Hannover 96 vs Borussia Dortmund
The BVB have announced their intention to take the Bundesliga as theirs this season, and their re-emergence as favourites to wrestle the league title away from Bayern Munich is a good thing that will make German football a must-watch for any sporting fan.
While Der Klassiker is not going to come knocking until November, the BVB can build on their good start and build their lead at the top of the table. Their next opponents in Hannover 96 are not the toughest competition if we directly compare them to the Red Bulls. However, they will surely try to make life painful for the current league leaders.
Of course, the BVB can easily thump Hannover, but supporters of Die Roten will remind you of the brilliant start they had last season. And there’s nothing more viable for an underdog than a big dog tooting its own horn before the game has even begun.
Talking Points
There was much excitement coming ahead of the new season for Dortmund fans. Lucien Favre’s arrival has brought about a resurgence of attacking football that was thought to have left the Signal-Iduna-Park. The pre-season looked promising for the Yellow Wall after the BVB showed their wares against some of Europe’s best clubs in the International Champions Cup.
The first big test of the new-look Dortmund came at the very first day of the season when they squared off against RB Leipzig. Sure, the Red Bulls of East Germany lost quite a few of their important players during the summer window, but they still gave Dortmund difficult games during the times they squared off in the footballing calendar of yesteryears.
It is then that Dortmund showed us a game befitting of their giant status that dominated the Bundesliga 2018 news cycle. While Jean-Kevin Augustin was the first one to score for the BVB, it didn’t take long for the team’s preseason form to kick in and impose their rule on their guests and send them back home with a 4-1 bruise on their record.
Everything was on point, and all of the key players for the club performed as expected. Christian Pulisic has established himself as a legitimate star in the Bundesliga with his piercing runs. Marco Reus, Marcel Schmelzer, and Mahmoud Dahoud also played terrific football in the season opener.
The transfers made by the club have also shown their impact in the game. Axel Witsel scored in his Bundesliga debut, and Thomas Delaney was also a strong presence in the centre of the pitch, making tackles and ensuring that nothing is easy for the Timo Werner-less Red Bulls.
Meanwhile, Hannover will be hoping that their latest stint at the top of Germany’s football pyramid will become a long and productive one. They tried prying away former Wolfsburg defender Timm Klose after losing Salif Sane, but the move apparently broke down. However, they soon found their centre-backs in Josip Elez and former Stoke man Kevin Wimmer.
They also improved the spine of their formation, getting former Hamburger SV men Walace and Bobby Wood alongside Takuma Asano from Arsenal. If everything goes well and their signings live up to the bill, they could see themselves splitting the points against Dortmund.
History
The BVB are heavy underdogs for this match, but I don’t think they are as weak as it may seem.
Games between the two giants have always been rather competitive, and fans could always count to see some goals out of this matchup. The last six matches between these two saw 20 goals go in, and we can expect more of those to come in when these two play each other on the weekend.
Dortmund have won most of their last six fixtures thus far, the highlight of which was a 2-4 drubbing of Hannover in September 2015. However, it is also important to note that Hannover handed Dortmund the same game in their return to the Bundesliga last year. That game was a special one for the many supporters of Die Roten as that win capped a fantastic start to their season.
Moreover, things are looking interesting as they enjoyed a superb preseason that saw them win against Udinese and Athletic Bilbao. If the BVB don’t take this seriously, they could see themselves get burned by this inspired Hannover squad.
Betting Tip
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Hannover 96 vs Borussia Dortmund | Over 3.00 Goals @ 1.96 |
| September 1, 02:30 (GMT+8) |
Both sides always make for some entertaining football that promises nothing but great offensive action. With the attack-oriented Favre at the helm of Dortmund, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some top-heavy action as both teams try to outscore each other. The Bundesliga 2018 odds at SBOBET promise
Given this nature of the games these two play, it is possible that we will see goals in the first half. I reckon that the visitors could end the first half with a lead of their own, making their 2.20 odds at the First Half 1X2 market extremely viable.
If you believe the hosts could pull off another upset like they did last year, Hannover +0.75 @ 2.20 is available. Dortmund –1.25 @ 2.35 is also there if you think the BVB are due of another 4-2 victory against Hannover.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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