Bundesliga Betting – Best Picks, Odds, Predictions
By the end of this guide to Bundesliga betting, you’ll understand how to bet on the Bundesliga. We’ll go over everything from what to expect from the league on the field, to betting strategies you can use off of the field. All of these tips will help you to become a better soccer bettor.
Best Sportsbooks to Bet on Bundesliga
With Bundesliga being such a popular soccer league, virtually every betting site offers Bundesliga betting. This list of sportsbooks includes some of the biggest names in the legal sports betting industry in the United States. It means that you should feel confident that you’ll be able to find a place to do your Bundesliga betting rather easily.
Bundesliga Previous Season Recap
Bayern Munich convincingly won the 2020-2021 Bundesliga season. As the Bundesliga betting favorites heading into the season, Bayern dominated the rest of the field, losing just four matches en route to a season that was 13 points better than any other Bundesliga club. Their +55 goal difference last season put Bayern 26 goals clear of the next team.
Behind Bayern, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg managed to finish in the top four and make the Champions League. Dortmund and Leipzig are regulars in those Champions League spots, but preseason Bundesliga betting odds wouldn’t have had Wolfsburg in a position to earn that fourth slot. Wolfsburg held onto the number four spot in the German top flight by one point in a memorable season for the club.
At the bottom of the Bundesliga table, two teams saw relegation at the end of the season. Schalke and Werder Bremen finished with the two worst point totals in the league and were sent down to 2. Bundesliga. FC Koln finished with the third worst point tally, but managed to survive the Bundesliga’s relegation playoff, earning their continued membership in the Bundesliga for at least another season.
Summer 2021 Transfer Window Recap
In every club soccer league, the transfer window can have a significant impact on which teams come out on top. The recent transfer windows in Bundesliga have been no exception, as the player movement into and out of the league are likely to have a major impact on Bundesliga betting odds.
Sancho scored 38 goals during his Dortmund career and was one of the players that made them a real threat next to Erling Haaland. His departure to Manchester United over the summer of 2021 is one that could really slow down Dortmund’s attack over the next season and beyond. United hasn’t exactly taken advantage of the acquisition of Sancho in the Premier League either, and the move hasn’t worked out well for anyone just yet.
Bayern Munich made its mark in the last transfer weekend as well, bringing in Marcel Sabitzer from RB Leipzig. Sabitzer had eight league goals for Leipzig last season before moving to the Bundesliga betting favorites in Bayern. Bayern got a quality player in the move, of course, but this transfer also worked as addition by subtraction as they weakened a potential rival in Leipzig in the process.
Another notable transfer that may not have a significant impact on Bundesliga betting odds for the season came when American Ricardo Pepi was moved from MLS to the Bundesliga. Pepi was sent from FC Dallas to Augsburg during the January 2022 transfer window. He’s become an important part of the U.S. national team, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can make an impact in Bundesliga or if the higher level of competition will help him improve his game.
Winter 2022 Transfer Window Recap
The transfer window in the Bundesliga can send big names in and out of the league, which can impact whether or not any team can hang with Bayern Munich in the near future. This transfer window did not live up to that hype, though, as the transfer window was relatively tame during the winter of 2022. While some moves were made, no deals that should radically shift the balance of power went down.
Perhaps the biggest deal in the Bundesliga this winter is one that is set to take effect in the summer of 2022. An agreement was made to send Niklas Süle from Bayern Munich to Borussia Dortmund, in the rare deal between these two teams that sent a key player to Dortmund. Dortmund still has a long way to go to catch Bayern as they are currently constructed, but this could be a good start for them to do so.
American soccer fans will be interested to see that Ricardo Pepi is heading to Germany to play in the Bundesliga after the winter window. He is going from FC Dallas in MLS to Augsburg in the Bundesliga, which will give him the chance to play at a higher level of competition. Pepi is going to be going head-to-head with the Bayern Munichs and Dortmunds of the world, which will give him better tools to sharpen his skills against.
The move of Pepi is an exciting one for fans of the U.S. men’s national team, as moves like this can only help the national team going forward. Playing against better opponents will make players like Pepi a lot better in the long run, which will create a better national team down the road. As long as Pepi can stay healthy and take advantage of this opportunity, the USMNT will benefit from it.
Who are Favorites to Win Bundesliga this Season?
This season is no exception whatsoever, as Bayern looks like the inevitable choice to take down yet another league title.
Bayern is better offensively and defensively than the rest of the league, which makes them one of the favorites to win the Champions League. They’re expected to cruise through the rest of the Bundesliga campaign and walk away with their 10th consecutive league title and 32nd national title overall (dating back to pre-Bundesliga days and when Germany was split into East and West Germany).
