Only two teams have managed to collect the maximum yield of six points out of a possible six from the first two league matches of the 2022/23 season. In addition to FC Bayern, who impressively lead the table with 8:1 goals, there is also Borussia Dortmund – the club that most experts had already identified as Bayern’s number one hunter in the run-up to the new season. DFB Cup winners RB Leipzig, meanwhile, are only in eleventh place after two draws.
Just as only two teams won both games, however, there are also only two clubs that lost their first two league games. In addition to VfL Bochum, who host FC Bayern on Sunday, this is also somewhat surprisingly the Werkself from Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen not only failed in the first round of the DFB Pokal, but also has the red lantern in the Bundesliga after defeats against Dortmund and Augsburg. Now they want to turn things around on Saturday at home against TSG Hoffenheim.
Meanwhile, Gladbach – currently third in the standings with four points out of a possible six – will also be looking to improve on their performance against winless Hertha on Friday evening to kick off Matchday 3, while promoted Bremen visit Dortmund on Saturday. In addition, there are exciting games such as the Baden-Württemberg duel between Stuttgart and Freiburg or the top match of the week on Saturday evening between Union Berlin and RB Leipzig. That’s a total of nine top-class matches for which we have compiled betting odds and tips for the Bundesliga on Matchday 3 on this page.
Gladbach vs. Hertha – 19 August, 20:30
Even with a new coach, Hertha BSC’s misery seems to continue seamlessly. The “Big City Club” is winless in five league games. In any case, no other Bundesliga team scored as few points as Hertha in the entire 2023 calendar year (only 13). A timely turnaround would be correspondingly important, because after only one of six possible points, the focus is once again on the bottom.
Borussia Mönchengladbach, meanwhile, is unbeaten for six games and got off to a great start under Daniel Farke with four points out of a possible six. This was also made possible by the fact that the team from the Niederrhein is once again so dangerous when it comes to standards under the new coach. The Foals have already scored three goals from corner kicks alone. In the Bundesliga on matchday 3, betting tips on the next home victory for the Farke team are interesting, which is why we favour tip 1 on Friday evening.
Dortmund vs. Werder Bremen – 20 August, 15:30
Both Borussia Dortmund and SV Werder Bremen, who face each other in the Bundesliga for the 107th time on Saturday, are still unbeaten in league action. However, while BVB has celebrated two victories, the team from the Weser has “only” two points after two draws. All in all, the Green-Whites have been winless for twelve Bundesliga games in a row.
In our opinion, there is little to suggest that this streak will be broken by BVB, who are strong at home. However, in the Bundesliga on matchday 3, bets on a home win for the black and yellow team are not all that lucrative. We find much more value in betting that both teams will score. On the one hand, the Westphalians have always scored in the last 20 Bundesliga duels with the SVW and on the other hand, the Weser eleven has an extremely strong chance exploitation. Just 15 shots (negative value league-wide) have already been enough for the promoted team to score four goals, which is why the away goal is also likely.
Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim – August 20, 15:30
For the first time ever in professional football, Bayer Leverkusen have lost their first three competitive games of a season. The Rhinelanders, who currently have to compensate for a long list of painful absences, are under corresponding pressure against a kind of favourite opponent. After all, Bayer 04 won 16 of the 28 Bundesliga games against TSG Hoffenheim (57%). Only against Gladbach (68%) is the Werkself’s win rate in the Bundesliga even better.
However, TSG managed a turnaround last weekend with a 3:2 victory over VfL Bochum. After ten winless Bundesliga games in a row, the Sinsheim side came back from 2-0 down to celebrate their fifth win in a game in which they trailed by two goals since their promotion to the Bundesliga. In the same time frame, only Bayern managed a comeback from two goals down more often (six times).
Accordingly, it is difficult to make accurate predictions on the Bundesliga matchday 3 outcome of this explosive duel when Leverkusen start a Bundesliga matchday as bottom side for only the second time ever in the club’s history. Because we tend to expect both teams to be cautious, we see the greatest value in betting on a maximum of three goals in total.
Wolfsburg vs Schalke – 20 August, 15:30
Although promoted Schalke 04 managed to pick up their first point of the still young season last weekend in a 2-2 draw against Gladbach. However, the Gelsenkirchen team has not yet really returned to the top flight of German football. So far, no other team has allowed as many shots (46) and shots on goal (20) as the team from Königsblau, who have consequently conceded five goals.
