When Bayern Munich and Bochum come together, goals are expected.
That may be an obvious thing to say since the two sides are typically separated by 10 or more places in the Bundesliga table, but Bayern has not done all of the scoring in the last three meetings between the two sides.
Twenty goals, 16 by Bayern and four from Bochum, have been scored over the last two Bundesliga seasons. Bayern owns two 7-0 victories, while Bochum produced a stunning 4-2 result at home last season.
An abundance of goals are expected on Saturday morning in Munich because of the matchup and Bayern's recent uptick in form.
The Bundesliga leader scored four goals against Mainz in the German Cup and versus Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga last week. Bayern should be on the offensive early against Bochum so it can bag a ton of goals and rest some players with the UEFA Champions League on the horizon next week.
Another strong historical scoring record is in play this weekend, but the one from the English Premier League involves an individual. Harry Kane has 20 goals against Leicester City in his Tottenham career. The English forward should have plenty of chances to pounce on the Foxes defense once again on Saturday morning.
Soccer Selections
Overall Record: 66-72
German Bundesliga
Bayern Munich (-2.5; -120) vs. Bochum (Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Over 3.5 Goals (-150)
Bayern Munich is probably the only team in the world that I would play on these inflated prices.
Bayern beat Bochum 7-0 on two separate occasions in their last three meetings, and the Bundesliga leader does not look as vulnerable as it did at the resumption of league action three weeks ago.
Julian Nagelsmann's side scored four goals each in its last two games and it has won four of its nine Bundesliga home games by three or more goals.
Bochum conceded at least two goals in each of its last four matches and it has conceded the most road goals in the Bundesliga with 29, which is six more than the second-worst total.
In seven of its 10 road league games, Bochum has allowed three or more goals and it conceded on four occasions in four of those games.
All of those numbers lead to a Bayern blowout, and one that would be welcome so some starters can rest ahead of the midweek UCL tilt with Paris Saint-Germain.
Freiburg (-125) vs. Stuttgart (Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET)
It is time for Freiburg to start turning in a consistent string of results again.
The sixth-place side in the Bundesliga struggled out of the World Cup break with one win, one draw and two losses.
Stuttgart presents a terrific get-right opportunity for Freiburg. The visitors have a five-game winless streak and are dealing with a string of injuries.
Freiburg is tied with RB Leipzig for the fewest goals allowed at home in Bundesliga play. The strong defense should limit any Stuttgart chances and allow the likes of Michael Gregoritsch and Vincenzo Grifo to thrive up top.
Hoffenheim (+185) vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Saturday, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Why would I ever consider betting on a Hoffenheim team that has not won a league game since October 18?
Well, let me break down a few statistics for you.
Hoffenheim has the sixth-best expected goals (xG) total at home, Bayer Leverkusen has the sixth-worst goals scored tally on the road and the seventh-worst road goal differential in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen just lost on the road last week to 13th-place Augsburg and it already lost by three goals to Hoffenheim earlier in the season.
Hoffenheim needs a victory to avoid being pulled down into the relegation fight. Leverkusen is vulnerable enough on the road for that task to be accomplished.
English Premier League
Leicester City vs. Tottenham (+115) (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
Harry Kane To Score (-105)
Harry Kane To Have Two Shots On Target (+110)
As you can tell, I'm all in on Harry Kane.
Kane has scored the most goals against Leicester City than any other English Premier League opponent.
The English forward produced a goal and an assist in Spurs' 6-2 win over the Foxes earlier in the season. The goal brought his tally against Leicester to 20.
Kane has four multi-goal games against Leicester in the EPL, one was a four-goal outburst and another was a hat-trick. He scored in each of his last four meetings with the Foxes.
Kane has multiple shots on target in three of his last four EPL games and he scored in the last two.
I figured if I'm this heavy on Kane's props, I might as well take Tottenham as well because I don't see Leicester putting up four goals for the second straight week.
Serie A
Empoli (+100) vs. Spezia (Saturday, 9 a.m. ET)
I'm digging deep into the weeds of Serie A for this one.
However, it is worth taking advantage of Spezia's poor road numbers.
Spezia scored four times on the road in 10 Serie A contests and it is tied for the worst road goal differential in the league.
The 17th-placed side is also on a three-game losing streak, so that's the perfect formula to run with Empoli at even money.
La Liga
Sevilla (-110) vs. Mallorca (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET)
Sevilla needs to beat Mallorca.
Sevilla comes into Saturday in 16th place with a two-point edge over the relegation places in La Liga.
The usual fighter for European qualification spots produced consecutive clean sheets at home against relegation battlers Cadiz and Elche, and the same defensive form needs to translate to continue the climb out of the La Liga basement.
Real Valladolid (+170) vs. Osasuna (Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET)
Real Valladolid pulled off consecutive 1-0 victories with the lone goal in each game coming from former MLS forward Cyle Larin.
The Canadian international is one of a few January signings that bolstered Valladolid's squad as it looks to finish in the top 10 of the La Liga table.
The 13th-place side is in a decent spot to extend its winning streak against an Osasuna side that has only scored seven times on the road in league play.
Osasuna is also out of form with one win in its last five games across all competitions.