Energie Cottbus vs Bayern Munich Predictions

Bayern Munich came up short in the German Super Cup last weekend, but their first win of the season should come on Monday. They are the heavy favourites to see off an Energie Cottbus side who have slid down the leagues, while Bayern are aiming to record a thumping victory to return to form. They have a fantastic record in the Pokal over the years, while that should continue against a side who could barely hold off opponents in the third tier last term.

Bayern were able to record another league and cup double last term in a campaign which many were disappointed with. It’s become the norm for the German giants to sweep all before them domestically. However, the concern isn’t for their strength at the top of the Bundesliga, it’s that the shadow of Dortmund could be about to make things very difficult for the Bavarians. They’ll want to lay down a marker, so it’s the perfect time for them to play a side from the fourth tier of German football.

Energie Cottbus were last a Bundesliga team 10 years ago when they conceded seven times across two meetings with Bayern that term. They never had a strong record against Bayern even when they shared the same division. Bayern were able to score 17 times across their last six meetings with Energie, which bodes well for their forwards going into this clash. Another concern for the visitors is last season’s defensive record, which saw them ship 58 goals and concede in 76% of their matches as they dropped out of the third tier. That defence isn’t likely to stand a chance against the German champions.

Energie have been poor in this competition in recent years, failing at the first hurdle in six of the last seven seasons. They haven’t had too many big ties in that time, but their slide down the German pyramid has seen them struggle in the Pokal. Unsurprisingly, they are massive outsiders for the visit of Bayern this week. While Energie have scored seven goals in seven seasons in this competition, Bayern scored 17 times on their way to winning the trophy last term.

The champions have scored at least three times in all but one of their first-round Pokal ties since 2008. Given the gulf between them and the latest betting odds, we don’t expect that streak to end. They were able to flex their muscles and blast past Energie when they played at the same level, now we don’t expect this clash to even be close. The favourites have kept a clean sheet in their last three first-round ties, while they conceded 0.9 goals per game against top-flight opponents last term. That has us backing Over 2.5 goals and BTTS – No, which means that we’re tipped Bayern to keep a clean sheet and score three or more.