BAYERN MUNICH v BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
Football : Germany : Bundesliga
Sunday 7th August 2011 - Kickoff 17:30

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This game used to be bit special back in the 1970's - a period when Bayern and Monchengladbach divided up nine titles between them, with Bayern winning four and Gladbach five.

Those times are over - Bayern Munich finished 3rd last season - and Monchengladbach 16th - as Dortmund and Leverkusen took top placings.

Bayern Munich

New Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes knows Monchengladbach well - he scored 195 goals for Gladbach back in the 70's to help thme win 4 of those 5 titles.

Heynckes is very familiar with Bayern Munich as well - this is his 3rd stint in charge of the Bavarian club - and he has won 2 titles as manager of Bayern already.

Bayern warmed up for this weekends match with a comfortable 3-0 win in the DFB Cup against lower league Eintracht Braunschweig.

Bayern Munich's home record is formidable in the Bundesliga winning 75% of their home games in the last 10 seasons (164-39-18) overall and 52% of games by 2+ goals.

Bayern Munich Team News :
Bayern have star talent out wide with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben both fit and available after recovering from ankle injuries.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, a summer arrival from Schalke, is also fit to make his league debut at the Allianz Arena after a stomach bug forced him to miss training in midweek.

Borussia Monchengladbach

Monchengladbach looked doomed for relegation last season in a seemingly hopeless position at the bottom of the table with just a handful of games remaining, but hit a patch of good form to finish 16th and reached eventual safety after winning a 2-match relegation play-off against VfL Bochum.

Monchengladbach also had a fairly routine win in the DFB Cup, beating SSV Jahn Regensburg 3-1 eight days ago.

But Monchengladbach are not good travellers these days, last seasons 5-3-9 away record was the best road effort in 10 seasons, and they regularly lose 2/3rds of their away games every season.

Monchengladbach Team News :
Full-back Martin Stranzl is a doubt due to a calf strain, but Venezuelan Juan Arango is fit enough, despite a late return from the Copa America.

Head To Head

Bayern Munich have the edge of Monchengladbach when host this fixture having won five of the last six matches, although the margin is frequently just a single goal.

Gladbach often seem to play their best against Bayern and have drawn each of the last for reverse fixtures against the Bavarians.

The Betting Verdict :

It's not going to make you rich - but the 1.25 on offer for Bayern Munich to start with a home win is a fair offer.

My ratings have Bayern Munich fully 2 goals better than Monchengladbach based on last seasons match performances, and that's a huge margin in professional league football.

However, I would NOT be interested in taking the handicap bet, as although Bayern could win by 2-3 goals, this match is a bit "special" with it's old rivalry and 'Gladbach often keep the score close.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Bayern Munich 2-1 Monchengladbach (or 3-1)

PERCENTAGE ESTIMATE :

Bayern Minch 80% - Draw 12% - Monchengladbach 8%

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Bayern Munich to win at 1.25