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·5 October 2024
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·5 October 2024
Vincent Kompany's Bayern lost in midweek
Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayern MunichSunday 06 October, 16:30Live on Sky Sports
It had been smooth sailing for new Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, with six wins in his first six matches in all competitions, but he's been hit by a few squalls in the past week. While his side dominated last weekend's clash with title rivals Bayer Leverkusen, they failed to force a winner and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Then Bayern visited Aston Villa, and while they started well and created some presentable chances, Villa's intensity and discipline won the day. The riskier elements of Kompany's high-pressing game were there for all to see, as Dayot Upamecano was booked in the first half for grappling with Ollie Watkins, and was then a half-second too late to stop Jhon Duran from scoring a stunning winner.
That 1-0 defeat was Bayern's first loss under Kompany, and things might not get easier this weekend at Eintracht Frankfurt, who are second in the table going into the weekend. The Eagles have truly sparkled in attack, and there's a sense that coach Dino Toppmöller has found a way to take the team up a level after a tepid end to last season.
Forwards Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush have been incredibly exciting. Marmoush netted the opener in Thursday's 3-1 Europa League win at Besiktas, and has now scored seven goals in eight appearances this term. Against Holstein Kiel last weekend, the Egyptian international forward was involved in all four goals, with two goals and two assists. Former PSG striker Ekitike has been hampered by a foot injury in the last week or so, but he has delivered four goals and four assists in seven competitive matches.
With Kompany and Bayern absolutely determined to make their high press work, my suspicion is that Frankfurt can cause them some serious problems on the counter-attack, and it's worth noting that Toppmöller's Eagles won this fixture 5-1 last season. Given that SGE have lost just two of their last 29 home games in the league, I'll give the hosts a one-goal start here on the Asian Handicap at 2.14. We get an odds-against payout if the Eagles avoid defeat, and we only lose our stake if Bayern win by two goals or more.
Given the problems Marmoush can cause against that high defensive line, I'll back the former Wolfsburg and Stuttgart man to score or assist here at 7/5.
Bayer Leverkusen v Holstein KielSaturday 05 October, 14:30
It's been a tough introduction to life in the Bundesliga for Holstein Kiel. Five games played, one point collected and 17 goals conceded. The Storks have never operated at this level in the Bundesliga era before, and it shows.
Bayern have already put six past Marcel Rapp's team, Eintracht scored four against them last Sunday, and even struggling Hoffenheim racked up three goals against them. There's a real lack of Bundesliga experience in the squad - if you look at the team that started the 4-2 defeat to Eintracht, only Timo Becker and Lewis Holtby had played in Germany's top flight before.
Now they enter the lions' den that is the BayArena, and Leverkusen have had a good week. They showed grit and determination by grinding out a 1-1 draw at Bayern, and then they edged out Milan 1-0 in the Champions League.
I expect Bayer to win this comfortably, and Florian Wirtz seems too big a price to score at 11/10. The German international has netted six goals in nine appearances, and if he starts here he'll get plenty of chances to increase that tally.
The league has been full of goals so far this term, with 3.58 goals per game across the first five matchdays. It's only had a higher average once, which was in the 1983/84 campaign.
I'll put together a Over 2.5 Goals treble here at 3.04 on the Sportsbook. Augsburg v Borussia Mönchengladbach finished 4-4 last term, and it features one of the worst defensive united in the league, as Augsburg have already leaked 14 goals in five games.
Werder Bremen came back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 at Hoffenheim last weekend, and four of their five league games have featured three goals or more. They face a Freiburg team that has seen an Over 2.5 Goals bet land in four of five league outings.
Finally, free-scoring Stuttgart face a leaky Hoffenheim team that shipped four goals last weekend, and that has landed an Over 2.5 Goals bet in all five of its Bundesliga matches.