Goals. Goals. Goals.
It’s what everyone wants to see out of a soccer match.
Even the biggest soccer fans, like myself, hate sitting through boring 90-minute scoreless ties.
If you want to tune in for a free-flowing Goalapalooza in the Bundesliga this weekend, set two hours aside for Borussia Dortmund vs. Hertha Berlin.
Dortmund is one of the most exciting attacking sides in the world and it can hit opponents from every angle on the field.
Even with Erling Haaland, arguably the best young player in the world, dealing with an injury, Dortmund has plenty of star power to scare even the toughest defenses.
The second-place side has five players with seven or more goals this season and it just rattled off six last weekend against Paderborn, the worst team in the Bundesliga.
Hertha Berlin does not possess the same scoring depth, but it has been one of the most entertaining sides to watch since the Bundesliga resumed May 16.
Hertha Berlin has scored at least two goals in each of its last four games and it still has a chance to sneak into the qualification spots for European soccer next season.
Trust me, it’ll be the most entertaining sporting event you’ll see this weekend.
Larry and I both had winning records last week and we’re hoping to see similar results out of a schedule that is lopsided for the most part.
All of our odds come from DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can watch the Bundesliga games with money in your account.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, June 5
Freiburg vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (2:30 p.m. ET, FS2)
Saturday, June 6
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich (9:30 a.m. ET, FS1)
RB Leipzig vs. Paderborn (9:30 a.m. ET, FS2)
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Hoffenheim (9:30 a.m. ET)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Mainz (9:30 a.m. ET)
Borussia Dortmund vs. Hertha Berlin (12:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
Sunday, June 7
Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg (7:30 a.m. ET, FS1)
Union Berlin vs. Schalke (9:30 a.m. ET, FS1)
Augsburg vs. FC Cologne (Noon ET, FS1)
Records
Joe Tansey: (17-15; 4-2 last weekend; 1-0 Wednesday)
Larry Henry Jr.: (10-16; 5-2 last weekend)
Joe Tansey
Freiburg vs. Borussia Monchengladbach
Gladbach has been an up-and-down side since the restart, but the one constant about its play is Marcus Thuram’s scoring ability.
Thuram has scored four goals in four games and he is coming off a two-goal performance against Union Berlin.
The 22-year-old Frenchman also scored in the first meeting with Freiburg in December, which resulted in a 4-2 Gladbach win.
I’m not sure if we’ll see six goals Friday afternoon, but I believe Gladbach has enough attacking power, led by Thuram, to overpower Freiburg’s defense.
Picks: Borussia Monchengladbach (-137); Marcus Thuram to score (+133)
Eintracht Frankurt vs. Mainz
Time for my first UPSET SPECIAL pick since the Bundesliga’s restart.
Mainz has not lost to Eintracht Frankfurt in their last three meetings, Frankfurt is on short rest after beating Werder Bremen Wednesday and road teams have had the statistical edge over the last few weeks.
Home teams have eight wins in 37 matches and Frankfurt has a single win in its last five home matches in all competitions dating back to February 24.
Add in the fact that Mainz needs a victory to stay above the relegation zone and you have the perfect formula for an upset.
Pick: Mainz (+255)
RB Leipzig vs. Paderborn
There’s no money line value with RB Leipzig on Saturday, but you can win off plus odds on scoring props.
RB Leipzig has scored at least two goals in each of its last three games and thrashed 15th-place Mainz by five goals in its second game back.
Last-place Paderborn conceded six goals to Borussia Dortmund the last time it took the field.
It won’t get much better for Paderborn against a RB Leipzig attack headed by Timo Werner, who could be on his way to the Premier League for next season.
Pick: RB Leipzig Team Total Over 3.5 (+123)
Borussia Dortmund vs. Hertha Berlin
In the last three head-to-head meetings, at least three goals have been scored between Dortmund and Hertha and the winning side has bagged at least two.
Between those results and the scoring form of both sides, I think Over 3.5 is the easiest bet of the weekend.
Expect Jadon Sancho to be in the mix on most of Dortmund’s forays into the penalty area, and he carries strong value to score for a player coming off a hat trick.
Picks: Jadon Sancho to score (-105); Over 3.5 (+100)
Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg
A few weeks ago, I advocated to bet against Bremen in every situation available.
After a few surprising results, that thought process should be applied again to the first of Sunday’s three games.
Bremen is absolutely terrible defending corner and free kicks, and that was apparent in Wednesday’s loss to Frankfurt.
Wolfsburg’s Maximilian Arnold is one of the best free kick takers in the Bundesliga and American center back John Brooks is one of the team’s biggest targets on set plays.
It’s worth putting a bit of money on either player to score given Bremen’s horrendous set-piece defending.
Picks: Maximilian Arnold to score (+325); John Brooks to score (+950); Wolfsburg (+104)
Larry Henry Jr.
Freiburg vs. Borussia Monchengladbach
Gladbach rolled past Union Berlin 4-1 last time out and have won three of its last five matches in league play. Marcus Thuram and Alassane Plea have each registered 10 goals this season, with Thuram scoring two goals last weekend.
Freiburg hasn't won in its last four matches and its hopes of European qualification are slipping away. I like Gladbach to pad its position in the top four and for the teams to combine for over 3.5 goals after hitting that mark in three of the last five head-to-head meetings.
Picks: Borussia Monchengladbach (-137), Over 3.5 goals (+160)
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich's quest for an eighth consecutive league title continues this weekend at Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern rolled past relegation-threatened Fortuna Dusseldorf 5-0 in its last game. Robert Lewandowski leads the team with 29 league goals after netting a pair last weekend.
Kai Havertz led Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 win Friday over Freiburg, bagging his 11th goal in the process. Havertz will be key if Leverkusen wants to pull off an upset, but I like Bayern to lead at halftime and full time to pick up another victory.
Picks: Bayern to lead at halftime/fulltime (+110), Havertz to score (+180)
Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Hoffenheim
Fortuna Dusseldorf's remains alive in the Bundesliga for now, but time is growing short after a lopsided loss to Bayern Munich.
This weekend's home clash with Hoffenheim may be a bit easier, but the seventh-placed side is coming off back-to-back wins of its own. The visitors are in the race for a top-six finish and are looking to earn their first win over Dusseldorf since 2012.
I like Hoffenheim to pick up its third straight win and keep Dusseldorf mired in the bottom three.
Pick: Hoffenheim (+145)
Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg
Werder Bremen’s three-game unbeaten run ended Wednesday in a 3-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. It is going to be tough for Bremen to bounce back Sunday with a tough test at home against Wolfsburg.
Bremen may have defeated Freiburg and Schalke since the resumption of play, but it scored one goal in each game.
Wolfsburg relies on its defense led by U.S. Men's National Team centerback John Brooks. Despite not beating Bremen since 2015, the Wolves could score early and often against a defense that has conceded on 62 occasions.
Wout Weghorst leads the Wolves with 11 goals and should receive plenty of chances to score.
Picks: Wolfsburg (+104), Weghorst to score (+128)