Loading ...Aug 28 2008
Bundesliga Picks, Week 3
It as another week of unspectacular picks for me in the Bundesliga, where a number of ties make it hard for me to get any traction. The highlight, for me, was hitting the Dortmund-Munich game on the nose, though that’s a bit of a disingenuous boast, as I didn’t anticipate Mark van Bommel getting red carded. I probably should have seen that coming, though. It was the easiest prediction of the week.
Elsewhere, I gave Stuttgart too much credit, thought they would show better against Leverkusen, and was left with my hat in my hand. Having watched that match, I won’t be making that mistake again. Stuttgart is going to have to show me they’re ready to challenge one of the six best teams before I make that kind of pick again.
Here’s how I did last week:
| Date | Home | Visitor | Pick | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 22, 2008 | Hannover 96 | Energie Cottbus | Hannover 2-0 | Draw, 0-0 |
| August 23, 2008 | Hoffenheim | Borussia M’Gladbach | Draw, 2-2 | Hoffenheim, 1-0 |
| August 23, 2008 | Hamburger SV | Karlsruhe | Hamburger SV, 3-0 | Hamburger SV, 2-1 |
| August 23, 2008 | Borussia Dortmund | Bayern Munich | Draw, 1-1 | Draw, 1-1 |
| August 23, 2008 | Werder Bremen | Schalke 04 | Schalke 04, 2-1 | Draw, 1-1 |
| August 23, 2008 | Stuttgart | Bayer Leverkusen | Draw, 2-2 | Bayer Leverkusen, 2-0 |
| August 23, 2008 | Hertha Berlin | Arminia Bielefeld | Hertha Berlin, 2-0 | Draw, 1-1 |
| August 24, 2008 | 1. FC Koln | Frankfurt | 1. FC Koln, 2-1 | Draw, 1-1 |
| August 24, 2008 | VfL Bochum | Wolfsburg | VfL Bochum, 2-1 | Draw, 2-2 |
This Week: 2 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses
Overall: 5 wins, 4 draws, 8 losses
Any match not picked a draw that ends in a draw is scored … a draw.
Best Picks: Borussia Dortmund draws with Bayern Munich (Bingo!)
Worst Picks: Hannover 96 over Energie Cottbus, Stuttgart to draw with Bayer Leverkusen
I’m really starting to reconsider how I score these results, but I want to wait a couple of more weeks to make sure I’m not just being a sore loser. There are games that are so close to being draws that I feel like I should get some credit. I considered giving myself a draw for any match I predict as a draw that is decided by one goal, but I don’t know. It’s all very confusing, and I really just need a hug when it comes to my picks.
Hopefully, Round 3 will be better.
Round 3 Picks
With the UEFA Cup and Champions League proper about to start, I probably need to stop referring to these as Rounds in favor of the term Week. With rescheduled matches about to become the normal, the concept of leagues playing in rounds is about to go out the window.
So …
Week 3 Picks
Ah. Better.
| Date | Home | Visitor | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, 2008 | Karlsruhe | 1. FC Koln | Karlsruhe, 1-0 |
| August 30, 2008 | VfL Wolfsburg | Frankfurt | Wolfsburg, 2-1 |
| August 30, 2008 | Borussia M’gladbach | Werder Bremen | Werder Bremen, 3-1 |
| August 30, 2008 | Energie Cottbus | Borussia Dortmund | Borussia Dortmund, 2-0 |
| August 30, 2008 | Bayer Leverkusen | Hoffenheim | Bayer Leverkusen, 2-0 |
| August 30, 2008 | Arminia Bielefeld | Hamburger SV | Hamburger SV, 2-1 |
| August 30, 2008 | Schalke 04 | VfL Bochum | Schalke, 2-1 |
| August 31, 2008 | Bayern Munich | Hertha Berlin | Bayern Munich, 2-1 |
| August 31, 2008 | Stuttgart | Hannover 96 | Stuttgart, 2-1 |
Compared to last week, this fixture list is a stinker. There is no single match that compares to the big three match-ups of last week. The two matches that draw you attention - Bayer-Hoffenheim and Bayern-Hertha - see the stronger clubs, the favor clubs at home. They only draw your attention because they feature upstart clubs. This week, both of those upstarts should come back to Earth.
Aside from the first forty-five minutes of the season, I have been impressed with Bayer, and although I’ve been convinced that Hoffenheim may be for real, I like Bayer to straighten them out. Likewise, I think Bayern will not miss this opportunity to get their first victory, because even without Franck Ribery and Martin Demichelis, backers are expecting results. With two draws in two matches, those results have not been there. They will cease their opportunity on Sunday.
The Schalke match was difficult to pick because of their injury situation and the potential hang-over from what happened in Madrid on Wednesday. In case you missed it (and I haven’t mentioned it yet here), Schalke lost 4-0 at Atletico Madrid and will miss out on the Champions League. I am very disappointed, as I think the tournament is worse for not having Schalke, but there’s not much for it now. Schalke will be in the UEFA Cup draw on Friday and, depending on what happens with Atletico Madrid’s group in the Champions League, could still get a chance of a rematch against the Atleti. This weekend, I’m picking them to struggle but still get a one goal win, as much a reflection of my opinion of Bochum as it is my confidence in Schalke.
And given how they performed last weekend and what I said about the club above, I absolutely do not feel good about taking Stuttgart on Sunday. They did, however, show well today in UEFA Cup qualifying, and with Mario Gomez finding goal a couple of times, they might have found something. Returning home, I’ll take them to win, but I won’t like it.
The other note of the week: Werder Bremen should welcome Diego back from his Olympics duty. I look for Bremen to be energized, and I hope I get a copy of that match to see how Diego plays in supports of Claudio Pizarro and Markus Rosenburg.
Enjoy the week’s action. With World Cup qualifying coming up, it will be our last for a while.
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