It’s been a fantastic start for Florian Kohfeldt at Wolfsburg, and Kevin Hatchard thinks it will get even better this weekend in the Bundesliga.
Perfect start for new Wolf pack leader
Wolfsburg v Augsburg
Saturday 06 November, 14:30
Live on Betfair Live Video
We talk a lot about the new manager bounce, and a lot of the time it’s not necessarily down to anything positive that the incoming tactician has done. It might be a group of players who are delighted to get rid of the previous incumbent, or it may be that the previous coach suffered a run of ill fortune, and there is then a regression to the mean.
However, the impact of Florian Kohfeldt on Wolfsburg’s form is undeniable. The former Werder Bremen boss has picked up a hugely impressive 2-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen, a game that saw the hosts denied a shot on target until deep into stoppage time, and a vital Champions League victory against Salzburg. The switch to a back three has given the team the structure they were missing under Kohfedlt’s predecessor Mark van Bommel, forward Lukas Nmecha has scored the winner in both games, and Kohfeldt might just be the man to unlock the potential of Belgian maverick Dodi Lukebakio.
Of course, these are early days, and Kohfeldt couldn’t prevent Werder Bremen’s relegation last term, but I have always maintained that he is a talented coach. He should be able to pick up another victory against an Augsburg team that won 4-1 against Stuttgart last weekend, but that has generally struggled this term.
The Swabians have lost their last three away matches, conceding nine goals in the process, and they have only scored twice in five road games in the league this term.
Wolfsburg are hampered by the loss of French centre-back Maxence Lacroix to suspension (he’s been sent off twice in the league this term), but Sebastian Bornauw is an adequate deputy. I’ll back the hosts -1.0 on the Asian Handicap here at 1.9620/21.
Unbeaten Freiburg can dent the champions
Bayern Munich v Freiburg
Saturday 06 November, 14:30
Live on Betfair Live Video
It has been a remarkable campaign for Freiburg so far. They are the only unbeaten side left in the division, they have beaten Borussia Dortmund and drawn with RB Leipzig, and they sit third in the standings, three points off top spot. Considering that this is a club whose primary objective each season is to avoid relegation, they are already more than halfway towards the points total they will need.
Freiburg and their charismatic coach Christian Streich face the ultimate test this weekend, as they try to take down the Bavarian machine that is Bayern Munich. The rekordmeister swept aside Union Berlin 5-2 last weekend, and then beat Benfica by the same scoreline in the Champions League. The irrepressible Robert Lewandowski bagged a hat-trick against the Portuguese giants, which means he has scored 81 goals in his first 100 Champions League matches.
The bet that stands out to me is backing Both Teams To Score here at 1.784/5. Both teams have found the net in the clubs’ last six Bundesliga clashes, and Bayern have only managed three clean sheets in their last nine competitive outings. Freiburg have scored in all but two of their games this term in league and cup, and against a Bayern side with a high defensive line and centre-backs who aren’t in great form, there’s an opportunity here for the visitors to score.
Eagles to soar against the whipping boys
Greuther Furth v Eintracht Frankfurt
Sunday 07 November, 18:30
Live on Betfair Live Video
Before the season began I tipped Greuther Furth for immediate relegation, and they have struggled at this level even more than I feared. The loss of key players in the summer like David Raum and Anton Stach hamstrung them before the season even started, and the Kleeblatt just don’t have the necessary resources to compete at this level.
Eintracht Frankfurt picked up a morale-boosting Europa League win in midweek, as Jens Petter Hauge struck a last-gasp winner in a 2-1 win at Olympiakos, and that followed hard on the heels of another late goal that secured a 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig. The Eagles are still nowhere near where they want to be under coach Oliver Glasner, but you sense that things are moving in the right direction.
Greuther Furth have still never won a home game in the Bundesliga, and they have collected just a point from their first ten matches. Frankfurt are better individually and collectively, and seem generously priced at odds-against in the Match Odds market. If the Eagles can win at Bayern Munich, which they did just a month ago, they can win at Greuther Furth.
Source: BetFair Tips
