With Five Straight Wins and 3-1 Win Over Hoffenheim, Red Bull Leipzig’s Bundesliga Title Odds Shorten to +350
- Nagelsmann’s side increasingly fancied after streak of victories
- Giants Bayern Munich struggle after change of manager
- Leaders Borussia Monchengladbach show staying power
Red Bull Leipzig are unpopular in German football but are emerging as serious contenders for the Bundesliga title after a run of five straight wins during which they have scored 22 goals.
The sequence has seen them claim second place in the table in a season in which, unusually, the Bavarian giants of Bayern Munich are failing to dominate.
Leipzig sat one point behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach after 14 fixtures with their odds to win the title with online sportsbooks, having shortened throughout November and December.
They are currently priced as second favorites with Bundesliga odds of +350 with Bayern Munich still the frontrunners at -200 even though they were in seventh place after 14 matches.
Bundesliga 2019-20 Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | -200 |
| Red Bull Leipzig | +350 |
| Borussia Dortmund | +800 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | +1000 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | +4000 |
| Schalke 04 | +6600 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | +25000 |
| Hoffenheim | +25000 |
| Wolfsburg | +25000 |
| Freiburg | +50000 |
Odds taken Dec. 10.
Inward Shift in November and December
Red Bull were rated at an average price of +850 on November 4 and had moved inwards to +500 last week before their latest victory, the 3-1 defeat of Hoffenheim at home. The current price is their best of the season.
Third-placed Borussia Dortmund are rated third at +800 with the analysts having little faith that Monchengladbach will last the course and pitching them at +1000.
However, Monchengladbach have won five of their last six matches and have led for the last eight rounds of fixtures – suggesting a staying power that could make them better value than Red Bull at these prices.
Against this, Red Bull have also proven their quality at an even higher level this season. In the Champions League, they led Group G ahead of the Matchday 6 fixture against Lyon on Tuesday, December 10.
At 32, Nagelsmann is already coveted by several EPL clubs who believe he might be able to replicate the success of his compatriot Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool.
Red Bull are managed by the young star of German management, Julian Nagelsmann.
…and finally, an embarrassing 5-1 loss against Niko Kovacs former team Frankfurt, to sum up his spell at Bayern. It doesn't get worse than this. pic.twitter.com/xRPs9ieMtI
— Marko (@MarkodoniaFT) November 3, 2019
At 32, Nagelsmann is already coveted by several EPL clubs who believe he might be able to replicate the success of his compatriot Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool.
They also have the in-form striker Timo Werner who has scored 15 Bundesliga goals this season – only one behind Bayern Munich’s rampant Robert Lewandowski.
[crospost]Leipzig’s current run of straight wins began on November 2 with an 8-0 hammering of Mainz at home.
That was followed by a 4-2 success away at Hertha Berlin and a 4-1 defeat of Cologne at home. SC Paderborn were then beaten 3-2 away before the most recent victory against Hoffenheim.
Unpopular With Rivals
Leipzig are unpopular with rivals fans in Germany who view them as a “manufactured” team built by the wealth of the Red Bull drinks company for publicity purposes.
After their foundation in 2009, this is only their fourth season in the Bundesliga.
Whether they can upset the established order this season will depend on whether there is a recovery from Bayern who have been champions for each of the past seven seasons.
Bayern fired manager Niko Kovacs on November 3 following a 5-1 thrashing by Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Munich club have lost four Bundesliga matches already – most recently 2-1 away at leaders Monchengladbach last Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund celebrate their 110th anniversary with a blackout kit ⚫ pic.twitter.com/FmtAoZXelH
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 7, 2019
Bayern fired manager Niko Kovacs on November 3 following a 5-1 thrashing by Eintracht Frankfurt. It was their second league defeat.
Hans-Dieter Flick is in temporary command. After winning his first two games, he has subsequently suffered a 2-1 reverse against Bayer Leverkusen followed by the setback against Monchengladbach last weekend.
Pick: Red Bull Leipzig (+350)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
