FC Cologne v Hoffenheim
Saturday October 31, 14:30
Even in the relatively sensible and measured arena that is the Bundesliga, some wild decisions and unconventional thinking can emerge. After last Friday's 1-0 home defeat to Hamburg, a result that left Hoffenheim in the automatic relegation zone, coach Markus Gisdol was given his marching orders after two-and-a-half years in charge.
Although sporting director Alexander Rosen insists Hoffenheim gave Gisdol plenty of support and time to turn things around, the decision seems hasty to me. The club's best player - Roberto Firmino - was sold to Liverpool, and there was a big turnover of playing personnel in the summer. I think Gisdol might've rescued the situation in the next few weeks, but now we'll never know.
Hoffenheim have replaced Gisdol with the Red Adair of the Bundesliga, Dutch veteran Huub Stevens. The 61-year-old was parachuted in twice by Stuttgart in the last two seasons to rescue them from the drop, and he succeeded on both occasions. He certainly won't be fazed by the situation his new club are in, as TSG are just two points from safety.
You're probably wondering where the wild, unconventional thinking is, so here it comes. Stevens will step down in the summer, and will be replaced by 28-year-old Julian Nagelsmann. Rosen has described him as "a huge coaching talent", but the promotion of the current Under-19 coach must be viewed as a huge gamble. Nagelsmann will be the youngest coach in Bundesliga history, and the buzz around him is nothing new, as he has already rejected an offer from Bayern Munich to coach their youngsters.
In the meantime, Stevens has the reins, and I think he can make a strong start. Hoffenheim haven't been playing as badly as their results suggest, and there is definitely some promise in forward pairing Eduardo Vargas and Kevin Volland, who are developing a good understanding. Stevens will have to make do without Volland and defender Ermin Bicakcic on Saturday, as both are suspended.
It's also worth noting that Saturday's opponents Cologne have lost their last three matches in league and cup without scoring a goal. Star striker Anthony Modeste has hit his first rough patch of the campaign, and will hope to put things right against his former club.
Billy Goats coach Peter Stoger has admitted his players have started making basic errors, and have lost a bit of the intensity that gave them such a strong start to the campaign. Cologne have been trying to make their football a bit more attractive to watch, and while they have generally succeeded, there have been significant bumps in the road, and unusually the team lacked fight in last weekend's 4-0 thrashing at Bayern Munich.
Stevens can give Hoffenheim a short-term lift, and I think they are overpriced against a Cologne team that's suffering a crisis of confidence at the moment.
Recommended Bet
Back Hoffenheim Draw No Bet at 2.70
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen
Saturday October 31, 17:30
Live on BT Sport 2
These two sides are running on similar rails at present. They both hope to make progress in the Champions League, and are trying to juggle those ambitions with making sure they qualify for next season's edition.
Wolfsburg were given a shock to the system in midweek, as Bayern Munich simply blew them away in the DFB Cup. The Wolves lost 3-1, surrendering the trophy they won so impressively last season. It was only the third defeat Dieter Hecking's men have suffered on home soil in 39 matches, but it has to be pointed out that the champions were simply sensational in the first half.
In the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg have won 20 of their last 27 home games, and they haven't been beaten at the Volkswagen Arena in the league since March 2014. They also have a strong record against Saturday's opponents Bayer Leverkusen, having beaten them in each of the clubs' last three meetings.
Bayer won easily at Viktoria Koln in the cup, and they have put together a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Although Roger Schmidt's men showed great character to come back from 4-2 down to draw 4-4 with Roma and from 3-1 down to beat Stuttgart 4-3, alarm bells are clanging when it comes to the team's defending.
Despite the loss of Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City and an injury to Max Kruse, Wolfsburg do still have plenty of firepower. Bas Dost has scored in six of Wolfsburg's last eight home games in all competitions, and he netted four times in last season's extraordinary 5-4 win at the BayArena.
This is a clash between two excellent teams, but I think Wolfsburg can find gaps in the Bayer rearguard, and their superb home record suggests they are overpriced.
Recommended Bet
Back Wolfsburg Draw No Bet at 1.93
Hamburg v Hannover
Sunday November 01, 16:30
Live on BT Sport Europe
After two extraordinary escapes from relegation, Hamburg appear to be finally be getting their act together. Coach Bruno Labbadia has organised the team, and they are winning the kind of tight games they would once have lost. HSV have already collected five clean sheets from their first ten Bundesliga games, and the fact that four of their nine league goals have come in the last seven minutes of matches illustrates how the squad's fitness levels have improved.
Hamburg are also showing they can be physical. Opta tell us the Redshorts have picked up ten yellow cards in their last two matches, committing 45 fouls across both games. Labbadia has his players snarling, and they are a healthy seven points clear of the bottom three.
Hannover's mini-revival came to an end last week, as they blew a lead in a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Eintracht Frankfurt. Opta tell us that's the third match this season in which Hannover have lost after taking the lead.
Coach Michael Frontzeck has been publicly backed, but Die Roten are just a point above the dropzone, and I haven't changed my mind about them being relegated. The squad lacks firepower, and last weekend's defeat was a return to the clumsy defending that has characterised the campaign so far.
Hamburg have won their last four home games against Hannover, and I'm sorely tempted to back them to win at evens. However, with Hamburg failing to score in their last three games at the Imtech Arena, I'm leaning instead towards backing No in the Both Teams To Score market at 1.91, especially considering Hannover have netted just four goals in five away games.
