German Football 
/ Kevin Hatchard / 11 March 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Louis van Gaal won't be at Bayern next season after his side suffered three consecutive defeats
"Bayern have lost their last two home games, and will have one eye on the forthcoming Champions League clash with Inter. Back Hamburg to nick a draw at 4.4."
Louis van Gaal won't be at Bayern next year buit he'll stay till the end of the season. With this news and a Champions League tie in midweek, they may struggle to get more than a point at home to Hamburg at the weekend, says Kevin Hatchard.
Kaiserslautern [2.24] vs Freiburg [3.55], the draw [3.55]
Momentum is a crucial thing to have at this stage of the season, and Kaiserslautern simply don't have it. Marco Kurz's strugglers haven't won since the winter break, and suffered an embarrassing defeat at second-division Duisburg in the German Cup quarter-finals.
A microcosm of Kaiserslautern's struggles is the decline of star striker Srdjan Lakic. The Croatian scored 11 goals in the first half of the campaign, but hasn't netted since. He was booed by his own fans at the last home game against Hamburg, and missed an absolute sitter in last week's stalemate at Eintracht Frakfurt. The announcement of his summer switch to Wolfsburg seems to have unsettled him, and he looks like he can't wait to leave.
Kaiserlautern are second-bottom, and haven't won a home game since late November. They've drawn six out of 12 at home, including four of the last five.
Eighth-placed Freiburg have defied their critics and stayed clear of the relegation dogfight, but their recent form has damaged their Europa League qualification bid. The men from the Black Forest have won just twice since Christmas, and have lost three of their last four.
Highly-rated coach Robin Dutt has tightened Freiburg's defence - last term they conceded 1.74 goals per game, this season the average is 1.36. In attack the Breisgau-Brasilianer are still too reliant on top scorer Papiss Demba Cisse. The Senegalese hitman has netted 17 of Freiburg's 32 league goals, and no-one else in the squad has managed more than four goals.
RECOMMENDED BETS: Kaiserslautern are struggling to turn draws into wins, and I expect that to continue on Saturday. Back the draw at [3.55]
Wolfsburg [2.24] vs Nurnberg [3.4], the draw [3.7]
Whether they like it or not, 2009 champions Wolfsburg are in a relegation battle. The Wolves have lost five of their last six league games, and their only win was against rock-bottom Borussia Monchengladbach.
Last week's 3-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen was expected, but the manner of it was alarming. The Wolves defended dreadfully, and out-of-form keeper Diego Benaglio went down like Steptoe for the first two goals.
Wolfsburg's record against Saturday's opponents Nurnberg is poor. Nurnberg have won three of their last four meetings, and Wolfsburg have only beaten them three times in 17 top-flight matches.
Nurnberg are sixth after winning five of their last six games. Last week they hammered St Pauli 5-0, with Christian Eigler scoring four goals. On-loan Bayern playmaker Mehmet Ekici has played a starring role, and the team will be further strengthened by the return from injury of midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
RECOMMENDED BET: Nurnberg are playing superbly, and Wolfsburg are on a bad run. Back Nurnberg to win at [3.4]
Bayern Munich [1.57] vs Hamburg [6.8], the draw [4.4]
Football fashionistas take note - the caretaker manager is out, and the "delayed departure" is in. Bayern Munich reacted to three consecutive defeats by giving coach Louis van Gaal the push, but he'll stay on until the end of the season. Winning the Champions League is still a viable target for the Bavarians, but they'll have to play far better than they did in last week's 3-1 defeat at Hannover. Bayern defended appallingly and rookie keeper Thomas Kraft had a nightmare, allowing a Sergio Pinto drive to slip through his hands.
Bayern are fifth, five points outside the top three, and on Saturday they'll face a Hamburg side that will also change coaches in the summer. Armin Veh has experienced similar problems to those he had at Wolfsburg, failing to harness a talented but headstrong squad. Hamburg are seventh, five points adrift of European qualification, but Veh's departure is as much to do with the club's off-field problems. President Bernd Hoffman has been given a vote of no confidence, amidst rumours of infighting within HSV's board.
Hamburg's away form has been decent in recent weeks - they've won three of their last five road trips, and their only defeat in that period was at a Nurnberg side who are very strong at home.
RECOMMENDED BET: Bayern have lost their last two home games, and will have one eye on the forthcoming Champions League clash with Inter. Back Hamburg to nick a draw at [4.4]
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