Meanwhile, things have not gone too well for VfL Wolfsburg either. The Lower Saxons also picked up just one point out of a possible six, their weakest start to a season since 2014/15. At least they finished runners-up in the Bundesliga, which is why hopes are high for a turnaround. In the Bundesliga, the betting odds on matchday 3 are in favour of the Wolves. We see the greatest value in tip 1.
Augsburg vs. Mainz – 20 August, 15:30
1. FSV Mainz 05 got off to a good start, picking up four points out of a possible six with 2:1 goals. For the first time since the 2018/19 season, the Rheinhessen side are thus still unbeaten after two matchdays and would now like to repeat history, as back then they added a treble against FCA on matchday three. However, this was a rare moment, as the Nullfünfer lost eight of their last ten league games against the Bavarian Swabians.
In addition, the Fuggerstädter were able to record a 2-1 away win in Leverkusen last weekend, which immediately erased the bitter opening defeat (0:4 against Freiburg). The question of who will be able to improve in this clash between two teams that can be quite satisfied with their start is nevertheless very difficult to answer. It makes all the more sense to go for the goal bet. In view of Mainz’s defensive strength, we recommend betting on less than 2.5 goals.
VfB Stuttgart vs. Freiburg – 20 August, 15:30
VfB Stuttgart got off to a strong start with a 1-1 draw against DFB Cup winners RB Leipzig, before drawing 2-2 with promoted Werder Bremen on matchday two, their second point of the young season. This was the first time in eleven years that the Swabians had been unbeaten on the first two matchdays of a Bundesliga season, but they now have to face an opponent in Baden-Württemberg against whom things have not gone too well recently. VfB have lost all of their last four league games against SC Freiburg.
The Black Forest side, meanwhile, were unable to confirm their superb start to the season (4-0 away win in Augsburg). Despite leading 1:0, they ended up conceding three goals late on to lose 3:1 at home to Borussia Dortmund. The sixth-placed team in the pre-season is correspondingly difficult to assess in this away match, which is why we favour tips on the number of goals in the Bundesliga on Matchday 3. Also in view of the fact that the team from Breisgau has scored eight goals in its last three away games in Stuttgart, betting on more than 2.5 goals makes the most sense.
Union Berlin vs. RB Leipzig – August 20, 18:30
A highly interesting top-of-the-table match of the week is on the agenda between Union Berlin and RB Leipzig on Saturday evening. While the Eisernen have made their best Bundesliga start in the club’s history with four out of a possible six points from their first two games, the Saxons have twice failed to get beyond the draw and are in a sobering eleventh place. Now, the Red Bulls are playing against another fearful opponent, as the last three matches in a row were all won by the capital.
However, Leipzig have scored in every single one of their six Bundesliga games against the Köpenickers, which is why the betting odds for goals on both sides in the Bundesliga on Matchday 3 are very interesting. After all, with returnee Timo Werner, who already scored directly again last weekend, the Saxons have not only got a new offensive option, but also an attacker in their ranks for whom the Ironmen are particularly fond. The German international scored on average every 52 minutes against the Köpenicker.
Frankfurt vs. Cologne – 21 August, 15:30
Although 1. FC Köln stumbled in the 1st round of the DFB Pokal, they then picked up four out of a possible six points from their first two league games. The Cathedral City team is currently in joint third place in the table and travels to the Main metropolis with confidence, although they have lost five of their last seven Bundesliga away games there.
However, with seven goals conceded from two league games, the SGE will enter this home match with the weakest defence in the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga odds for a high-scoring clash with an open outcome on Matchday 3 are correspondingly interesting. Also in view of the fact that the “Effzeh”, despite the departure of Anthony Modeste, has already scored five goals in two games and has created many chances with 16 shots on goal – the second highest figure in the league behind Bayern (18) – betting on over 2.5 goals makes the most sense.
Bochum vs. Bayern – 21 August, 17:30
A comparatively clear-cut affair should be the final match of Matchday 3, when FC Bayern, one of only two teams to win their first two games in commanding fashion, clash with one of two teams that started the 2022/23 season with two defeats. For the first time since the 2006/07 season, VfL Bochum have made a zero-point start in the top flight of German football. At that time, a third defeat was added before the Blue and Whites finished the season in eighth place.
Accordingly, a defeat at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion would not have to be overrated, which seems very likely in view of the two dominant Bayern victories. Accordingly, there is no alternative in the Bundesliga on Matchday 3 to bet on an away win for the Reds.
