Watch Bayern Munich vs Hannover 96 Preview And Prediction Bundesliga 2017

Bayern Munich vs Hannover 96 predictions for this weekend’s Bundesliga action. Can Bayern Munich bounce back from just their 2nd league defeat of the season against the struggling Hannover?

Bayern Munich’s 9 match unbeaten run (W9) under coach Jupp Heynckes came to a disappointing halt last weekend at Borussia Park. Bayern looked the worse team in the 2-1 defeat on the road to Borussia Monchengladbach, conceding more goals there (2) than over their prior 5 league outings (1). No faith has been lost in coach Heynckes though. He’s got a long, successful history and win record at Bayern Munich – in fact, he won the treble with them at the end of his last managerial spell there in 2013 (Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and Champions League) – so the Bavarians should be looking to get straight back on track at home to the out-of-form Hannover 96 this weekend.

Hannover 96 didn’t muster the best result out of their last match either. A 1-1 draw at home to Stuttgart wasn’t ideal following a 4-0 defeat at the hands of strugglers (and North German neighbours) Werder Bremen the match prior. Hannover looked the better side, but were clearly unsettled due to a number of squad rotations (see team news) and ultimately it was a goalkeeping error from Philipp Tschauner that cost them the 3 points. A match on the road to the reigning champions is bad enough at the best of times, so with talisman center-back Salif Sane likely sidelined for Saturady, there looks to be only one outcome here.

From a betting perspective, Bayern Munich’s dominance over the Bundesliga makes it difficult to find much value in such a one-sided match, but we feel backing a Bayern ‘win to nil’ makes for an interesting option. Bayern’s offensive prowess needs no introduction – Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller are expected to return and provide support for Bayern’s No.9, Robert Lewandowski, who’s 13 goals in 13 appearances in the Bundesliga so far make him one of the most in-form strikers in Europe. At the back, Bayern should be looking to return as strong as ever. Niklas Sule may be rotated out after conceding two against Gladbach last weekend, with Jerome Boateng a possibility to step in to partner Mats Hummels in the middle.

Hannover’s track record against the Bavarians in recent years is far from ideal too. Andre Breitenreiter’s men have lost all of the last 10 meetings against Bayern Munich, failing to score in 50% of these. With Hannover also missing summer-signed forward Jonathas, top scorer Martin Harnik, who’s failed to score in all of his last 7 competitive outings, is likely to be used as a lone forward once again – far from ideal for the visitors.

On the statistics side of things, Bayern Munich have scored 3 goals or more in 6 of their 8 competitive home matches this season. Hannover’s poor run of form has seen their defensive form take a bit of a tumble, so we’d expect the Bavarians to add to this average on Saturday – Hannover even conceded 4 against Werder Bremen (one of the Bundesliga’s weakest offenses) last time out on the road! Hannover’s recent attacking performances against much weaker sides have been mediocre too, so it’s just difficult to see them getting on the score sheet against the best defense (just 10 goals conceded) in the Bundesliga. Our prediction: a 4-0 Bayern Munich win.

Head To Head
Bayern Munich won 3-1 when the two sides last met in May 2016. Bayern Munich have won all of the last 10 meetings between them.

Bayern Munich vs Hannover Stats
Bayern Munich have won to nil in four of their last five Bundesliga outings at the Allianz Arena (one 2-0, one 3-0, one 4-0 and one 5-0). Hannover have scored no more than one goal in each of their last three league outings.

Bayern Munich Team News
Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and Frank Ribery (knee) returned to full training on Tuesday, so could feature. The Bavarians remain without Manuel Neuer (foot), Arjen Robben, and David Alaba. Tiago is also potentially out for months following a serious muscle injury picked up in last week's Champions League action.

Hannover Team News
Hannover 96 centre-back Salif Sane is a major doubt after being injured in training during the week. Forward Jonathas is another set to miss this one. Long term-absentees Edgar Prib and Felipe don't look set for a return until 2018.