The only good news after a bad few days of wagering is there is no place to go but up.
That’s where we stand after striking out on the majority of our Bundesliga midweek picks.
For the nine games spread across four days, starting on Friday, the approach may be easier with some of the league’s top teams opening as overwhelming favorites.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach, who are first and fourth respectively, will attempt to spearhead the reversal of poor home performances across Germany.
The nine games played Tuesday and Wednesday produced two home victories. That moved the total to five home victories from 27 matches.
It’s a significant trend that can be taken advantage of in the right situations this weekend, and if Bayern and Gladbach fail, then it may be time to just fade all home teams.
Bayern Munich also holds the honor of being the only team to win all three games since the league’s return.
Four teams (Borussia Dortmund, Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg) have won two matches, while Schalke is the only club to lose all three games.
With that being said, we’ll still have our eyes locked to Schalke since its match with Werder Bremen features a clash of young American talent: Weston McKinnie for Schalke and Josh Sargent for Bremen.
Time to fire up the DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can watch the Bundesliga games in the app or online if you have money in your account.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, May 29
Freiburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen (2:30 p.m. ET, FS2)
Saturday, May 30
Schalke vs. Werder Bremen (9:30 a.m. ET, FS1)
Wolfsburg vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (9:30 a.m. ET, FS2)
Hertha Berlin vs. Augsburg (9:30 a.m. ET)
Mainz vs. Hoffenheim (9:30 a.m. ET)
Bayern Munich vs. Fortuna Dusseldorf (12:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
Sunday, May 31
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Union Berlin (9:30 a.m. ET, FS1)
Paderborn vs. Borussia Dortmund (Noon. ET, FS1)
Monday, June 1
FC Koln vs. RB Leipzig (2:30 p.m. ET, FS2)
Records
Joe Tansey (12-13)
Larry Henry Jr. (5-14)
Weekend Picks
Joe Tansey
Schalke vs. Werder Bremen
I have no confidence in either of these teams putting together a competent 90 minutes, and this may be a tough watch as the FS1 marquee game.
Schalke let a one-goal lead slip away Wednesday and it has scored a single goal in 270 minutes of action since the resumption of play.
Werder Bremen has played better soccer over the last two games, but it has still struggled to find the back of the net. Bremen has two goals in the last three games.
With Schalke’s seven-goal scorer Suat Serdar out for the season and Werder not inspiring any confidence in the box, I expect a low-scoring affair.
Pick: Under 2.5 (-124)
Wolfsburg vs. Eintracht Frankurt
The one certainty when both of these teams play is goals will happen.
Ten goals have been scored in Wolfsburg’s last three contests, while 17 goals were netted in Frankfurt’s previous three games.
The Wolves are coming off a four-goal romp over Leverkusen and Frankfurt’s back line has way too many holes.
I think Over 2.5 is the easier bet than Over 3.5, but I’m going to convince myself to take both, so I can get extra juice at 3.5.
Picks: Over 2.5 (-155); Over 3.5 (+170)
Three-Team Parlay: Bayern Munich-Borussia Monchengladbach-Borussia Dortmund (+109)
You won’t get money line value with these teams alone, but if you combine them, you gain a little bit back.
Bayern, Dortmund and Gladbach are all playing teams in the bottom six and should handle each contest with relative ease.
I recommend putting this in as soon as possible just in case the lines rise in favor of the trio.
Paderborn vs. Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund enters its clash with last-place Paderborn without Erling Haaland, who left Tuesday’s game with Bayern Munich due to an injury.
That opens the door for Thorgan Hazard and Raphael Guerreiro to make a larger impact in the final third, as well as Jadon Sancho, who has been working his way back from an injury.
Guerreiro and Hazard have better odds on the prop to score, and if Sancho starts, he is worth keeping an eye on.
Paderborn scored three goals against Dortmund in their last meeting and it turned in a decent performance Wednesday against Augsburg.
Streli Mamba was the most active attacker in that game and he scored twice versus Dortmund in November.
Picks: Thorgan Hazard to score (+195); Streli Mamba to score (+350)
Larry Henry Jr.
Freiburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen is coming off a dismal 4-1 road loss at Wolfsburg, but my money is on it to bounce back at Freiburg.
Leverkusen has not suffered a defeat to Freiburg in its last five meetings, and it has motivation to remain in the top four race.
Freiburg hasn’t won in its last three league contests and could find it tough limiting the playmaking ability of Kai Havertz.
Havertz has 10 league goals this season to go with five assists and is a young, rising star in the Bundesliga.
Picks: Bayer Leverkusen (-150)
Hertha Berlin vs. Augsburg
The lengthy break did wonders for Hertha Berlin, as it is riding a three-match unbeaten run into Saturday's clash with Augsburg.
Hertha Berlin earned a pair of shutout wins prior to Wednesday's 2-2 draw at RB Leipzig. After picking up a point at Leipzig, I like Hertha to continue its strong run of form at the Olympiastadion.
Augsburg's 0-0 draw with last-place Paderborn was a poor result after last weekend's win over Schalke, and that furthers my decision to choose the better side at home.
Also, four of the last five head-to-head matchups between these teams has gone over 3.5 goals, a game line I like for sure.
Picks: Hertha Berlin (-113); Over 3.5 goals (+185)
Mainz vs. Hoffenheim
Mainz remains stuck in a relegation scrap at the bottom of the league table and will face a tough test from Hoffenheim this weekend.
The hosts haven't won in their last four matches, with three of those being draws. Hoffenheim is well safe from the bottom three and it sits 11 points from Mainz.
A 3-1 home win over Cologne on Wednesday should provide some confidence for the weekend with Christoph Baumgartner the man to watch after a two-goal, one assist performance midweek.
Mainz has won the last two head-to-head meetings, but I like Hoffenheim to eclipse the 40-point mark by day's end, and I like its odds on the road .
Over 4.5 is definitely worth a play as well with four of the last five meetings eclipsing that total..
Picks: Hoffenheim (+138), Over 4.5 goals (+310)
FC Cologne vs. RB Leipzig
Julian Nagelsmann's RB Leipzig side saw a point slip away against Hertha Berlin and needs a win to calm the nerves within the squad.
Leipzig is led by Timo Werner (24 goals) and has owned this head-to-head since being promoted to the Bundesliga.
RB Leipzig has a 3-1-1 record against Cologne, who is 19 points behind it in 11th place. I like Leipzig to lead at both halftime and full time and remain a favorite in the race for a top four finish, which would qualify it for European competitions next season.
Picks: RB Leipzig (-190), Leipzig to lead at halftime/full time (+123)