Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt Tips: Preview and Predictions for DFB Pokal semi-final

This Wednesday Bayern Munich host Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final of the DFB Pokal. The two sides are enduring very dissimilar campaigns in the German top-flight, with Bayern yet again leading the way and looking as though they will win the title for an eighth consecutive season.

On the other hand, Eintracht Frankfurt lie 11th in the Bundesliga and only eight points above the relegation zone. Domestic form counts for nothing in the cup, however, and the visitors will be looking to cause a major upset at the Allianz Arena.

Frankfurt are unsurprisingly firm underdogs for this dual, priced at 19/1, while 1/8-priced Bayern Munich are expected to make lightweight of their opponents and coast through to the final of this prestigious competition for the seventh time in the last nine seasons, given a resounding 88.9% chance of victory by the bookies.

With the league title essentially already wrapped up, it's unlikely that Bayern manager Hansi Flik will rest any of his key men in this one. Corentin Tolisso is the only new injury concern for the German champions, while Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller are expected to feature considering they are both suspended for this weekend's league clash against Borussia Monchengladbach.

Frankfurt have a few more injury worries, with Gelson Fernandes and Goncalo Paciencia both sidelined. BettingOdds.com's three key bets for this Wednesday's clash - which have each been boosted by Betfair and Paddy Power to ensure you are getting the maximum amount of value - can be found below, so make sure you give this preview a read and are present in front of the TV - tuned to BT Sport - at 19.45 for this showdown.

For our short-priced selection we're backing Joshua Kimmich to have 1 or more shots on target. The German defender-turned-midfielder has been in top form for Bayern all season long and has really highlighted his quality in the centre of the park since football's resumption in May.

Kimmich is a more defensive-minded midfielder whose main strengths lie in his ball retention and ability to create chances from deep, though that doesn't stop him getting shots away on goal whenever he is presented with half a chance.

We saw it against Dortmund with that spectacular long-range lob which proved to be the match-winner, and the 25-year-old was also on the scoresheet during Bayern's 1-0 win over Schalke in the last round of this competition so has plenty of previous in the DFB Pokal.

Martin Hinteregger has been a favourite of ours since the Bundesliga's return. The Frankfurt defender is his club's leading goalscorer this season but he is also fond of a caution, seeing yellow eight times this season with three of those bookings coming in his previous five appearances. 

The 27-year-old's name made its way into the referee's notepad during Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Mainz, and lining up on the left hand side of a back three, directly against the lively Kinsley Coman - who has frightening pace and will head into this match brimming with confidence following his goal against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend - Hinteregger could be forced into making another mistake here.

We've doubled this bet up with Serge Gnabry to have 2+ shots on target. The German wide man was terrific against Leverkusen on Saturday, executing a beautiful lobbed finish to help his side win 4-2 at the BayArena. He is also one of the highest-rated midfielders for shots on target this term having registered 36 in 28 games. Gnabry will be itching to continue his fine form and assist his side into the DFB Pokal final, and at odds of 10/11, adding the 24-year-old helps to boost this bet to an appetising 13/2 (boosted from 5/1).

Our longshot selection includes Thomas Muller registering one or more shots on target. The German playmaker has been sensational for Bayern this season and on Saturday broke a Bundesliga record for most assists in a single season (20). Muller is always at the centre point of Bayern attacks, whether it be creating space off the ball for his teammates to run in to, laying off chances or getting shots away at goal himself.

We're expecting it to be all Bayern on Wednesday evening, and as the match wears on and Frankfurt become tired, more openings will likely be presented to players like Muller to take in front of goal. Muller was on the scoresheet against Frankfurt when the two sides met in the league a few weeks ago, and we're backing him to be influential again in this tie. 

We're also including Bayern's marauding full-back Benjamin Pavard to score anytime. While this selection may seem a little audacious on the face of it, the Frenchman is always keen to join in when his team are attacking and has scored two goals in the Bundesliga since the league restarted in May. Frankfurt have been leaking goals for fun of late (14 in their last six games) highlighting the fact that they are weak defensively and open to attack's from all corridors of the pitch. At 9/1, Pavard goes into our longshot to help boost the odds significantly.

To round this bet off we've also tipped Frankfurt's Dominik Kohr to be booked. The 26-year-old is the visitors' second-most yellow carded player this season with five bookings to his name and will line up in the thick of it in the middle of the park, tasked with containing an extremely lively midfield trio containing Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka - something which could ultimately force a mistake out of him which could lead to his sixth yellow of the campaign.

This enticing treble is priced up at 45/1 with Paddy's, boosted from 33/1.