WE'RE delighted to welcome German Football expert Raphael Honigstein to the site for the new season thanks to our partner Unibet.
You may know Raph from his excellent work on BTSport where he shares his knowledge of the European game and we're hoping he can make some of that know-how pay for us on MrFixitsTips. Best of luck Raphael!
He kicks off his weekend previews with tonight's Bundesliga fixture.
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (Friday 7.45pm)
Against both Bayern Munich and now Hoffenheim, Schalke have delivered decent performances. Their problem in Sinsheim, though was taking one of the hatful of chances which they created. Guido Burgstaller for instance, a reliable goalscorer in the second half of last season, failed to capitalise on the sort of opportunities he was gobbling up earlier this year.
Still, that they dominated Hoffenheim for long spells is testament to the work of coach Domenico Tedesco who’s certainly made his mark. Goals and points though need to follow against a Bayer Leverkusen side who have struggled away from home so far this season.
To be precise, they’ve played three games on the road and lost each of them. Sporting director Rudi Völler has bemoaned how easy it was in those games for the opposition to score. Perhaps the pressure on the defence can be eased by their new Argentinian striker Lucas Alario.
Having only received FIFA clearance to play last week, Leverkusen’s record signing scored twice on his debut last weekend against Hamburg. Going to Schalke will be a tougher test for Alario and co but Heiko Herrlich has an almost fully fit squad to choose from. As for the home team, Breel Embolo could be in line to start having impressed after coming on last weekend. Whatever happens, you’d certainly expect both sides to score here.
- Score prediction: Schalke 2, Leverkusen 2 (11-1, Unibet)
- First goal prediction: Lucas Alario (6-1, Unibet)
- Safe bet: Both teams to score (8-15, Unibet)
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and others. He’s a regular pundit on BT Sport’s European Football Show and the author of “Englischer Fussball: A German View of Our Beautiful Game”. His favourite food is Schnitzel, predictably.
