German Bundesliga
2010-03-13 - Vfl Bochum vs Borussia Dortmund
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Rewirpower Stadion
Saturday, 13th March 2010 – kickoff 15:30
Vfl Bochum
Vfl Bochum were thrashed 4-1 away against Vfl Wolfsburg last week, although they first took the 1-0 lead, and now they have put themselves in a dangerous position and are being situated closer to the relegation zone. They are fourteenth and just seven points clear of the dropping zone.
The team had a very good run of eight matches being undefeated until the last week`s big loss which shook them a bit.
Bad news for the team coach Heiko Herrlich will be the absence of Mergim Mavraj and Roman Prokoph who both will have to sit out this match through yellow cards suspension. The team`s best attacker Diego Klimowicz is injured and also will not be able to help his teammates because he has suffered a hip injury which will prevent him from playing for couple of weeks. The midfielder Dennis Grote is doubtful for selection (twisted ankle at training) , but he will probably recover quicker than expected and should be in the team for this match.
The team will play with a standard formation with two strikers up front - Stanislav Sestak and Joel Epalle.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have finally ended their negative streak with the last weeks convincing 3-0 win over Monchengladbach and remained on the fifth spot of the table which guarantees a place in Europe for next season.
The team is three points clear of Werder Bremen who are their main rivals for the places that lead into Euro cups.
The teams’ problems with injuries seem to be closing to an end and only Mats Hummels (broken jaw) and Sven Bender (tendon irritation) will be out of competition for this match.
Coach Klopp will rely on a standard diamond formation with the team captain Sebastian Kehl in the middle, Kevin Grosskreutz and Mohamed Zidan in front of him and Lucas Barrios as a striker.
The Betting Verdict
This is another regional derby in the Ruhr district which is important for both teams from different reasons. Borussia Dortmund with a win can claim the fourth spot on the table and Vfl Bochum with a good result can escape the dangerous zone and sit more comfortable at the table.
Borussia Dortmund have the quality advantage over their opponents but having on mind that this a derby match i think that Vfl Bochum can get something here. Although the situation on the table speaks for itself, Vfl Bochum are not that bad team and their point difference to the dropping zone and to the seventh spot at the table is just eight points, it all depends how you look at the things.
Borussia Dortmund will attack more and will probably score first, but i think that Vfl Bochum can get a ‘sneaky’ draw here which will not do much good to them but will set back Borussia Dortmund chances for improvement at the table.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Vfl Bochum 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