In terms of teams that have a chance to unseat Bayern in the Bundesliga betting odds, Borussia Dortmund may be the best choice. They don’t have the same depth as they do in most seasons, with an impact player like Sancho being a notable absence after his departure. But Dortmund is a club with experience battling in the Champions League who could go on a run and put a scare into Bayern if things break their way.
Outside of the top two teams, there isn’t really a third team that can realistically compete for the Bundesliga crown this year. Leipzig got off to a slow start to this season, and secondary clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mӧnchengladbach aren’t really in the picture either. While Bundesliga betting odds often favor Bayern and Dortmund above all else, that’s even more true this season.
Who is in Danger of Relegation?
At the midway point of the 2021-2022 Bundesliga season, there’s one clear relegation-worthy team and several contenders to end up in the drop zone. Greuther Fürth earned just five total points through the first half of their Bundesliga campaign, which is 11 points less than the second-worst team through 17 matches. They’re the clear Bundesliga betting favorites as far as relegation is concerned.
Outside of Greuther Fürth, there are several teams that could end up being relegated at the end of this season. Spots 11 through 17 in the Bundesliga table are separated by just five points, which means nothing has really been decided in the Bundesliga relegation battle.
Only two teams in the league had a goal difference of worse than -10 at the midway point of the Bundesliga campaign, and the relegation race could go any which way. Holding those bottom spots are Wolfsburg, Mӧnchengladbach, Augsburg, VfB Stuttgart, and Arminia.
Outright Predictions for Bundesliga 2021/22
As it pertains to the outright Bundesliga betting markets, powerhouse Bayern Munich is going to win the league. They went into the second half of the 2021-2022 campaign with a nine-point edge over second place Borussia Dortmund. Sportsbooks were so confident in Bayern to close out the title race that they set Bayern at around -5000 to win the title at the midway point of the year, with a bet of $5,000 required to win just $100.
In fact, there are just two teams that entered the second half of the season with Bundesliga betting odds of better than 100/1. The aforementioned Bayern was the first of those teams, with Dortmund being the second at roughly +1800 odds. All of this is to say that there is virtually no confidence in any team other than Bayern Munich to do enough to win the Bundesliga during this campaign.
Betting on outright markets in this league can be difficult. There isn’t much value in betting on Bayern, and there aren’t typically teams that can compete with Bayern either.
Unlike the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga, where there’s at least some parity, the Bundesliga is structured more like Ligue 1. All that to say, the Bundesliga has one dominant team that’s always a heavy favorite, and a bunch of teams struggling to keep up.
Players to Keep an Eye on in Bundesliga this Season
While his team is the Bundesliga betting favorite this season, Lewandowski is the favorite to win the top scorer distinction in the league. He’s the beneficiary of all of the chances created by his superb teammates. Lewandowski could score 40 goals in league play this season, and he could contend for the Ballon d’Or, given annually to the best soccer player worldwide from the previous year.
Erling Haaland may be the second biggest star in the Bundesliga behind Lewandowski, as he serves as the biggest star at Borussia Dortmund. Haaland doesn’t have nearly the same level of talent around him as Lewandowski, which arguably makes what he has done in the black and yellow more impressive. While Haaland isn’t likely to help his team get a league title, he’s a threat to score every time he is on the pitch.
Finally, Patrik Schick of Bayer Leverkusen is a player to watch in this league. Leverkusen are nowhere near the Bundesliga betting favorites this season, but Schick has had a great 2021-2022 campaign to follow up a Euro 2020 tournament where he got plenty of attention thanks to one of the goals of the year. In proving that he is no one-hit wonder, Schick has earned a lot of respect this season.
- Robert Lewandowski
- Erling Haaland
- Patrik Schick
How do we Provide our Expert Picks for Bundesliga?
The biggest key to providing our Bundesliga betting picks is to look beyond the top two teams in the German top flight. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are worth betting on at times, but the real value in this league comes from developing a deep-rooted understanding of the other 16 clubs in the league. In doing so, we can pass along information that you might not have known otherwise.
We also look at the statistical data each team has compiled over the course of each season to identify mismatches when possible. While other sports betting analysts’ version of modeling involves photoshoots, our statistical modeling uses a variety of metrics to project the scores of each game and to identify where the value lies in the betting markets.
Finally, we look at the schedules for every team in the Bundesliga to determine where some added value may arise in Bundesliga betting markets. There are several German clubs that end up in European club tournaments each season, whether that’s the Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League. Compressed fixture lists can lead to teams not being fully focused on upcoming matches, and we factor that in when making all of our Bundesliga betting picks.
