Bundesliga Match Day 29: Preview and Forecast
- Chuck Smith
- Apr 6, 2018
- 5 min read
Hoffenheim's Julian Nagelsmann and Eintracht Frankfurt's Nico Kovac are two of the coaches who have been linked to succeeding Jupp Heynckes at Bayern Munich after the season. This week, Kovac brushed off a potential moved, stating his commitment to Frankfurt, while Nagelsmann - who was once considered the front-runner - has faded to the background because of Hoffenheim's roller coaster performance this season.
Future Bayern aspirations for either man aside, Hoffenheim and the Eagles will hookup for an important match that may have European implications. Hoffenheim trails Frankfurt by just three points for the sixth place slot (Europa League qualification) and will surely be looking to capture a win so it can control its own destiny down the stretch.
Frankfurt employs a disciplined, defensive style that will likely give Hoffenheim some trouble. The Eagles' plan will likely focus on a deep, defensive formation with the hope to capitalize on the counter attack with forwards Sebastian Haller, Ante Rebic, or Luka Jovic; along with midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng. We feel as if Hoffenheim will approach the game with a bit more assertiveness and look to pressure Frankfurt with Mark Uth and Andrej Kramaric. An X-factor for Hoffenheim would be if Serge Gnabry (calf injury) is able to play, although that seems unlikely as of now.
We feel like Hoffenheim is starting to play with more cohesion and could be hitting Die Adler at the right time after a few weeks of uneven play.
Prediction: Hoffenheim 2, Eintracht Frankfurt 1
Werder Bremen 2, Hannover 96 1: With just one loss in its last seven Bundesliga games, Bremen has proven that it has turned the corner on what looked like a dismal season. Even with Hannover's ability to muck up games for its opposition, we still think Bremen will pull out the contest in the Friday special. It would be a good game for Max Kruse to push Bremen forward.
Bayern Munich 4, Augsburg 0: Bayern had a very choppy performance in a 2-1 win over Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday, which was a far cry from the dominant showing Die Roten displayed versus Borussia Dortmund last weekend. We would expect that Bayern's cadre of weapons get off in this one and make life hell for Augsburg. It's increasingly tough to predict who Jupp Heynckes will feature, but it's also safe to say that Bayern has more than enough talent to roll out anyone on its game day roster and be successful. Augsburg, meanwhile, has just one win in its last seven Bundesliga games.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Hertha Berlin 1: I am picking M'Gladbach in defiance now. So many weeks they have let me down and I just continue to pick them. It makes no sense. I should know better. I am an idiot. The Fohlenelf have suckered me in at least one more week. Perhaps, this will be a week where Lars Stindl and Thorgan Hazard play to their respective abilities and help push M'Gladbach forward.
FC Koln 2, Mainz 1: Koln took a 6-0 shellacking from Hoffenheim last weekend, but this Billy Goats squad has been nothing, if not resilient. Mainz forced M'Gladbach to a draw, but Koln has just looked like the better team over the past two months. This one should be close, but Mainz will have to show more consistency and get healthy before we are confident in their performance.
SC Freiburg 1, Wolfsburg 1: Right now, neither of these teams can do just about anything right. Freiburg *should* have an advantage in this one, but it has been really tough to trust how they will perform. Freiburg and Wolfsburg each have just one win in their last nine Bundesliga games, respectively. Without the scoring threat of Nils Peterson for Freiburg, this game just feels like a draw. The Wolves just haven't been able to generate enough consistent offense to think they are capable of pulling away from any Bundesliga side.
Schalke 04 3, Hamburger SV 0: Schalke has done just about everything possible to maintain its stronghold on second place as the Royal Blues have won six in a row. Der Dinosaur, meanwhile, has been atrocious this season. Aside of Weston McKennie, Schalke should be at full power and Domenico Tedesco has made the most of the balanced effort his team has had this season. While losing Leon Goretzka will absolutely hurt Schalke next year, the arrival of Uth should make them an even more potent offensive squad for the future.
Borussia Dortmund 3, VfB Stuttgart 2: Dortmund's implosion at Bayern last week was the latest in a series of failures for BVB. The embarrassment of getting bounced from the Europa League by RB Salzburg notwithstanding, Dortmund can't be this bad can they? The Back and Yellows will likely be without the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko and Marco Reus, so it will be up to Mario Götze , André Schürrle, Christian Pulisic, and Michy Batshuayi to carry BVB. Stuttgart is also coming off a bad result (1-1 tie vs. Hamburger) and will be looking to shake off that disappointment. Die Schwaben has the arsenal to compete goal-for-goal with Dortmund, if necessary, as well. I kind of feel like this game will morph into a shoot out with the aforementioned BVB quartet matching up against the likes of Mario Gomez and Daniel Ginczek.
Bayer Leverkusen 2, RB Leipzig 2: This match-up has potential to be the game of the week and will feature some of the best young talent in the Bundesliga. Julian Brandt and his new contract will be on full display after a disappointing 0-0 draw against Augsburg last week, while Timo Werner's crew is coming off of an exciting 1-0 Europa League win over Marseille. Last week, Leipzig snuck by Hannover with a 3-2 win, so Ralph Hasenhüttl's squad appears to be battle-ready for this match. We are hoping for a wild and competitive game, but think that we'll only see glimpses of each team's respective potential. Leverkusen should gamble on applying pressure to the shaky Leipzig back line and hope to force a few critical mistakes. For as solid as Werner has been this season, he has had trouble with consistency. It would be nice to see him find the score sheet again (we think he will) and help keep Leipzig pushing forward in the game. Both squads need this win, which means they will probably play it safe enough to walk away with a draw.
Last week's record: 4-5
Season record: 38-34
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.
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