WE'RE delighted to welcome German Football expert Raphael Honigstein to the site for the season thanks to our partner Unibet.
You may know Raph from his excellent work on BT Sport 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!
Monchengladbach v Hoffenheim (Sat 2.30pm)
The Foals are not running freely at the moment. Two wins in the last nine Bundesliga games have destroyed all hopes of Champions League qualification for ninth-placed BMG.
Ssnatching seventh spot away from Hoffenheim, who are three points ahead and have a considerably better goals difference, seems the last realistic possibility to qualify for the Europa League next season.
This is a veritable six-pointer, as well as true test of Dieter Hecking, the Gladbach coach. The team’s inconsistency reflects badly on the 53-year-old and his somewhat old school methods.
Despite playing at home, his team are only marginally favourites, thanks to a long list of injuries that includes centre-back Jannik Vestergaard and full-back Reece Oxford.
The visitors are not quite at full strength either but they travel to the Borussia Park on the back of two good wins (vs Augsburg and Wolfsburg) and much improved performances.
Serge Gnabry, in particular, has looked in good form, playing off former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric. This one promises to be an eventful game, with plenty of chances either side and an away win for Julian Nagelsmann.
Raphael's Tips
- Gladbach 1, Hoffenheim 2 (17-2, Unibet)
- Gnabry to score first (6-1, Unibet)
- Hoffenehim draw no bet (10-11, Unibet)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Mainz (Sat 2.30pm)
When the Eagles met the self-declared “Carnival club” for a Rhein-Main derby in the DFB Pokal last month, Niko Kovac’s high-fliers soared to an easy 3-0 win. Mainz have since picked up a few valuable points in their fight against relegation by giving away far fewer goals and finding a bit of efficiency up front.
It should be a much closer contest this time around, especially if rookie FSV keeper Florian Müller continues to perform as well has he has done since regular No.1 Robin Zentner picked up an injury a couple of weeks ago.
Frankfurt were extremely unlucky to come away with nothing from their trip to Borussia Dortmund last week, conceding a last-minute goal in their 3-2 defeat.
It was an unusual game for Eintracht considering they have the third best defence in the Bundesliga. The derby should be a much more low-scoring affair but not devoid of incident. Expect a fiery, attritional game.
Raphael's Tips
- Eintracht 1, Mainz 0 (11-2, Unibet)
- De Guzman to score first (13-2, Unibet)
- Under 2.5 goals (5-6, 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.
