Bundesliga Match Day 30: Preview and Forecast
- Chuck Smith
- Apr 13, 2018
- 4 min read
Did we miss something this morning?
It was an eventful, Bayern Munich-filled morning for the Bundesliga. Aside of drawing Real Madrid in what should be a sensational tie for the Champions League, Die Roten announced the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt's Niko Kovac as the coach who will succeed Jupp Heynckes.
The move, which leaked out last night, presents Bayern with a very intriguing option to be the man in Munich next season. Kovac's detractors think he's too defensive-minded and conservative to succeed at Bayern, while also noting his lack of European League experience. On the other hand, Kovac's supporters hail his exemplary work at Frankfurt and his relentless work ethic that helped turn the club around.
In any event, with all of that going on, Bayern still had to prepare for a tilt vs. Borussia Monchengladbach. The Foals have been a disappointing side thus far mostly because of their inconsistency, but did show signs of life last week when they battled back to capture a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin. If Bayern is not focused, the Foals just the kind of team to give them issues.
The Bayern lineup will also likely be a mish-mash of players that Heynckes cobbles together to cover for injuries and rest, which he can afford given that Bayern clinched its 6th league title last week in a 4-1 win over FC Augsburg.
Even with all of the factors working against it, we expect the good run by Bayern to continue this week.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 1
FC Augsburg 2, Wolfsburg 1: Augsburg ran into the Bayern buzzsaw last week and despite a very good opening, could not hold off Die Roten too long before Bayern ran away with the game. The Wolves, to their credit, turned in a very strong effort in dispatching SC Freiburg 2-0. It's not hard to imagine either team walking away with this one, but we think Augsburg is a tad better at this stage and should be able to hold a Wolves side that displayed great resilience last weekend. With Alfred Finnbogason banged up, we would expect 23-year old Austrian Michael Gregoritsch to lead the charge for FCA.
Bayer Leverkusen 3, EIntracht Frankfurt 2: Well, this game certainly got a little more interesting! In reality it was going to be a fun match-up anyway, but the hiring of Kovac by Bayern added just a little more intrigue for the casual observer. For Frankfurt, it's hard to imagine that there won't be a little distraction within the locker room, which could play a role in the game. Leverkusen, meanwhile, was a MACHINE in throttling RB Leipzig last week. Julian Brandt is starting to look like the world-class talent that he has been touted as and 18-year old phenom Kai Havertz also getting on the score sheet. It is scary to think of the offensive power this squad contains when those players, Leon Bailey, Kevin Volland, etc. are all in sync.
Hertha Berlin 1, FC Koln 1: Koln has fallen back on some hard times since upending Leverkusen a few weeks back and Hertha has been consistently inconsistent. We just sort of feel like this one has tie written all over it as neither team has been able to establish itself as a clear favorite. Koln's revitalization may be hitting a bit of a rough patch, but they are still fighting the pretty insurmountable tasks of avoiding relegation.
Hoffenheim 3, Hamburger SV 0: Lost in all of the other Bayern news this week, was that Hamburger striker prodigy, Jann-Fiete Arp will join Bayern if Hamburger is relegated due to a release clause in Arp's contract. We don't really see Hamburger being able to prevent the move with some timely wins at this stage; especially against a surging Hoffenheim side this week. Julian Nagelsmann's squad is barrelling toward a top six spot with its hot play. Unbeaten in its last six league games, we expect that run to continue. With the way this week has gone for Bayern, expect their loanee, Serge Gnabry, to get on the score sheet.
VfB Stuttgart 2, Hannover 96 1: Hannover has been one of the hardest teams in the league to gauge tjis season. They probably should not be as competitive as they have been, but they feature a roster of hungry players, who have taken the field with an edge. Their style just makes it tough for the opposition to gain much consistency. Stuttgart, meanwhile, has been a bit up-and-down. This is a game where Stuttgart needs Mario Gomez to lead the offense.
Borussia Dortmund 3, Schalke 04 2: This is a revenge game for BVB even though the first game ended in a 4-4 tie. Dortmund held a 4-0 lead before allowing Schalke to fight back with four second half goals to clinch a draw! It was, perhaps, the most embarrassing moment of the season for Dortmund (which says a lot considering they were bounced from the Europa League by RB Salzburg). If Peter Stoger has any aggression left in him, he's got to put together a lineup that at least includes Michy Batshuayi, Marco Reus, Christian Pulisic, and Max Philipp; push the pace right at Schalke and make them adjust to the Dortmund pressure. In general, Stoger needs to make a very confident Royal Blues side uncomfortable. We'll see how he handles it.
RB Leipzig 2, Werder Bremen 1: Leipzig could be suffering a bit of a hangover this weekend after dropping a heartbreaking tie to Marseille in the Europa League. This feels like a game where Timo Werner puts the squad on his back. Bremen, meanwhile, has been much better of late, despite the loss last week to Hannover.
SC Freiburg 3, Mainz 1: Freiburg will likely welcome Nils Petersen back to the line-up after his suspension from a red card and the squad will need him. Freiburg has not won in almost two months (February 17th!) and desperately needs a win to avoid getting itself in a spot where it could fall into the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE. Mainz, meanwhile, is on the outer edge of the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE and has not won since February 23rd.
Last week's record: 3-6
Season record: 41-40
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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