Top Bundesliga Matchday 18 Betting Picks

The Bundesliga returns with some intriguing fixtures following a three-week winter break. We take a look at the action with our Bundesliga Matchday 18 picks.

Bayern Munich signed off with a 4-0 win against Wolfsburg before the break. That was their seventh consecutive victory and moved them nine points clear of rivals Borussia Dortmund atop the table.

Freiburg and Leverkusen both hold spots in the top four but are under pressure from the likes of Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Here are my top betting picks and predictions for the Bundesliga Matchday 18 schedule (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Bundesliga Matchday 18 Picks

Bayern to beat Gladbach and both teams to score (+100) ???Stuttgart (+100) vs. Fürth ???Leverkusen (-120) vs. Union Berlin ???

SEE ALSO: Top La Liga Matchday 20 Picks

Bundesliga Matchday 18 Predictions

Bayern to win and both teams to score (+100)

Bayern stars Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Omar Richards, Leroy Sané, Kingsley Coman, Lucas Hernández, Tanguy Nianzou, and Corentin Tolisso all tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, two more players are at the Africa Cup of Nations, and Leon Goretzka and Josip Staniši? are injured, leaving the Bavarians without 12 players.

However, they should still be able to put out a strong starting 11 featuring Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry, and Thomas Müller up front. That should be enough to see Bayern exact revenge on a Gladbach side that beat them 5-0 in the DFB-Pokal earlier this season.

Gladbach have been in woeful form since then and own one of the worst defensive records in the division. They're missing some important players, too, and though they should get on the score sheet, they're likely to leave the Allianz Arena empty-handed.

Stuttgart (+100)

Greuther Fürth remain at the bottom of the Bundesliga table, with 14 defeats from 17 matches this season. They have conceded 49 goals already and are headed for a historically bad campaign. Their form improved before the winter break - a win and a draw coming in their last three games - but they still look out of their depth in the Bundesliga.

Stuttgart are also having a poor season, as they sit just behind their opponents in 16th. They lost two games in a row before the break and are missing Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mateo Klimowicz due to COVID-19.

However, Stuttgart beat Fürth 5-1 earlier this season and should pick up another three points here against one of the worst sides in Bundesliga history.

Leverkusen (-120)

The winter break came at the perfect time for Leverkusen. They had taken just one point from their last three games and needed a breather. But they've now had three weeks to regroup. Additionally, Leverkusen are missing just one player - Piero Hincapié - due to COVID-19, and Exequiel Palacios and Charles Aranguiz are their only injury concerns.

Union Berlin also have a pretty clean bill of health, with only midfielder Rani Khedira missing after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Leverkusen are just one point clear of Union in the table, but they have a superior group of players, and this represents a great opportunity for them to return to winning ways.

Bundesliga Matchday 18 Quick Picks

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Bundesliga Matchday 18 picks made 1/6/2021 at 5:30 a.m. ET.