Best Sportsbooks that Cover Bundesliga Games
There are so many Bundesliga betting sites available that it can be hard to decide which of them is the best. Your criteria in terms of what makes for the best sportsbook could be entirely different than that of every other bettor. But these online sportsbooks are certainly among the best in the business no matter what characteristics matter the most to you.
Caesars Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook is an elite sportsbook option for those interested in Bundesliga betting. They have regular promotions and odds boosts that often pertain to international club soccer. Also, they have a long-standing relationship with one of the most well-known international sportsbooks in William Hill, which means the soccer betting markets at Caesars are on point.
Betway
Another top-tier sportsbook for wagering on the Bundesliga is Betway. Betway also brings a lot of soccer credibility to the sports betting landscape in the United States. They have relationships with soccer teams around the world in the form of sponsorships, and their soccer betting markets are exemplary in the Bundesliga and beyond.
Sportsbook Promo Codes And Best Bonuses for Bundesliga
It’s possible that the best bonus for new players at a Bundesliga betting site comes from Fanduel Sportsbook</a. They offer new customers a first risk free bet, up to $1,000. Therefore, if you deposit $1,000 into your Fanduel account when getting started, and your first bet is not a winner, you’ll have $1,000 in your bankroll to place other bets and start winning!
Another elite Bundesliga betting promotion comes from Caesars, which offers a matched bet bonus worth up to $1,001. There, you can put in your first bet at Caesars and receive free bets for that amount, up to $1,001. Then, there’s the potential to win your bet and keep the profits from it in addition to receiving those free bets for a potentially lucrative start with Caesars.
All You Need To Know About Bundesliga Betting
Before you get started with your Bundesliga betting, there are a few things you should make sure to understand. Whether it’s the betting odds for each match or the types of betting markets you’ll see the most, knowing how to approach everything before you bet is essential to your success. Here, we’ll help clarify some of those items before you get started.
Bundesliga Odds And Betting Lines
The Bundesliga betting odds for each game or futures betting market are what determines how much money you have to risk to make the amount you’re aiming to make. In order to figure out what you need to bet to win what you want to, you should look at the number for those betting odds along with whether they start with a plus or minus sign.
Plus prices indicate the amount you would win if you bet $100 on that market, while odds that start with a minus sign signify how much you’d need to wager to win $100.
The key here is to evaluate the odds for each game on a case-by-case basis. Not all -110 bets are created equal. For example, there might be more or less value on each game depending on the matchups and circumstances surrounding each game. The most important thing is that you understand what the odds mean so you’re not surprised when you put in your bets.
Compare Odds For Bundesliga
If you want to turn a profit from Bundesliga betting, the most valuable thing you can do is to compare Bundesliga betting odds across multiple sportsbooks. Your goal as a bettor should be to get the biggest payout you can on each bet or to minimize the amount you have to risk to get your desired payout.
Without comparing odds across multiple bookmakers on each bet you place, that isn’t something that is going to happen over the long run.
For example, let’s say that Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are set to tangle in a key Bundesliga matchup. At one sportsbook, Bayern is listed at -120 odds to win the match, while they’re at -125 odds to win at another sportsbook. At -120 odds, a bet of $120 would be required to win $100, while a bet of $125 would be needed to win $100 at -125 odds.
In the two bets in our example, the payout is the same at both sportsbooks, but the amount you have to risk to get those payouts is less at -120 odds than it is at -125. Therefore, it would be smarter to place your bet at -120 odds and avoid risking the extra $5 for the same payout.
While $5 here or there seems like chump change, every dollar you save in the long run will have a considerable impact on profitability over a large sample size of wagers. Who doesn’t want more money?
How do we Generate our Bundesliga Odds?
To get our Bundesliga betting odds, we look at as many sportsbooks as we can to get the best odds comparison possible ahead of each match.
It may take a little extra work to look through so many sets of Bundesliga betting odds, but it’s worth it to make sure that we are recommending the most profitable odds possible.
Our Bundesliga handicappers also regularly use their own predictive models to create their own odds for each match in the league each match week. That allows them to compare their odds to the actual betting odds to find the most valuable spots to bet on German soccer.
You can use our built-in, state-of-the-art Odds Compare tool as well. Just another way we’re looking out for you! Connect any of the sportsbooks you’re registered with to our tool and compare with the push of a button.
Moneyline Bundesliga Odds
The most commonly utilized Bundesliga betting odds are moneyline odds, as they’re the easiest to understand for bettors of all skill levels.
