Bundesliga Matchday 31 Preview and Best Bets (Archive)
Bundesliga is hurtling towards the finish line as it enters matchday 31 this weekend. In this column, we preview some of the top-flight fixtures that are slated for this weekend, examine the Bundesliga odds from corresponding top online sportsbooks and deliver our predictions for these matchups.
So, without too much fuss, let’s get started.
RB Leipzig vs. 1. FC Union Berlin
Saturday, April 23, 2022 – 09:30 AM EDT at Red Bull Arena
RB Leipzig is coming off a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen on the away. Returning home this weekend, they’ll be keen to give their fans more reasons to cheer about as they continue their concerted advance in the Bundesliga table.
RB Leipzig notched their third straight win on matchday 30 to improve to a stellar 16-6-8 record and 54 points. It marked their 14th consecutive fixture with points across all competitions, going back to February 5 when they suffered their last defeat to Bayern Munich (3-2) on the away.
Union Berlin is riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak into matchday 31, capped off by a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at home. Overall, Union Berlin is sitting pretty in sixth place with a 13-8-9 record and 47 points.
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Union Berlin is mired in the race for European qualifying spots, facing stiff competition from FC Köln (46 points) and Hoffenheim (45 points), both of which are nipping at their heels in the standings.
Bookmakers across the soccer odds board tip this game firmly with the Red Bulls, who’ve been playing stellar football of late and will have home advantage for this pivotal game. Bovada (visit our Bovada Review) offers a home win at -190 while Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review) offers the same at -188.
The hosts will be keen to continue their push for a top-four finish in Bundesliga. Beating Leverkusen was a crucial moment, propelling Leipzig into third place in the table and two points ahead of Leverkusen. A win over Union Berlin will not only backup that result but will keep Leipzig ahead in the race.
The visitors from the nation’s capital will be motivated as well. After all, they have European designs too. But beating Leipzig on their turf is a big ask. More likely than not, the hosts should come through as the firm home favorites for soccer picks.
That said, the pair will collide on Wednesday, April 20 in the first leg of a double-header in the DFB Pokal semi-finals. It will be an interesting game to spot beforehand as a potential preview of the weekend’s action.
Soccer Pick: RB Leipzig (-188) at Heritage Sports
SC Freiburg vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach
Saturday, April 23, 2022 - 09:30 AM EDT at Europa-Park Stadion
After securing a third-straight win across all competitions, SC Freiburg will be buoyed for this weekend’s clash with Borussia M’gladbach. Freiburg beat Bochum 3-0 at home in Bundesliga action and moved into fifth place in the Bundesliga table with a 14-9-7 mark and 51 points.
Most recently, they are coming off a victory over Hamburger SV in DFB Pokal's semi-final action, clinching the 3-1 away win on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
Freiburg is merely a point behind Bayer Leverkusen (52) and three points behind RB Leipzig (54) in the Bundesliga table. Beating Borussia M’gladbach on Saturday could go a long way towards closing the gap on their rivals and keeping their bid for a top-four finish alive.
Borussia M’gladbach is coming off a 3-1 loss to FC Köln, slipping to a 10-7-13 mark and 37 points. They’re 11th in the table and two points behind both Eintracht Frankfurt and Mainz, who are tied on 39 points.
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Die Fohlen have enjoyed positive results of late – they’ve won three, drawn two, and lost one. It’s worth noting, however, that the level of competition during this positive stretch wasn’t the highest. The three victories came against the table’s bottom-level competition, including relegation-threatened Furth and Hertha Berlin.
When these two sides last met, Freiburg trounced Borussia M’gladbach 6-0 at the Stadion im BORUSSIA-PARK in December. Arguably, these kinds of struggles against top-tier competition stack the soccer odds against Die Fohlen. Thus, an upset here by Borussia M’gladbach is a longshot punt at +315 with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review), while the draw is best priced at +286 with Heritage Sports.
Given what is at stake for the hosts with their lofty Champions League ambitions, there is good value in backing the hosts at the best sportsbooks, as they’ll be keen to put forward another dominant performance over Die Fohlen. Bovada and Heritage Sports both tip a home win at -115.
Soccer Pick: SC Freiburg (-115) at Heritage Sports
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.