Bundesliga Tips: Leipzig to maintain their momentum | OneFootball

German Bundesliga

Marco Rose's Leipzig ended Bayer Leverkusen's long unbeaten run in the Bundesliga

After picking up five winners from his first six tips this season, Bundesliga TV commentator Kevin Hatchard is back with another trio of odds-against picks...

Betfair SuperBoost!

Each of the last four Betfair SuperBoosts on football have won, with last week's boost on England to score in the first half against Ireland duly in by the 11th minute.

That made it three on the bounce to win inside 26 minutes, and this week, we look for another winner!

Manchester United travel to Southampton for the early KO, and it is all about Kobbie Mainoo for us.

The England international has committed the most fouls of any Man Utd player so far this season (7), at least three more than any of his teammates.

In fact, only Bruno Guimaraes (21) and Joelinton (16) have been involved in more fouls than Mainoo (14) this season (7 committed, 7 won).

He's also been booked in each of his last three games for club and country, picking up a yellow inside the first half against Ireland for England last week.

It is 2/5 for Mainoo to commit one or more fouls v Southampton, something he has done in each of his apps so far, but Betfair have SuperBoosted that price up to 1/1!

Football... Only Bettor Podcast - Listen to the best bets here!

Union to be stampeded in Leipzig

RB Leipzig v Union BerlinSaturday 14 September, 14:30

RB Leipzig put down a marker and announced themselves as potential title challengers on Matchday Two, as they pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat last season's double winners Bayer Leverkusen 3-2. In doing so, Marco Rose's men became the first German team to beat Leverkusen in a competitive game since May 2023.

Now Leipzig have to show this isn't another false dawn, that they can genuinely sustain a push for the top. In the summer, the only major player they lost was the injury-plagued Dani Olmo, and they retained the services of star strikers Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko. To further improve the picture, Dutch master Xavi was recruited for another season on loan, despite strong interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

There have also been smart signings in other areas. Dutch international Lutsharel Geertruida can play centre-back or right-back, and he helped Feyenoord win both the Eredivisie and the Dutch Cup. Young midfielders Arthur Vermeeren and Assan Ouedraogo have huge potential, although the former is only on loan. In attack, Norway's Antonio Nusa has already scored in the Pokal and the league (the winner against Bochum was his first touch in the Bundesliga).

Union Berlin have taken four points from their first two games under new coach Bo Svensson, but he looked deeply disgruntled by his team's display in the 1-0 win over St Pauli. Union's players seemed unwilling to show for the ball at times, and some of their work without the ball was lacking too.

It doesn't feel to me like Union are ready to withstand the firepower at Leipzig's disposal, and I'll back the hosts -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 2.4. If Leipzig win by two goals or more, we get a healthy payout.

Rising star to shine again for Eagles

Wolfsburg v Eintracht FrankfurtSaturday 14 September, 14:30

Sometimes promising players can move to a big club too quickly, and that seems to have been the case with Hugo Ekitike. The 22-year-old Frenchman first caught the eye at Reims, and after talk of a potential move to Newcastle quietened, he was snapped up by PSG. Understandably, young Ekitike was crowded out by the sheer volume of attacking talent at the Parc des Princes, but now at Eintracht Frankfurt he has found a stage upon which to perform.

Last season, Ekitike delivered four goals and two assists in 14 Bundesliga games after signing in January, and he has looked even sharper this season. He scored a brace and produced an assist in a 4-1 DFB Pokal win at Eintracht Braunschweig, he was dangerous in a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund, and then he delivered a goal and an assist in a 3-1 victory over Hoffenheim.

Ekitike also has some talented players around him in attack. Omar Marmoush stayed despite Premier League interest, and he is a skilful and clever forward. Fares Chaibi is a good technician, and the likes of Hugo Larsson and Ellyes Skhiri are always willing to burst forward from midfield.

Wolfsburg have started the campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Bayern and a 2-0 victory at Holstein Kiel, but I worry slightly that they aren't yet settled under Ralph Hasenhüttl. They have a new goalkeeper in Kamil Grabara, and they are asking winger Jakub Kaminski to learn a new position at left-back. They'll be absolutely fine, but I expect Ekitike and company to cause them problems.

I think Ekitike is overpriced in the To Score market on the Sportsbook at 21/10 and if you wait until closer to kick-off, you might even get a bigger price on the Exchange.

BTTS double needs goals in Sinsheim and Augsburg

We had success on Matchday Two by doubling up bets from two separate games, and we'll go down that route again here with a BTTS double.

I fancy Hoffenheim v Bayer Leverkusen to be a very lively encounter. Bayer need to bounce back after their collapse against RB Leipzig, a game that saw them surrender a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2. Bayer have now conceded eight goals in their first four competitive matches of the season, and their only clean sheet was against fourth-tier side Carl Zeiss Jena. Defensive leader Jonathan Tah has clearly been distracted by the failure of his proposed summer move to Bayern Munich, and he looked really shaky in Germany's 2-2 draw away to the Netherlands in midweek.

Hoffenheim have already scored six goals in three games in league and cup, but they have also leaked seven. The long-term loss of midfielder Grischa Prömel to injury is a big blow, and they are still a bit too reliant on the club's record scorer Andrej Kramaric, who has delivered all four of their Bundesliga goals this term.

I also like the look of BTTS in the game between early strugglers Augsburg and St Pauli. The visitors haven't scored a league goal yet, but they have made good chances, and it's only a matter of time before they are rewarded. Augsburg need a response after they were demolished 4-0 at Heidenheim, but they have enough attacking talent to find the net here. Former PSG youth Samuel Essende looks to be a particularly interesting recruit.

Recommended bets