It is Week 29 of the Bundesliga this weekend as the season continues its sprint to a finish due to the Covid-19 enforced stoppage. Saturday says a big win for Werder Bremen over Schalke as they continue to show great form since the restart. It also featured Bayern Munich taking apart Fortuna Dusseldorf as they continue their inevitable march towards another Bundesliga crown.
Here is a look at the two games that will be taking place on Sunday.
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Union Berlin
Monchengladbach was the surprise package early on in the Bundesliga as they rattled off win after win to sit top of the table. Union Berlin stopped some of that momentum as they beat their visitors 2-0, so Monchengladbach will be looking for revenge here.
The hosts sit fifth in the table on 53 points, comfortably clear of sixth place Wolfsburg (42 points) with a Europa League place all but clinched. They are instead looking up the table as they are just four points behind second-placed Borussia Dortmund going into Sunday’s action.
Marcus Thuram – a player who has scored three times since the restart – will be the main attacking threat for Monchengladbach here. They will be without the midfield power of Tobias Strobl and Denis Zakaria through injury.
Union Berlin has lost two and drawn one since the return to action and there are 22 points behind Monchengladbach in the table. They did pick up their first points since play resumed last time out, however, as they held Mainz to a 1-1 draw.
Union will be deprived of the services of the suspended Robert Andrich, but they could be boosted by the return of Christopher Lenz if he recovers in time from his injury.
The hosts should avenge their November defeat here but the odds of 0.52 at BetXChange are very short. Given that Monchengladbach tends to score freely against bottom-half teams, the Asian Handicap line of -1.5 for the hosts at 1.24 is an interesting bet.
SC Paderborn 07 vs. Borussia Dortmund
This is a match that could be bad for Paderborn. Dortmund will be looking for a big win here to close the 10 point gap to Bayern Munich in the hope that the league leaders slip up, something that seems far less likely after Bayern beat Dortmund in their top of the table clash midweek.
Paderborn is fighting – they have drawn all three of their games since the restart – but after back-to-back promotions into the Bundesliga, their squad has just been too light to play at this level. They are rooted to the bottom of the table with 19 points and they are currently eight points from the (relative) safety of the relegation playoff spot.
Dortmund may have Jadon Sancho back in their lineup for the first time since the restart as they face a Paderborn side that almost took a memorable win in the reverse fixture earlier this season. It took a Marco Reus equalizer in injury time for Dortmund’s blushes to be spared in a game they trailed 3-0 at half time.
Sancho seems even more likely yo play despite the fact he may not be match fit after Erling Haaland was ruled out of this one with a knee injury. Mo Dahoud (knee) is out for the rest of the season while Axel Witsel is also a doubt. Paderborn will be without midfielder Klaus Gjasula who is suspended (again) after picking up 15 yellow cards this season.
Taking Dortmund to win – even with their injuries – is the smart move. At 0.36 with BetXChange they are short money, so maybe throw them in an acca to add some value. Correct score bets seem to have value here, with Dortmund winning 2:0 (6.84), 3:0 (8.42), or 3:1 (9.77) being worth a thought.