Recommended Bet
Back No in the Both Teams To Score market at 1.91
Saturday October 31, 14:30
Even in the relatively sensible and measured arena that is the Bundesliga, some wild decisions and unconventional thinking can emerge. After last Friday's 1-0 home defeat to Hamburg, a result that left Hoffenheim in the automatic relegation zone, coach Markus Gisdol was given his marching orders after two-and-a-half years in charge.
Although sporting director Alexander Rosen insists Hoffenheim gave Gisdol plenty of support and time to turn things around, the decision seems hasty to me. The club's best player - Roberto Firmino - was sold to Liverpool, and there was a big turnover of playing personnel in the summer. I think Gisdol might've rescued the situation in the next few weeks, but now we'll never know.
Hoffenheim have replaced Gisdol with the Red Adair of the Bundesliga, Dutch veteran Huub Stevens. The 61-year-old was parachuted in twice by Stuttgart in the last two seasons to rescue them from the drop, and he succeeded on both occasions. He certainly won't be fazed by the situation his new club are in, as TSG are just two points from safety.
You're probably wondering where the wild, unconventional thinking is, so here it comes. Stevens will step down in the summer, and will be replaced by 28-year-old Julian Nagelsmann. Rosen has described him as "a huge coaching talent", but the promotion of the current Under-19 coach must be viewed as a huge gamble. Nagelsmann will be the youngest coach in Bundesliga history, and the buzz around him is nothing new, as he has already rejected an offer from Bayern Munich to coach their youngsters.
In the meantime, Stevens has the reins, and I think he can make a strong start. Hoffenheim haven't been playing as badly as their results suggest, and there is definitely some promise in forward pairing Eduardo Vargas and Kevin Volland, who are developing a good understanding. Stevens will have to make do without Volland and defender Ermin Bicakcic on Saturday, as both are suspended.
It's also worth noting that Saturday's opponents Cologne have lost their last three matches in league and cup without scoring a goal. Star striker Anthony Modeste has hit his first rough patch of the campaign, and will hope to put things right against his former club.
Billy Goats coach Peter Stoger has admitted his players have started making basic errors, and have lost a bit of the intensity that gave them such a strong start to the campaign. Cologne have been trying to make their football a bit more attractive to watch, and while they have generally succeeded, there have been significant bumps in the road, and unusually the team lacked fight in last weekend's 4-0 thrashing at Bayern Munich.
Stevens can give Hoffenheim a short-term lift, and I think they are overpriced against a Cologne team that's suffering a crisis of confidence at the moment.
Recommended Bet
Back Hoffenheim Draw No Bet at 2.70
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen
Saturday October 31, 17:30
Live on BT Sport 2
These two sides are running on similar rails at present. They both hope to make progress in the Champions League, and are trying to juggle those ambitions with making sure they qualify for next season's edition.
Wolfsburg were given a shock to the system in midweek, as Bayern Munich simply blew them away in the DFB Cup. The Wolves lost 3-1, surrendering the trophy they won so impressively last season. It was only the third defeat Dieter Hecking's men have suffered on home soil in 39 matches, but it has to be pointed out that the champions were simply sensational in the first half.
In the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg have won 20 of their last 27 home games, and they haven't been beaten at the Volkswagen Arena in the league since March 2014. They also have a strong record against Saturday's opponents Bayer Leverkusen, having beaten them in each of the clubs' last three meetings.
Bayer won easily at Viktoria Koln in the cup, and they have put together a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Although Roger Schmidt's men showed great character to come back from 4-2 down to draw 4-4 with Roma and from 3-1 down to beat Stuttgart 4-3, alarm bells are clanging when it comes to the team's defending.
Despite the loss of Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City and an injury to Max Kruse, Wolfsburg do still have plenty of firepower. Bas Dost has scored in six of Wolfsburg's last eight home games in all competitions, and he netted four times in last season's extraordinary 5-4 win at the BayArena.
This is a clash between two excellent teams, but I think Wolfsburg can find gaps in the Bayer rearguard, and their superb home record suggests they are overpriced.
Recommended Bet
Back Wolfsburg Draw No Bet at 1.93
Hamburg v Hannover
Sunday November 01, 16:30
Live on BT Sport Europe
After two extraordinary escapes from relegation, Hamburg appear to be finally be getting their act together. Coach Bruno Labbadia has organised the team, and they are winning the kind of tight games they would once have lost. HSV have already collected five clean sheets from their first ten Bundesliga games, and the fact that four of their nine league goals have come in the last seven minutes of matches illustrates how the squad's fitness levels have improved.
Hamburg are also showing they can be physical. Opta tell us the Redshorts have picked up ten yellow cards in their last two matches, committing 45 fouls across both games. Labbadia has his players snarling, and they are a healthy seven points clear of the bottom three.
Hannover's mini-revival came to an end last week, as they blew a lead in a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Eintracht Frankfurt. Opta tell us that's the third match this season in which Hannover have lost after taking the lead.
Coach Michael Frontzeck has been publicly backed, but Die Roten are just a point above the dropzone, and I haven't changed my mind about them being relegated. The squad lacks firepower, and last weekend's defeat was a return to the clumsy defending that has characterised the campaign so far.
Hamburg have won their last four home games against Hannover, and I'm sorely tempted to back them to win at evens. However, with Hamburg failing to score in their last three games at the Imtech Arena, I'm leaning instead towards backing No in the Both Teams To Score market at 1.91, especially considering Hannover have netted just four goals in five away games.
Recommended Bet
Back No in the Both Teams To Score market at 1.91
