Match Day 23: Weekend Wrap-Up
We kind of thought RB Leipzig-Eintracht Frankfurt tilt would have a good chance to be the game of the weekend and it lived up to the billing. After Leipzig took an early lead on a goal from Jean-Kevin Augustin, the Eagles stormed back with consecutive goals from Timmy Chandler and Kevin-Prince Boateng to take a 2-1 lead that Frankfurt would never relinquish.
It was the fourth win in five Bundesliga matches for the Eagles, who look formidable and confident under Niko Kovac. For Leipzig, the strategy to rest Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg, and Yussuf Poulsen was highly questionable by Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Even with its Europa League contest scheduled for Thursday, perhaps Leipzig could have balanced its squad a little better to compete with Eintracht Frankfurt.
In other Bundesliga action from the weekend:
Mainz 2, Hertha Berlin 0: Robin Quiason netted two goals to provide Mainz with a much needed win. Mainz, which is still in the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE, had lost three Bundesliga contests in a row and four overall prior to running away from Hertha Berlin. Hertha, which last lost on January 13th, must pick up the pieces (once again). Last week's 2-0 shocker over Bayern Leverkusen looks more like an aberration after this one.
Bayer Leverkusen 2, Hamburger SV 1: Leverkusen put itself back on track with goals from Leon Bailey and Kai Havertz in pushing off Hamburger. Bailey has continued his torrid run and has to be one of the players that will garner major interest in the next transfer window. Andre Hahn's goal for Hamburger gave the squad a little life, but not enough to get any closer to a draw with Leverkusen and maintain a firm standing in the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE.
FC Koln 1, Hannover 96 1: FC Koln could have help itself out by eeking past Hannover, but Niklas Fullkrug's goal in the 30th minute tied the game and sealed a draw as neither team could breakthrough after that. Yuya Osako's goal sparked the Billy Goats early, but the resurgent Koln squad remains in the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE because of a horrendous start under current Dortmund coach Peter Stoger.
Bayern Munich 2, Wolfsburg 1: Trailing 1-0 for a long period of the game, the "B" unit of Jupp Heynckes' Die Roten eventually got going when Thomas Muller entered the game as a substitute. Muller ignited the offense and help start a play that ultimately resulted in Sandro Wagner header off of a beautiful feed from Arjen Robben. Robert Lewandowski's 90th minute PK sealed another Bayern win, while Wolfsburg was left wondering how it let the game slip away.
SC Freiburg 1, Werder Bremen 0: Nils Peterson scored the game's lone goal and kept Freiburg on the righteous path to being a formidable team. Freiburg has only lost twice in all competitions since December 20th and does have some intriguing pieces that could keep them in the middle of the table for the remainder of the season. Bremen's lack of prowess ensured that it is still firmly in the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE.
Schalke 04 2, Hoffenheim 1: Schalke's hot start saw Thilo Kehrer (11') and Breel Embolo (28') give the Royal Blues an ealry 2-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Hoffenheim yet again put in a lackluster effort with Andrej Kramaric notching his fourth goal in his last three games. Hoffenheim's scuffle with consistency it has to be alarming for any of the big name clubs that were targeting Julian Nagelsmann. It would appear that the young coaching phenom may need a little more seasoning before getting the big call.
VfB Stuttgart 1, Augsburg 0: Mario Gomez's goal was the winner for Stuttgart, but was maybe more important for Gomez in terms of bolstering his resume to nail down a spot on Jogi Low's World Cup roster. Gomez is in a fierce battle for a striker spot with the likes of Wagner, Timo Werner, Kevin Volland, and Lars Stindl among others. The experience of Gomez compared to the rest of that group is not even close, but Werner (speed) and Wagner (strength) offer a good yin/yang. Perhaps Gomez could still sneak on to the squad if Low opts for a third striker, but he surely didn't hurt his chances this weekend of remaining in the heat of that positional battle.
Borussia Dortmund 1, Borussia Monchengladbach 0: Marco Reus was the difference maker for Dortmund as he scored the game's only goal and has continued his impressive play since returning from a long-term knee injury last weekend. M'Gladbach continues to be a bit snake bitten and needs to start to experiment with ways to get its offense moving. There is too much firepower there to be this dormant offensively. You could make a strong case that M'Gladbach was the better and more consistent team in the game, but just could not convert. It could be a case that I am overrating the talent at M'Gladbach, but I feel like there is more to see with that roster than they have shown this season.
This week's prediction record: 4-5
Overall prediction record: 12-15
Note: Predicted ties count as a win if correct and a loss if there is a winner in the game; conversely games that end in ties, but where a winner is predicted count as a loss.
