Bayern Munich have not had things all their own way at the start of the 2017/18 Bundesliga season but are finally beginning to click into gear. Rumours were circulating that Carlo Ancelotti could come under pressure as the manager of the club but the Italian has a great reputation in world football and it would be a huge surprise to see him leave the Allianz Arena.
This weekend Bayern Munich kick things off on Friday night with a home match against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Come the end of the weekend, Bayern Munich fans will be hoping to top the league table but can Wolfsburg cause a shock?
Bayern Munich Form
Bayern Munich faced a tough looking trip to Schalke in midweek and knew dropped points would add to the pressure they have been under at the start of the season. However, the German champions came away with a comprehensive 3-0 win, even if they needed the assistance of the Video Assistant Referee to get the ball rolling.
It was an important win for Bayern Munich, who lost their previous away Bundesliga fixture 2-0 in Hoffenheim. Bayern Munich have won 4 of their 5 league games this season, including comfortable home wins over Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz.
Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last 19 home Bundesliga games and have won 8 of their last 12 by 3 goals or more. They have also won by 2 or more goals in their last 4 matches against Wolfsburg.
Wolfsburg Form
Wolfsburg were held at home by struggling Werder Bremen on Tuesday night in what was a disappointing result. The draw means it is now 3 matches without a win for Wolfsburg and that’s not the sort of record you want travelling to the Allianz Arena to play the champions. Wolfsburg have won just 1 of their 5 Bundesliga games this season and that came at Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round of fixtures. The 1-0 win produced Wolfsburg’s only clean sheet of the season and they have also been struggling to score goals in recent games. In fact, Wolfsburg have managed to score only 3 goals in their last 4 Bundesliga games and need work at both ends of the pitch if they are to finish in the top half of the table this season.
Team News
Bayern Munich will be without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer until January and have Juan Bernat and David Alaba unavailable for this match due to injury. Arjen Robben could return after missing the match in mid-week. Wolfsburg travel without the injured trio of John Brooks, Jeffrey Bruma and Mario Gomez. There are also doubts over the fitness of Christian Trasch, Adelino Vieirinha, Kaylen Hinds and Jakub Blaszczykowski.
Top Betting Tips
It would be a considered a massive shock if Bayern Munich did not win this match and they are clearly the favourites priced at just 1/7 with Ladbrokes. Given the way Wolfsburg have struggled to score goals in recent games, Bayern Munich will expect to come away with another clean sheet, even without Manuel Neuer in goal. Bayern Munich are 5/6 with Ladbrokes to win the game to nil. Given the superiority of Bayern Munich in this match, we must look at other alternatives to find any value. The Bayern Munich -2 handicap looks a decent option and this can be backed at 21/10 with Ladbrokes.