The top two teams in the Bundesliga face-off Sunday February 9, 2020 as first place Bayern Munich host second place RB Leipzig. A win for Bayern would make the Bundesliga race feel all-but-over given the past.
Bayern Munich have been on fire lately and now find themselves in a familiar position – first place in the Bundesliga. With their win over Mainz, coupled with a Leipzig draw, Bayern leapfrogged Leipzig for the top spot. Bayern has a Round of 16 DFB Pokal match-up with Hoffenheim midweek and are looking in fine form for the Round of 16 Champions League match-up with Chelsea in a few weeks.
RB Leipzig has had a slight dip in form over the last two weeks and now find themselves looking up at the team that has dominated Germany the last 10 years. Leipzig need to somehow beat Bayern, on the road, to feel they still have a realistic chance at the Bundesliga title. RB Leipzig have a tough Round of 16 DFB Pokal fixture at Frankfurt midweek and are looking to round back into form for their Champions League Round of 16 date with Tottenham in two weeks’ time.
Below is my pick for the Bundesliga action between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. All odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Bayern Munich (-260) vs RB Leipzig (+600) Draw (+430)
Last time out, Bayern Munich went on the road to relegation candidate Mainz and put the game away in the first 26 minutes. Three goals in 18 minutes game Bayern a commanding 3-0 lead and they were able to cruise to a 3-1 final score. Bayern has now won seven straight games, in all competitions, and have not lost in the league since early December. The league leaders are the third best home team in Germany having won 22 points from a possible 30.
RB Leipzig failed to win for the second consecutive week as they could only play to a 2-2 draw against 10-man Borussia Monchengladbach. Leipzig went a man up in the 61st minute, trailing 2-1, but could only muster an 89th minute goal to salvage a point. RB has not gone two games without a win since early October and are looking to avoid another loss of points this week. Leipzig are the best road team in Germany having won 20 points from a possible 30 points.
Series History: These two clubs have met nine times in the past and it is Bayern who leads the head-to-head 5-3-1. The two played to a 1-1 draw early on this season.
Game Prediction: I think Bayern is going to win, but it would not surprise me to see Leipzig get a result here. One thing I am sure of is that there will be a lot of goals, so I am going to back over 3.5 goals at -122.
2020 Results: 12-8