SOCCER

Bundesliga Betting Guide for Matchday 26

The Bundesliga is back!

It's going to be the only soccer show in town for a bit -- at least among the big leagues -- so if you're looking to bet on soccer, it's your only choice.

FanDuel Sportsbook has odds for each of the games in Matchday 26, so let's look at a few of the best bets.

Hertha Berlin at Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim to win (+115)

Despite being four places higher in the table than Hertha Berlin and having seven more points, Hoffenheim isn't that big of a favorite going by the odds, with Hertha Berlin at +230 to win. Hoffenheim is also eight goals better in goal differential.

All signs point to Hoffenheim at +115 being a good bet.

The hangup here -- and likely the reason Hoffenheim isn't a bigger favorite -- is that Hoffenheim loses some of the home-field advantage with no fans in the stands. How much of an impact will that have? I'm not sure. From a betting perspective, that will be one of the interesting things to monitor as the sport resumes. Maybe it'll totally wipe away home-field advantage? Maybe home sides will still have a big edge? We'll see.

But even if this game was played at a neutral site, Hoffenheim would be my pick to win, and it's hard not to like them at these odds.

Schalke 04 at Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund to win (-200)

This is similar to the first bet in that we have a home team who is the better team but isn't a big enough favorite.

This time, it's Dortmund at just -200 to win despite the fact they're 38 goals ahead of Schalke in goal differential and 14 points in front in the table. Dortmund are clearly the better team.

But they may lose some of their big home-field advantage with the stands empty, and betting on rivalry games is always a little scary.

Still, Dortmund is just better than Schalke, and I'm willing to roll the dice on the BVB winning in their first match back. While you won't make a killing at -200, there's value in this line.

Wolfsburg at Augsburg

Wolfsburg to win (+115)

In the Bundesliga table, Wolfsburg are seven spots ahead of Augsburg, and they're 20 goals ahead in goal differential.

Augsburg went without a win in five straight league matches before play was halted. Over their last nine outings, they have just one win while losing seven matches. Maybe the break will do them good, but they were in terrible form.

Wolfsburg, on the other hand, were unbeaten over their last six matches before the league was suspended, though just three of those were victories. Their last match was a 0-0 draw versus RB Leipzig, one of the title contenders, and it was a match in which Wolfsburg played pretty darn well, outshooting Leipzig 16-14.

Augsburg is at home for this one, but I don't think that'll be enough to help them get a point against Wolfsburg.