Soccer Germany Bundesliga Prediction

Bayern Munich vs Hertha Berlin - Match Preview

⚽ 30 April 2023 - 13:30 GMT +0

Bayern Munich saw their grip on the Meisterschale loosen last weekend as they were leapfrogged to the summit by Borussia Dortmund following a chastising 3-1 defeat at the hands of Mainz. Reports suggesting that Thomas Tuchel is already fighting for his future at the club surfaced in the wake of that defeat and it’s little wonder why, after recording just two wins from his seven games at the helm (W2, D2, L3).

Contrary to Tuchel’s bold claim that he wanted to “win all the trophies” as he entered the club at a time they were in the latter stages of both the DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League, Bayern look more likely to end up with none at all! A home return would usually buoy the Bavarians, although they’re currently enduring their longest winless home run (D2, L1) since 2018.

Despite the flailing fortunes of the ten-time consecutive champions, rock-bottom Hertha Berlin won’t be holding their breath about recording just their third-ever league win at Bayern and their first since 1977/78 (W2, D6, L29). The Old Lady have conceded nine goals across their last two visits here, which is coincidentally the same amount they have let in across the last two Bundesliga rounds as part of a three-game losing sequence.

Those heavy defeats bookend Hertha’s shocking seven-game run of winless league games and with four points separating them from safety ahead of the weekend, their survival prospects look bleak at best. Any turnaround coming at Bayern would be fanciful at the best of times, but Hertha also owns the Bundesliga’s worst away record this season (W1, D2, L11), with each of their six away league defeats in 2023 seeing them concede at least three goals, making this a game that should keep Bayern boss Tuchel in his job for at least another week!

📋 Players to watch: Sadio Mané ended a turbulent week for himself by scoring the opener for Bayern last time out, meaning three of his last five club goals have served to open the scoring. As for Hertha, Dodi Lukébakio maintained his 100% penalty-scoring record this season with his fifth spot-kick of 2022/23 in the 4-2 home loss to Werder last weekend, yet he was only on the winning side in one of those games (W1, D2, L2).

⚡ Hot stat: Bayern Munich has scored in both halves in a league-high 15 games after 29 rounds (52%).

Wolfsburg vs Mainz - Match Preview

⚽ 30 April 2023 - 15:30 GMT +0

Wolfsburg manager Niko Kovač called their 5-1 win over Bochum last Saturday a “statement” after they hit at least five goals in three separate Bundesliga games for the first time since their title-winning campaign of 2008/09. While there’ll be no league title to celebrate this term, European qualification is still up for grabs after losing just one of their last eight Bundesliga games (W3, D4).

As two of those five-plus goal hauls came away from home, Wolves fans might be feeling a little short-changed, not least because they haven’t seen a Bundesliga win here since they hammered Freiburg 6-0 in January (D4, L2). But as Wolfsburg won this fixture here 5-0 last term, and none of the last four H2H meetings at this ground produced under 2.5 goals, entertainment could be on the cards.

But it could come at the wrong end as following a ten-match unbeaten run in the league (W6, D4), Mainz are two points better off than Wolfsburg after defeating reigning champions Bayern Munich 3-1. That was also a statement win as they came from behind to net three times in 15 second-half minutes to keep themselves firmly in the hunt for European qualification.

It proved to be a memorable weekend for the club as their U19 side claimed the German title for the first time since 2008, so things are looking up for the 05ers, especially if they can better last season’s eighth-place finish. In the short term, as they haven’t lost a league game on the road since early February (W2, D2), a repeat of last term’s thrashing in this fixture seems highly unlikely.

📋 Players to watch: Luca Waldschmidt’s last three league goals for Wolfsburg came after the 75th minute, including completing the scoring against Bochum. Leandro Barreiro said he didn’t know what to say after scoring against Bayern, but Mainz has now won all six games in which he’s scored for them!

⚡ Hot streak: The home side on the day hasn’t scored before half-time in any of Mainz’s last five league games.