European Football Betting

Even before this summer's World Cup, the German league was the most popular in Europe, with average gates of nearly 41,000 last season. The boom in attendances will, if anything, increase further this term as new converts to the beautiful game, inspired by the recent exploits of Miroslav Klose, Torsten Frings and Lukas Podolski, rush to support their local clubs.

Yet, in England and elsewhere, German football is viewed as essentially second-rate – and it’s easy to see why. Few foreign stars of note ply their trade in the Bundesliga; the league’s biggest single name, Michael Ballack, has packed his bags for the Premiership; and Bayern Munich’s year-on-year domination is getting almost as boring as Rangers’ annihilation of the Scottish Premier League in the 1990s. Perhaps that’s why, when it comes to betting on European matches, many punters prefer to put their money on the Italian and Spanish leagues.

Yet, the Bundesliga shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand simply because of its lack of flair, as it offers some tremendous value. Last season, for example, you could actually have made a profit just by betting on all German league matches to end in draws. Yes, it really was that simple. However, if it’s clear-cut winners and losers you’re after, there’s no better place to start than with reigning champs Bayern.

The Bavarians’ title success last season was achieved largely on the back of their home form – 14 wins, two draws and just one defeat (precisely the same home record, incidentally, that they boasted during their previous championship success in 2004/05). Such consistency is impressive, certainly, but is it likely to be repeated this term? Bayern may not be quite so dominant in the post-Ballack era, even if they still manage to retain the title. Bearing in mind the stingy odds on offer for a Bayern home win – 1/5 isn’t uncommon – this is probably a bet that is best avoided.

Werder Bremen were Bayern’s strongest challengers last season and, despite a patchy start to the new campaign which included a shock cup defeat at Third Division Pirmasens, are likely to lead the chasing pack once again. Bremen, whose line-up includes World Cup Golden Boot winner Klose as well as midfield bulldogs Frings and Tim Borowski, are the most attack-minded side in the league, easily topping the German scoring charts last term. Thomas Schaaf’s side were especially impressive away from home, where they notched nine wins in 17 matches, taking their three-year record to 29 victories in 51 away games. Their appetite for attacking football on the road was demonstrated with two thrilling victories at Kaiserslautern (1-5) and MV Duisburg (3-5).

As with all clubs though, it’s worth taking into consideration involvement in European competition, as the aftereffects of the midweek cup contests always seem to take their toll on weekend domestic duties.

True, Hamburg, who finished third, actually won more away games last season (11), but they have suffered from a summer exodus which included the sale of defender Khalid Boulahrouz to Chelsea. Bremen, on the other hand, have been boosted by the arrival of German World Cup defender Per Mertesacker from Hannover and Brazilian midfielder Diego from Porto, and are the better bet to triumph away from home at odds of 10/11 or better.

Elsewhere, it’s difficult to avoid those draws. Last season’s stalemate specialists were Hannover, who shared the spoils in exactly half of their 34 league fixtures. Unfortunately, that’s a stat which is unlikely to be reproduced as the club’s summer was a turbulent one, involving boardroom changes and internal disputes over transfer policy. A number of heavy defeats at the start of the season have reinforced the picture of a club in crisis, and Hannover are currently among the favourites to go down. However, Eintracht Frankfurt – who only narrowly avoided relegation last term but have recruited wisely – look a good bet for a draw. Meanwhile Wolfsburg, who drew ten home games last season, are another team to watch in this market. Encouragingly, both clubs began the new season with three consecutive draws. More are bound to follow, so make sure you don’t miss out.