Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt
The Bundesliga is back in town and two of the teams challenging the dominance of FC Bayern come face to face at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt is a clash between two sides which battled for a Champions League place last term, with BVB edging Eintracht out at the last. The games between these two teams are rarely tame and we expect a cracker in Dortmund, with the Yellow Wall once again in evidence as Borussia can house 25,000 fans in their opening fixture. It may not be as imposing as a full stadium but they will make one heck of a noise.
BVB are second favourites to lift the Bundesliga title at SBOTOP odds of 7.90 while Eintracht are out at 101.00, but the gap between the two was minimal last season and this time BVB will be keen to assert some authority from the very first whistle.
The season kicks off when Borussia Monchengladbach host FC Bayern on Friday night and, should the Bavarians kick off with a win, the pressure will be on Dortmund to keep up with the early pace.
Talking Points
Haaland’s pre-season brings new hope
Marco Rose will lead his team out at the Signal Iduna Park, with one thing on his mind – Bundesliga success – but the mantra of ‘one game at a time’ will be loud and clear.
Die Schwarzgelben have the most realistic chance of unseating FC Bayern from the throne but Eintracht will be the focus for Die Schwarzgelben on Saturday. And their main striker looks to have set his sights perfectly in the run-up to the opening weekend.
Erling Braut Haaland comes into the game on the back of a highly impressive hat-trick, scored within the space of 25 minutes, in a warm-up fixture against SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Those three goals took Haaland’s tally to 60 from 60 games for Borussia Dortmund, a stunning statistic.
The Norwegian giant has been the subject of transfer speculation once more this summer, but if Rose can keep his man, then FC Bayern will have a serious rival. Having already sold Jadon Sancho to Manchester United, the Dortmunders moved swiftly to bring in Netherlands striker Donyell Malen and he could make a start alongside Haaland.
There will also be a debut for 23-year-old goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who joined the club from VfB Stuttgart where he showed real ability, and he looks capable of holding down the keeper’s jersey at Dortmund. He’ll have to start without two of BVB’s main defenders in front of him. Full-back Thomas Meunier has COVID-19, while an injury to Mats Hummels will mean Manuel Akanji will take responsibility at centre-back.
Glasner has much to live up to at Eintracht
Oliver Glasner took over at Eintracht after Adi Hutter, who led the Eagles to fifth place last term, switched to Borussia Monchengladbach in the close season, and previous boss Niko Kovac went on to manage FC Bayern.
So Glasner has some pressure on his shoulders to produce Bundesliga 2021 results. But having led Wolfsburg to Champions League football last term, he could be the man to take Eintracht forward. Glasner will have to do it without striker Andre Silva, who has made the move to RB Leipzig, but the recent loan signing of AC Milan winger Jens Petter Hauge has strengthened his forward line. The 21-year-old winger has moved from Serie A giants AC Milan on a temporary deal, but it could become permanent at the end of the campaign.
On the other flank, Serbian winger Filip Kostic is a real threat, and following the departure of Silva, new striker Rafael Santos Borre could be the main beneficiary of the 28-year-old’s brilliant crossing. Kostic made 14 assists in the league last term and Glasner will be keen to keep him at the club.
History
BVB have won over half of the games between the two sides, 26 of the last 50 meetings, in all competitions since 1994, while Eintracht have won 11 and there have been 13 draws.
Frankfurt won 2-1 here in April when Portuguese striker Silva scored a late headed winner teed up by Kostic, a result which significantly bolstered Eintracht’s Champions League hopes as the result left them on 50 points, seven ahead of BVB and with just seven games remaining.
Dortmund have won the last six home games in a row, while Frankfurt have lost their last four on the road, so let’s see how that affects the very latest Bundesliga 2021 betting odds and make a pick.
Betting Tip
 |
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Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt | Under 3.50 @ 2.00 |
| August 15, 00:30 (GMT+8) |
The Borussians are at 1.42 to win this opener, with the draw at 4.74 and Eintracht at 5.60, while 2-1, at 7.14, is the lowest odds for a stated score-line.
That’s a result which would suit Rose just fine and, while both sides carry a real goal threat, I think the value is in the defences keeping it respectable.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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