Bayern puts unbeaten mark on line against Leverkusen

Soccer Betting Lines

09/28/2007 - Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Re-tooled Bayern Munich has lived up to expectations so far this year, going undefeated in seven games to sit atop the standings as the class of the Bundesliga.

An offseason signing spree that included Miroslav Klose, Frank Ribery and Luca Toni put high expectations on Bayern after a disappointing 2006-07 season.

By starting the year so well, the pressure has been lifted off Bayern and it's a welcome change for the players as they prepare for a showdown against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

"Last season people were putting us down and now everything seems to be going really well," Bayern defender Philip Lahm said. "We have world-class players. It's good that we have come back down to earth, and that the euphoria of the first few weeks has died down."

Klose has silenced any critics by scoring eight goals, Ribery has been great in midfield and Toni has five goals.

The presence of those international veterans, along with a mix of young (like Lahm) and old (like Oliver Kahn) talent from last season's squad has jelled perfectly.

Bayern Munich (5-0-2) is the lone team in the league with five wins, and only Schalke is also unbeaten.

The disappointment of last year's fourth-place finish is already fading with an early lead in the standings and an incredible plus-18 goal differential.

Bayer Leverkusen, which was fifth last season, is in third-place entering the weekend's games even with a relatively young squad. Since starting the season with a draw and a loss, Bayer is unbeaten in four straight - including three straight wins.

"Leverkusen are always tough to play, and they've had some good games. They have a really strong squad and some top players," Lahm said. "We have to be well prepared."

Although many unknown young players have been key to Leverkusen early in the season, winger Bernd Schneider is a player Lahm believes is key to the club.

Schneider has been battling knee problems, but will likely play on Saturday.

"He's always dubbed the 'White Brazilian,'" Lahm said. "He has a sensational technique, a terrific shot and I don't think you can compare him to any player in the Bundesliga. For me, he's sensational."

In Friday's lone game in the Bundesliga, Schalke remained undefeated with a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin. Schalke moved past Bayer Leverkusen into second with the victory. Marcio scored the game's lone goal on a penalty kick in the 44th minute.

Also on Saturday, Karlsruher hosts Borussia Dortmund, Rostock hosts Stuttgart, Werder Bremen hosts Arminia Bielefeld, Hamburg hosts Wolfsburg and Bochum hosts Nurnberg.

On Sunday, Energie hosts Eintracht and Hannover hosts Duisburg.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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