Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored – yes
Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
The 2018/19 Bundesliga season will kick off this Friday with an impressive match. The reigning champions, Bayern Munich, will begin their title defence against Hoffenheim, one of the most consistent sides in the league over the past few years. Will Bayern start with a win, or will Hoffenheim pull the upset like they did last season?
Bayern Munich
Niko Kovac’s reign at Bayern Munich could not have started any better, as the reigning Bundesliga champions claimed the German Super Cup title with a commanding 5-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt to open their season. Following an impressive pre-season tour where they registered wins over Manchester United and PSG, but losses against Manchester City and Juventus, now the Bundesliga title holders are ready to dominate Germany once again. It remains to be seen how much they will be weakened by the loss of Arturo Vidal, but the core of the squad is intact and Robert Lewandowski seems to be a man on a mission based on his hat-trick during the Super Cup. They also won their opener in the DFB Pokal, so Bayern are more than ready to open their Bundesliga campaign in front of their own crowd. Now they only need to get past one of the top teams in the competition last season.
Team News
Bayern Munich are almost at full strength heading into this contest.
David Alaba (knee), Serge Gnabry (thigh) and James Rodriguez (ankle) are all doubtful. All three will require a late-fitness test to determine his availability.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim had an even better pre-season than Bayern Munich, as they secured four wins and two draws during their six friendly matches. They also began their DFB Pokal run with an impressive 6-1 win over Kaiserslauntern, and they have dropped just one of their last 10 games including pre-season. But will that be enough to top Bayern’s talented squad? Hoffenheim have complicated Bayern during their recent meetings, but this time the visitors will be quite depleted due to a number of injuries so it is not going to be easy for them. At best, they could go out and hope for a draw or some rust on Bayern’s end. But if we look at the game on paper, it does not look like an easy fixture for them. Will they be able to hold on?
Team News
As stated above, Hoffenheim will be quite depleted in terms of absences because up to six players have been ruled out for the season opener.
The absentees’ list includes Nadiem Amiri (toe), Karim Demirbay (ankle), Andrej Kramaric (knee), Dennis Geiger (thigh), Benjamin Hubner (concussion) and Lukas Rupp (knee).
Key Factors to Consider
- Bayern have never lost to Hoffenheim at home (W8, D2).
- However, Hoffenheim have won two of the last three meetings against Bayern across all competitions.
- In nine out of ten home games against Hoffenheim, Bayern have scored at least twice. Munich have recorded a clean sheet in five of those games.
- Hoffenheim have conceded 32 goals in their last ten away games to Bayern (3.2 on average per game).
- Only one of the last five Bundesliga matches between these two teams has produced over 2.5 goals.
Conclusion
Bayern will probably want to start the season with a convincing win and while Hoffenheim enter this game quite depleted, they can compete with the best of them. As evidenced by their huge 6-1 win in the DFB Pokal opener.
Expect an open game with over 3.5 goals scored easily.
Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored – yes
Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
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