Bundesliga Match Day 28: Preview and Forecast
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It is once again time for the fabled match-up between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund now that international break has concluded. Sadly, however, a little bit of the luster has been taken from the game now that BVB's Marco Reus is likely out and Die Roten's Jerome Boateng is questionable (at least as of today). Despite those omissions, however, the game should offer viewers a lot to analyze. Bayern is coming off of a disappointing 2-1 loss to an energized RB Leipzig side, while Dortmund outlasted Hannover 96 1-0 in its last match.
With the Bundesliga title essentially in hand, Bayern is focused on the UEFA Champions League and its upcoming tie vs. Sevilla. Jupp Heynckes obviously knows the importance of Der Klassiker, but he's more than aware of the bigger picture for Bayern. With many of his players pulling double duty on their national teams, it will be interesting to see how deep the squad rotation will roll for Heynckes.
For Dortmund, the large majority of its core has been resting and is now geared up for an entertaining battle. The likes of Mario Gotze, André Schürrle , and Christian Pulisic will be counted on to create chances for Michy Batshuayi.
The uncertainties surrounding Heynckes' lineup make this match a very difficult game to predict. BVB will, no doubt, be fired up for the contest, but for Bayern it's just another distraction from the Champions League. Even with that, we feel like Bayern will be able to generate enough offense to overwhelm the Dortmund back-line. Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Borussia Dortmund 2.
Bayer Leverkusen 3, FC Augsburg 1: Leverkusen's Julian Brandt was one of the Germany players who helped his cause over the international break. While inconsistent at times for Leverkusen, Brandt was a spark for Die Mannschaft and flashed the potential that Bundesliga fans have seen glimpses of over the past two seasons. The quality performance for Brandt may just be the confidence boost he needed to really get moving for Leverkusen. We expect to see the trouble-making trip of Brandt, Leon Bailey, and Kevin Volland making life miserable for Augsburg.
RB Leipzig 2, Hannover 96 0: Leipzig's aforementioned win over Bayern came at a pretty terrible time for the young squad as it led right into the international break. It would have been a very nice swing of momentum for Leipzig to get right back to league play, but alas, here they are...waiting a whole two weeks to prove they can be a consistent team. As we've repeatedly here many times, Hannover's year is already a success and has been extremely impressive...that said, they are going to run into a tough and motivated Leipzig side that is eager to get back in the running for a top four slot.
Hoffenheim 2, FC Koln 1: Koln has been one of our favorite teams to watch over the past three months, but if feels like Hoffenheim is ready to make a surge back into the top six fight. If Julian Nagelsmann's squad is going to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League, it can't afford a slip up against a very game Billy Goats squad.
Schalke 04 3, SC Frieburg 1: Schalke is the pace setter among non-Bayern teams and is deservedly ahead of both BVB and Eintracht Frankfurt. The Royals Blues have relied on tremendous balance during their five game win streak and have been bolstered a slew of players including Guido Burgstaller, Leon Goretzka, Max Meyer, Naldo, and Daniel Caligiuri among others. Freiburg has been mostly reliant on Nils Peterson to generate its offense as he has 13 goals on the season. It feels like Schalke is not going to slow down right now and be tripped up.
VfB Stuttgart 2, Hamburger SV 1: Mario Gomez looked revitalized heading into the international break. The 32-year old striker entered Germany's friendlies with an opportunity to cement his role on the national team, but failed to capitalize on the opportunity. We are very interested to see if Gomez's struggles carry over and affect his game play with Stuttgart. Der Dinosaur, meanwhile, is on a wretched string of games and is winless in its last 14 Bundesliga games.
Hertha Berlin 2, Wolfsburg 1: Speaking of teams on a wretched run, the Wolves are struggling mightily as they are winless in their last seven matches. Hertha is not exactly on fire either with just two wins in its last 10 Bundesliga games, but we feel like Hertha is poised to pull this one out. This is not a game of the week candidate (just in case you were wondering).
Eintracht Frankfurt 1, Werder Bremen 1: The Eagles have been stellar under Niko Kovac and Werder has picked up its play of late with a 4-1-1- record in its last six games. For whatever ungodly reason, we feel like Werder Bremen is going to come out of this with a draw. Werder is playing more aggressive and we just generally like the extra fervor they've played with of late. It's not a knock on Frankfurt as much as it is an endorsement of Bremen. On a side note, Frankfurt is going to be playing in Philadelphia this summer for a friendly against the Union and we may have to pay Mr. Kovac and company a visit during their stay in our friendly confines.
Borussia Monchengladbach 3, Mainz 1: M'Gladbach...every week is the week that Lars Stindl and the boys are going to right their ship and make a charge toward the top six spots. They are only seven points out...they have lethal scoring power...they, they.....they are just going fool me again and I am going to let it happen (as illustrated below).
Season record: 34-29
Note: Predicted ties count as a win if correct and as a loss if there is a winner; conversely if a game is predicted to have a winner but ends in a tie, it will count as a loss.