You’re presented with three options when making moneyline bets in the Bundesliga or any other league: either team to win the match, or for the match to end in a draw.
This betting market is one where the top clubs don’t always carry a lot of value, as betting on Bayern Munich to simply win their matches requires a huge risk amount to win a small amount in most cases. Instead, you’ll want to dig deeper to find spots where less heralded teams may break through to earn bigger payouts and risk less money.
Bundesliga Over/Under Odds
The over/under is another form of Bundesliga betting that’s very popular, as you’re able to predict how much scoring will take place in a match using this market.
There are several factors that can impact the amount of scoring that takes place in a soccer game. Everything from the tactics of both teams to the on-field matchups for both sides must be considered when betting on the over/under. If you are able to evaluate each game carefully and avoid being biased to the over or under, this market has the potential to be a profitable one.
How does Bundesliga Work?
Bundesliga is a league that consists of 18 teams, which is less than the 20 teams that you see in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. Teams still play a home and away game against each opponent in the league, for a total of 34 matches over the course of the season. The clubs receive three points for each win they earn, one point for each match that ends in a draw, and no points for each match that they lose.
At the end of the season, the team with the highest point total wins the title. The teams that finish in the second through fourth positions are granted entry into the Champions League. The bottom-two teams in the league standings at the end of the season are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, while the third-worst team is forced to play a playoff to protect their spot from a 2. Bundesliga team.
Teams and Venues
There are 18 teams in the Bundesliga each season, all looking to make their mark and win the title at the conclusion of the season. Here is a look at each of the clubs that currently reside in Germany’s top flight, as well as the stadium that they call home.
Team | Home Venue |
---|---|
Augsburg | WWK Arena |
Hertha BSC | Olympiastadion |
Union Berlin | Stadion An der Alten Försterei |
Arminia Bielefeld | Schücoarena |
VfL Bochum | Vonovia Ruhrstadion |
Borussia Dortmund | Signal Iduna Park |
Eintracht Frankfurt | Deutsche Bank Park |
SC Freiburg | Dreisamstadion Europa-Park Stadion |
Greuther Fürth | Sportpark Ronhof Thomas Sommer |
1899 Hoffenheim | PreZero Arena |
FC Köln | RheinEnergieStadion |
RB Leipzig | Red Bull Arena |
Bayer Leverkusen | BayArena |
Mainz | Mewa Arena |
Borussia Mönchengladbach | Borussia-Park |
Bayern Munich | Allianz Arena |
VfB Stuttgart | Mercedes-Benz Arena |
VfL Wolfsburg | Volkswagen Arena |
Bundesliga Trophy
The Bundesliga trophy is known as the Meisterschale (literally “Champions Bowl”), which has been the trophy awarded to the Bundesliga winners since the inception of the league. It is commonly referred to as the “Salatschüssel” (literally “salad bowl”), though it looks more like a plate or a shield than it does a bowl. Either way, it has the names of every German top flight champion engraved onto it from 1903 to the present day.
COVID-19 Status
It’s possible that COVID-19 could get in the way of the Bundesliga season and cause problems in the Bundesliga betting markets. For now, there aren’t plans to halt the season due to COVID, but changes in the number of cases present in Europe could cause that to change in the future.
If nothing else, you should keep your eyes open for news pertaining to COVID and the Bundesliga all season long.
Interesting Facts About Bundesliga
The Bundesliga is one of the younger top flight leagues among the major soccer playing countries in Europe. Bundesliga was founded in 1963, with the league yet to exist for 60 full years as of the 2021-2022 campaign. It has been won 30 times in the first 58 years by Bayern Munich, which has won more than half of the total Bundesliga titles.
The push to form a unified top German flight came after a 1-0 loss to Yugoslavia in the 1962 World Cup. The Bundesliga formed by uniting five “Oberligens” (premier leagues) from the North, South, West, Southwest, and Berlin regions of West Germany. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, Bundesliga absorbed the East German system into the league, with Dynamo Dresden and FC Hansa Rostock joining the ranks of the top flight.
As of writing, Bundesliga teams have won the Champions League nine times. Bayern Munich has seven wins to their credit, most recently in 2019-20 with a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. The other two winners are Hamburger SV (1-0 over Juventus in 1982-83) and Borussia Dortmund (3-1 over Juventus in 1996-97).
Bundesliga Conclusion
Bundesliga betting can make a top-heavy league like the Bundesliga much more exciting. If you follow some of the strategic advice we’ve provided in this guide, you have a real chance to make money betting on the league. The only question from there is which German beer you should enjoy during the matches, but that’s another guide for another time.