Football betting tips: Bundesliga
1.5pts Harry Kane 1+ assists at 19/5 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
1pt Aleksandar Pavlovic 1+ assists at 15/2 (bet365)
In truth, I'm not someone who overly cares for the Ballon d'Or. Yet when rumours came through on Monday which seemed to suggest Kylian Mbappe may lift the 2026 edition I started to hold a real interest.
Because finally, after years of ridicule for 'not winning anything' (as if that's directly his fault), Harry Kane was going to be recognised in an award-winning capacity. He is the world's best striker and has been for a while.
Most elite-level players in his position are known for their finishing, perhaps their pace, certainly their goalscoring - although that's what a striker is ultimately there for - and yet Kane brings far more to the picture.
His all-round play rivals that of those in other positions. Every single week we see him drop deep and pick out passes to match that of the finest distributors in the game. He can do this while returning a staggering 61 goals in 51 appearances across all appearances for Bayern last season.
Kane is a one-of-a-kind forward. Inevitable questions of how England will replaced the 33-year-old following their recent World Cup disappointment were expected and yet it's a problem they simply can't solve in a like-for-like capacity. You simple won't find anyone else like him, or certainly anywhere close to his level.
So when his name was announced at the Palladium in London, I couldn't help but be pleased about it.
He returns to club action in Saturday's late kick-off as Bayern Munich host Borussia Dortmund in what the Bundesliga's marketing department call 'Der Klassiker'. It gets the Sky Sports treatment and it's definitely the game to watch considering these two sides are locked on 17 points each at the top of the division.
These games are often action-packed as you'd expect. Each of the previous four have delivered at least three goals with two of these seeing both sides netting at least twice.
The focus simply has to be on Kane, but rather than taking the 1/2 on him scoring anytime (although that feels a 'Super Boost' style bet with some bookmakers so perhaps take a look beforehand), there's 19/5 for KANE 1+ ASSISTS, with the 3/1ish prices available elsewhere also well worth taking.
Kane's goalscoring record is phenomenal but we know exactly what his style of play is. He's recorded seven assists in ten Bundesliga and Champions League outings this season with far more chances created.
He's nearly at last season's total tally of seven already but there's definitely been an increase in creative output in the current campaign. Kane averaged 1.51 chances created per 90 in the Bundesliga in 25/26 and across the opening exchanges of this season the figure stands at 2.69.
The 25/26 season was his first at Bayern where the assists tally sat below double figures. While we'd expect him to be directly involved in the goals but scoring himself, a likely high-scoring game will mean he should still be creating plenty for others.
At a bigger price in the same market is ALEKSANDAR PAVLOVIC to record an assist. He's a best price of 15/2 but the 11/2 generally is still great value when you focus on chances created as opposed to his sole assist.
The midfielder is a regular for Bayern and he's created at least three chances in four of his six Bundesliga appearances this season. One of those games was the 6-1 thrashing of RB Leipzig and he only played 59 minutes of it.
Pavlovic has the freedom to occupy an advanced position when Bayern are attacking. He's had 3+ shots in two league games but there's not quite been the consistency there to side with the odds of around the 7/4 mark for two or more in this game.
It doesn't have to be a pinpoint pass over 30/40 yards to make this a winner either. You can find him at the edge of the area and a simple enough pass to a team mate capable of placing it would be enough for returns.
On the game itself, as I have repeatedly said in the past I never trust Dortmund which could also work in a positive way for them. I wouldn't take Bayern's price of 1/3 for victory anyway, even in a Saturday late kick-off accumulator if I was having one.
There's also no value in the goals. Over 2.5 is priced up at 1/4 with over 3.5 a general 8/13. Perhaps Dortmund's 9/5 to strike twice is worth consideration given their form in this fixture.
Instead, I'm siding with Kane and Pavlovic playing their part in repeated Bayern attacks.
Odds correct at 11:50 GMT (30/10/26)
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