Bundesliga Match Day 24: Preview and Forecast
Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke 04 will hookup for what appears to be the Bundesliga's premiere match for the weekend. For Schalke 04, this game represents an opportunity to move into the coveted Champions League spots, but with Weston McKennie (not playing) and Leon Goretzka (questionable) hobbled, the Royal Blues could be at a big disadvantage.
Leverkusen, for its part, just needs to keep rolling behind the talented trio of Kevin Volland, Leon Bailey, and Julian Brandt and we think that Schalke 04 is going to come up short because of that threesome. Let's call it in an entertaining game, but we see Leverkusen putting a little distance between Schalke 04 and themselves.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 3, Schalke 2.
Mainz 2, Wolfsburg 2: This contest is surely not one of the Bundesliga’s marquee pairings of the weekend, but will hold some important implications regardless. With both squads scuffling, a win for either side would be a huge boost in trying to get out of the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE. Mainz is currently one-pont behind the Wolves, but we don't see any ground being gained this weekend as we are expecting a draw.
Hoffenheim 2, SC Freiburg 1: This one could be a game to watch as Freiburg has been an intriguing team, while Hoffenheim is looking to regain a bit of the luster it lost during its January slide. We would love to see some of Hoffenheim's talent start to shine through a bit. Mark Uth and Andrej Kramaric will need to ensure that happens if Julian Nagelsmann's team wants to get back to being a more consistent side.
Eintracht Frankfurt 3, VfB Stuttgart 1: Frankfurt has become one of the league’s most fascinating and exciting teams to watch. With Sebastian Haller, Luka Jovic, Marius Wolf, and Ante Rebic (Kevin-Prince Boateng is down this weekend due to an accumulation of Yellow Cards) as consistent scoring threats, the Eagles have their sights firmly set on a Champions League bid for next season. Stuttgart, however, has been largely inconsistent, but does feature a resurgent Mario Gomez, who is taking steps in his attempt to nail down a World Cup roster spot.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Hannover 96 1: Hannover 96 has become the pest of the league. They are not talented enough to compete for a Euro league spot, but no one has told them that yet and week after week, they seem to press another unwilling opponent into an uncomfortable game. Monchengladbach has under-performed, but needs to breakout of its slump at some point. This week is the week! (or so we have thought for the past 4 weeks!). M'Gladbach has to turn it around this weekend, right? Bueller? Bueller?
Bayern Munich 4, Hertha Berlin 0: Bayern is on and incredible run and is coming off of 5-0 thrashing of Besiktas in Champions League competition. I cannot see a way Hertha Berlin derails the Bayern Train. With a deep and abundantly talented bench, Bayern could roll out any number of combinations of its roster and still roll right over Hertha Berlin. Die Roten will likely be without Jerome Boateng (illness) and James Rodriguez (calf injury) - and possibly Joshua Kimmich and Mats Hummels - but none of that should have a terminal effect. Expect the boys from Bayern to roll through Hertha Berlin, who succumbed to lowly Mainz last week.
Hamburger SV 2, Werder Bremen 1: Bremen’s awful start to the season has not prevented it from bolstering its core of young players. Bremen's biggest move of the week was bringing in USA young gun Josh Sargent, who will eventually get a chance to show his mettle in Euro futbol. Hamburger is winless in it last six Bundesliga games, but we feel like that luck is going to change this week. (Honestly, we are totally guessing on this).
RB Leipzig 3, FC Koln 1: Koln has been a more inspired squad of late, but Leipzig will surely be looking to change its momentum after an awful Europa League showing against Napoli on Thursday. Ralph Hassenhuttl would be wise to get the pairing of Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg back together in an effort to get the Leipzig offense back on track.
Borussia Dortmund 4, FC Augsburg 1: Dortmund’s offensive firepower is undeniable and it should be on full display against an over-matched Augsburg side. For whatever its worth, the return of Marco Reus, coupled with the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and arrival of Michy Batshuayi, has brought stability and confidence to the roster. Peter Stoger, as well, deserves some credit for extinguishing the dumpster fire that was going on under Peter Bosz.
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.
