Hamburg v Magdeburg: Bundesliga 2 betting preview and tip

Bundesliga 2
BT Sport 1, 7.30pm Monday

Hannes Wolf was tasked with guiding German giants Hamburg to an immediate Bundesliga return when he took charge of his first game against Magdeburg in October.

Six months later, as his side prepare to face the same opponents, they are in touching distance of promotion.

The Red Shorts won that fixture 1-0 and as the clubs have gone in opposite directions in the Bundesliga 2 standings since, punters should expect a similar result at the Volksparkstadion.

While the hosts are tussling for the title, Magdeburg are engaged in a tight battle at the bottom and will be looking to capitalise on Sandhausen’s failure to beat Paderborn on Saturday.

But the visitors are without a win in their last five assignments and have won only three times on the road all season.

Hamburg have not been in excellent form themselves, losing ground in the title race with defeats to Arminia Bielefeld, Jahn Regensburg and Darmstadt since the turn of the year.

They have, however, booked their place in the German Cup semi-finals following a 2-0 win over Paderborn and, with a potential title-decider in Cologne next week, nothing less than maximum points will do for Wolf’s men.

The home side tend to play more conservative football than their title rivals - only Pierre Michel-Lasogga (13) has reached double figures in the goal charts - and Wolf may settle for a slender triumph.

Recommendation
Hamburg to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 11-10 general

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