Top flight soccer is back following its unexpected hiatus with the German Bundesliga the first to break ground. A full schedule of matches is set to be played out this weekend with the title, Champions League slots and relegation places yet to be decided.
The biggest game for many will be the ‘Reviederby’ between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 (9.30am ET Saturday). These Rhine neighbors have a great rivalry and both have plenty to play for in the run in to the end of the campaign. Read on for USAbetting’s match preview with picks and predictions.
Moneyline Odds
With nine games left in the 2019/20 Bundesliga season, Borussia Dortmund are four points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Schalke 04 certainly don’t have any title aspirations but David Wagner’s men are currently in sixth and will be anxious to hold on to a Europa League slot.
Wagner is, of course, a former USMNT international and the current Schalke squad includes US international midfielder Weston McKennie. Over in Dortmund’s camp, exciting USA under 17 player Giovani Reyna will be pushing for a start so there’s plenty of American interest in Saturday’s match.
What about the betting markets with the main American friendly bookmakers? Borussia Dortmund are six places clear of their opponents and they have that home advantage so it is no surprise to see them listed as hot favorites. Lucien Favre’s men are quoted at an average moneyline price of around -167 while victory for Schalke can be claimed at around +450. Completing the odds is the draw at a starting point of +300 but is there any hope for the visiting side?
Prop Bets
Schalke’s leading scorer this season is Suat Serder who has a modest seven strikes in the campaign at an average of 211 minutes per goal. Serder is a defensive midfielder so that’s not a great endorsement for the potency of the team but brave punters can take him at a high of +1400 to open the scoring on Saturday.
Not all sportsbooks have individual goalscorer betting but there can be some value if we can find a market. The numbers also suggest a one-sided game with Dortmund players dominating the early prices. Scoring sensation Erling Haaland is the favorite to find the net first at around +275 while teammate Jadon Sancho follows at +400.
At a shorter price than Suat Serdar is Schalke’s favorite, Guido Burgstaller, and the Austrian striker is available at general odds of +1000 to open the scoring.
Other popular prop bets include Both Teams to Score which is on offer for Saturday’s match at an average of around -143. Dortmund should find the net with that plethora of potency but Schalke’s recommended scoring record is poor. Wagner’s men have only found the net once in their last five games so it could be a case of voting no on BTTS at figures around the +100 (evens) mark.
As an alternative to that Both Teams to Score market, backers can take Borussia Dortmund to ‘win to nil’ at +170.
Schalke’s dismal scoring record could also have a say in the total goals markets. Punters could bet over the 2.5 line at -164 but it may be that Dortmund have to provide all of those strikes. Over 2.5 is often seen as a safer bet but this could be the time to go under that line and look for odds of +100.
As a final thought, a correct score bet of Borussia Dortmund 2 Schalke 0 at +800 may seem like a more likely outcome in this volatile market.
Our Preview’s Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke Predictions & Picks Verdict
The unscheduled break offers the only real question ahead of Bundesliga’s return. It has been over two months since anyone kicked a ball in anger so can we ignore the form book as we head for the restart?
In some of this weekend’s matches, that may be the case but we suspect that Borussia Dortmund will be ready to peak as they push Bayern Munich all the way for the title. Favre’s men were strengthened in January by the arrival of Erling Haaland and they look to have far too much firepower for struggling Schalke.
We can start by taking the home win for a modest profit but there should be some better value in this match. While Haaland has been impressive, Jadon Sancho has been a consistent threat for Dortmund across the campaign and the England international looks a value bet in the individual goalscorer markets.
Dortmund have conceded just three times in their last four domestic matches so they should keep it tight at the back. With Schalke’s dreadful run in front of goal, a ‘no’ on both teams to score offers prices that start at odds-against in a game that should provide a fairly routine home win. These are our betting picks and Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke predictions for this Bundesliga soccer game:
- Borussia Dortmund to win @ -175 with Bovada.
- Jadon Sancho to score anytime in 90 minutes @ +125 with Intertops.
- Both Teams To Score: Bet ‘No’ at +105 with Bovada or BetOnline.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.