Armin Veh to the Commerzbank Arena, and it could be a cracking encounter as he pits his wits against his replacement Thomas Schaaf. Five of Frankfurt's eight league games this term have featured four goals or more, which is also true of three of Stuttgart's last four outings. On that basis, Over 3.5 Goals looks a bit too big at 2.9215/8.
Recommended Bet
Back Over 3.5 Goals at 2.9215/8
Kevin will be commentating on Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich this weekend for TuneIn with talkSPORT. To listen, just search for Bundesliga English on TuneIn. You can also follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinhatchard
2014/15 Bundesliga P/L (1pt per bet)
Points Staked: 31
Points Returned: 33.24
P/L: +2.4 points
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