Bundesliga 19th matchday, Saturday, 01/25/2025 at 6:30 pm
Thanks to his experience, Dieter Hecking has become a real stroke of luck for VfL Bochum. In his nine games in charge, the 60-year-old has turned the team, which was thought to be certain to be relegated, into a team that can seriously believe in staying in the league again.
Hecking is not a classic dinosaur of the old coaching school, but recently showed his adaptability against RB Leipzig. At half-time, the VfL coach made a system change that enabled Bochum to win a point after trailing 3-0.
Next weekend, the seventeenth-placed team will travel to the Borussia-Park and Hecking’s old stomping ground. Between 2016 and 2019, he collected an average of 1.54 points in 98 competitive games for the foals.
Now he wants to talk his old employer into its fourth defeat in a row and draw the foals a little closer to him again.
Bochum has convinced me so much in the last few weeks that I’m betting my Gladbach Bochum tip on a “double chance X2” and playing the odds of 2.15 at NEO.bet.
The betting providers’ prediction?
Hecking is not the only one who is facing his former club in this game. Kevin Stöger went the opposite way before this season and left VfL Bochum behind. As a player of the Foals, he can look forward to the favorite role in the odds comparison of the betting providers.
In the best sports betting apps, you will find odds of around 1.73 for the home side to win. Even a draw is more likely in the eyes of the bookmakers than an away win for Hecking’s team.
If you choose a “draw” or a “win VfL Bochum” as a single bet, you can plan with odds of at least 4.00.
The artificial intelligence also has something to say in this Gladbach Bochum tip and considers three possible options with different degrees of risk. Let’s start at the bottom. “Both teams to score” is definitely possible with the two defensive lines and can be had from Betano for odds of 1.62.
The idea for the second variant, in which ChatGPT throws “Over 3.5 goals” into the room, is a little more exciting. At this point, I would still be a little more cautious.
The recent 3-3 draw against RB Leipzig was wild, but for me it doesn’t yet stand out against the trend of the previous matches, all of which ended with “under 2.5 goals” at VfL under Hecking. Bet365 has odds of 2.45 for at least four goals in the game.
I’m a little more inclined to take the high-risk option and bet on “Bochum to win”. It’s an upgrade on my Gladbach vs Bochum tip, and it’s available at Tipwin for a 4.50-fold profit. You can find out what reasons there could be for VfL to win in the next few lines.
Analysis: Gladbach vs Bochum
Recently, exactly what was to be feared from the point of view of the foals with a view to the start of the calendar year 2025 has come to pass. Gladbach has lost every Bundesliga game so far this year.
The 0-1 defeat to Bayern was followed by a 5-1 loss in Wolfsburg, which in turn was followed by a 3-1 loss in Leverkusen. These were all games that could be lost individually. The upcoming clash against Bochum, on the other hand, is a must-win game.
However, I’m not sure if the momentum of the guests is currently too strong for Borussia. VfL have only lost one of their last five Bundesliga games and have kept a clean sheet in two of their four previous matches.
Bochum is extremely aggressive in the duels again under Hecking and does not shy away from borderline duels. Currently, there is no Bundesliga team that has committed more fouls than the guests (243).
Odds Analysis
Basically, I can understand the distribution of roles. Gladbach won five of nine home games this season and went into the winter break in good shape. Besides, Bochum has not yet won an away game this season.
But above all, VfL’s trend under Dieter Hecking makes me increasingly inclined to bet on the guests to win in this fixture. Bochum have kept three of their last five league clean sheets, giving many opponents a tricky game.
If you want to take the maximum risk with your football bet, you can argue for “Bochum wins to nil” and, with a helpful game, capture an 8.50-fold profit.
Gladbach vs. Bochum: Determine the course of the game
Bochum is no longer the cannon fodder from the first weeks and months of this season. In each of the two previous Bundesliga games, VfL scored more expected goals than the opposing team and, even when trailing 3-0 to Leipzig, looked like a team that still believes in a comeback.
This speaks for the development that the VfL has taken under Dieter Hecking. Bochum usually defends in a 5-3-2, but against RBL they showed that a back four is not a problem either. The confidence gained from 1.22 points per game under Hecking has certainly helped.
As a rule, Bochum attach great importance to limiting the number of goals in a game and, if possible, to scoring the decisive goal themselves. On average, VfL’s nine games under Hecking have ended with 1.00 to 1.11 goals. Bochum have already gone into the break without conceding a goal four times.
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Will Boadu turn off the floodlights in Gladbach?
Gladbach last conceded three defeats in a row for the first time this season. Against Bayern (0-1), Wolfsburg (1-5) and Leverkusen (1-3), the team conceded a total of nine goals. In the duel with the German record champions, BMG even got off lightly (4.28 xGA).
Unlike last year, Gladbach no longer look like a team that can be pushed into a corner with sheer robustness, but the Borussians once again have the weakest defense to be expected (35.0 xGA).
Bochum developed a surprisingly strong offensive urge against Leipzig, and Boadu’s hat-trick got him in shape for the weakest defense to be expected in the Bundesliga. If he is on fire again, Bochum’s first away win at Borussia-Park is conceivable.
Hecking was recently pleased with eight points from five games and a positive goal difference during this period (7:6 goals). VfL even beat two direct competitors, Heidenheim (2:0) and St. Pauli (1:0), with clean sheets.
Bochum wants to hand over the red lantern to Holstein Kiel and then claim the relegation place.
If the guests win, Gladbach would still be nine points away. Currently, the foals are ten points ahead of the relegation place.
Of all the Bundesliga clubs, Gladbach allowed the most shots against (290). Bochum was at least a little better in this respect (273), thanks in large part to their performances in recent weeks.
My Gladbach Bochum tip:
Borussia Mönchengladbach have won their last four Bundesliga games against Bochum. In my Gladbach Bochum betting tip, however, I predict an end to this winning streak.
Gladbach themselves first have to get rid of their current streak of three defeats in a row, while Bochum are slowly regaining hope of avoiding relegation and showed great resilience against RB Leipzig (3:3).
I expect a close and at the same time combative game and thus a game that suits VfL better than Borussia Mönchengladbach.
My Gladbach Bochum tip: Double chance X2.
