Unbeatens Bayern Munich, Schalke clash

Soccer Betting Lines

09/15/2007 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich will put its unbeaten mark on the line on Saturday against Schalke 04, the only other club in the Bundesliga that hasn't lost this season.

Although the league contenders haven't lost yet, the sides haven't gotten off to equal starts. Bayern Munich has accumulated 10 points in four matches and Schalke has just six.

With new signings Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Frank Ribery leading the way, Bayern Munich has three wins and a draw and has outscored its opponents 11-1. Toni and Klose each have three goals.

Klose will have to do something he hasn't done in six years to get his fourth goal, and that's score against Schalke. He last scored against Schalke while playing for Kaiserslautern in April of 2001.

If that trend continues, Bayern Munich may also have to look for someone other than Toni to find the back of the net.

Toni is nursing a thigh injury and his status for the game is in doubt. He did rejoin Bayern Munich on Monday and has been rehabbing the injury all week.

"Toni's injury was no secret," Bayern Munich manager Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "We have done everything in our capacity to get him fit."

Bayern still has plenty of firepower, though, and is unbeaten at home. Bayern Munich has yet to allow a goal in its two home matches.

Schalke's Kevin Kuranyi, who has taken a league-high 26 shots and leads the club with two goals, will try to change that Saturday.

Regardless of the score, neither team can let down until the final whistle. Both clubs have had a lot of success offensively late in games so far this season. Bayern Munich leads the league with four goals in the last quarter of its games and Schalke is second with three.

However, the teams have combined to allow just one goal in the last quarter of their games this season.

Schalke finished second in the league last year and could use a victory. With just one wins and three draws, the club has scored eight goals but also given up five.

On Friday, Borussia Dortmund got by Werder Bremen, 3-0, to open the Bundesliga week.

Also on Saturday, Stuttgart hosts Energie, Bayer Leverkusen hosts Bochum, Nurnberg hosts Hannover, Arminia Bielefeld hosts Rostock and Eintracht hosts Hamburg.

On Sunday, Duisburg hosts Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg hosts Karlsruher.

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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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