12/04/2008 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Philipp Lahm believes Bayern Munich will "demonstrate who's meant to be on top" Friday when the defending champions host surprise leaders Hoffenheim.
"We intend to demonstrate who's meant to be on top - and that's Bayern Munich," said Lahm, a German international. "Now's the time to send out the signal."
Teammate Luca Toni, an Italian international, agreed.
"We have a point to make," said Toni, who led the Bundesliga with 24 goals last season. "It's our chance to show them the top spots belongs to us."
Bayern trails Hoffenheim, which was promoted to the Bundesliga this season, by three points entering the clash at the Allianz Arena. Bayern needs a four-goal win to pull in front, but any winning margin will level the teams on points.
The Munich club has overcome a sluggish start and is unbeaten in 14 straight - including four Champions League games - to put the pressure on Hoffenheim.
Hoffenheim is just as confident entering the game, which will be broadcasted in 168 countries and could have easily packed a 150,000-seat stadium, according to the amount of ticket requests the team received.
"We have a good chance if we don't hide," Hoffenheim midfielder Sejad Salihovic said. "We're the better team at the moment."
"We're going there to win," added Hoffenheim striker Vedad Ibisevic, who has 17 goals through 15 matches to lead the league this season.
Before the season started, Friday's game was supposed to be nothing more than a blip on Bayern's radar. But with Hoffenheim easily the most surprising team in the world this season, it's not surprising the entire world will be watching.
"Basically, Hoffenheim have nothing to lose," Bayern and German international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said. "If they win, the nation will rejoice. If they draw, it will bring a smile to plenty of faces.
"And if they lose, nothing will happen."
But if Bayern loses? Well, that would officially mark Hoffenheim's arrival.
Hoffenheim, which doesn't even currently play its home matches in its own city, has been impressive in all but one game - a 5-2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
Ibisevic, who wasn't even a star in the Bundesliga 2, has emerged as a world- class striker. Chinedu Obasi and Demba Ba, Hoffe's other strikers, have helped the team lead the Bundesliga with 40 goals scored.
It's an offense that has Bayern concerned, according to central defender Daniel Van Buyten, a Belgian international.
"Hoffenheim always try to create as many chances as possible. Even if they've scored two goals they're always going for the third or fourth goal. That means that the defense has to follow closely and close the gaps," he said. "But the whole team has to help out, otherwise you might get serious problems.
"It's an important and difficult task for us. We want to win by all means to get to the top of the table. Only a win is good enough for that, and it won't be easy to pick up three points."
Bayern midfielder Franck Ribery, a France international, believes it wont just be about scoring when the league's top two offenses meet. Bayern is second with 35 goals this season.
"It's not about how many goals we score. What matters is that we take all three points," said Ribery, who has been a major factor in Bayern's surge.
With two powerful offenses on display, the difference could easily be defense. That edge goes to Bayern - on paper - with Brazilian captain Lucio, Argentinean Martin Demichelis, Italian Massimo Oddo, Van Buyten, and Germans Christian Lell and Lahm available.
Bayern captain and defensive midfielder Mark van Bommel, a Dutch international, and Demichelis are both expected back in the lineup after missing last week's 2-0 win at then second-place Leverkusen.
Hoffenheim, which has won eight of its last nine, is also at full strength with Ba and Obasi having shaken off injuries. But with no real proven superstars in a clash against a loaded squad, Hoffenheim remains the heavy underdog.
But Van Buyten knows Bayern won't overlook Hoffenheim. He even thinks the club can stay in the title race.
"Why not?" Van Buyten said. "They've played 15 games by now and have beaten great teams. They have proved that they deserve their position.
"I think that they could compete for a place in the Champions League."
Notice, though, that Van Buyten didn't say the title. That, everyone in Munich believes, is still Bayern's to lose.
On Saturday, Monchengladbach hosts Bayer Leverkusen, Energie hosts Stuttgart, Schalke hosts Hertha Berlin, Karlsruhe hosts Werder Bremen, Eintracht hosts Bochum and Arminia Bielefeld hosts Borussia Dortmund.
On Sunday, Wolfsburg hosts Hannover and Koln hosts Hamburg.
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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