Bundesliga Match Day 4: Weekend Wrap-Up
Hertha Berlin is for real.
We absolutely doubted Die Alte Dame and like most predictions and assertions we make, WE WERE WRONG. Hertha Berlin looked a potent roster from Borussia Monchengladbach in the face and banged home four goals to defeat Die Fohlen 4-2.
After Thorgan Hazard buried a PK in the 29th minute, M'Gladbach looked like it might continue its hot start, but just two minutes later Vedad Ibisevic knotted the game before Valentino Lazaro gave Hertha Berlin the lead three minutes after that.
Ibisevic, who is 34 (!), struck again in the 63rd minute to give Die Alte Dame a 3-1 lead before Alassane Plea pushed the Foals back into the game just four minutes later. Ultimately, though, Hertha Berlin hung on and even tacked on an insurance goal from 23-year old Slovakian Ondrej Duda (four goals this season).
This was a huge win for Hertha Berlin and plants them firmly in second place of the league with 10 points.
As for M'Gladbach...well, you know how we feel about them every time we buy into them.
Prediction: Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Hertha Berlin 1 (L)
Bayern Munich 2, Schalke 0: Bayern used goals from James Rodriguez and Robert Lewandowski (PK) to sneak by a hapless Schalke side that could not create any offense. Make no mistake, it was a dominant effort by Die Roten, but Schalke does not appear to have any direction at this point. Domenico Tedesco, last season's Bundesliga coach of the year, has not been able to rediscover that magic that he had last year. Schalke needs to find its identity as a team. The roster certainly has its strengths, but Die Königsblauen has not been able to put anything significant together aside from its Champions League draw against Porto. It has been a truly horrific start to the season for Schalke.
Bayern coach Niko Kovac, on the other hand, has pushed all of the right buttons when it comes to his strategy and player rotation. With a perfect record so far, Kovac has his team in terrific shape heading into a key stretch of games.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Schalke 0 (W)
VfB Stuttgart 0, Fortuna Düsseldorf 0: This one was largely uneventful when it comes to offense, but Die Schwaben goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler put forth a masterful effort in net. Zieler turned away seven shots en route to preserving a tie for Stuttgart. It was one of those frustrating games where Stuttgart was just unable to capitalize on its opportunities, but it is also lucky that Zieler turned in the performance that he did. .
Prediction: VfB Stuttgart 2, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 (L)
Werder Bremen 3, FC Augsburg 2: Maximilian Eggestein continued his torrid stretch for Werder Bremen as he teamed with Max Kruse and Davy Klaassen to outlast FC Augsburg in an exciting contest. Klaassen's 75th minute goal broke the tie after Ja-Cheol Koo and Philipp Max scored for Augsburg. Eggestein has been an enigma for Bremen this far and personifies the aggressive and youthful style that the squad has played so far this season.
Prediction: FC Augsburg 2, Werder Bremen 2 (L)
Hoffenheim 1, Borussia Dortmund 1: Joelinton's 44th minute tally and a 76th minute red card to Abdou Diallo were not enough to hold off a late rally by Borussia Dortmund. Marco Reus' cross found Christian Pulisic, who made an expertly timed run between the Hoffenheim defenders to score the game-tying goal in the 84th minute. Neither team walked away satisfied and Dortmund should take a long look at how it got to this point in the season despite playing so poorly.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3, Hoffenheim 2 (L)
FC Nürnberg 2, Hannover 96 0: Der Club is asserting itself in the Bundesliga quite nicely. With its victory over Hannover 96, Nürnberg is sitting in eight place, which isn't so bad for the newly promoted side. Hannover was assessed a red card in the 29th minute and later allowed Der Club to take the lead on an own goal in the 76th minute, but Nürnberg's Torless Knoll added a 77th minute tally to secure the win. This has been an EXTREMELY impressive start to the season for Der Club.
Prediction: Hannover 96 2, FC Nürnberg 1 (L)
SC Freiburg 3, Wolfsburg 1: WELCOME BACK TO REALITY WOLFSBURG! Just as I had bought into the Wolves, they went a head and gave me the Little Red Riding Hood treatment by luring me in before ultimately disappointing me. Freiburg's Roland Sallai, Nils Petersen, and Mike Frantz all scored, while Admir Mehmedi scored for the Wolves. This was an enormous win for Freiburg to halt a three-game winless streak and put them out of the reaches of the relegation danger zone. For the Wolves, it was a swift kick back to Bundesliga life after a very solid, yet unexpected start to the season.
Prediction: Wolfsburg 3, SC Freiburg 2 (L)
Bayer Leverkusen 1, Mainz 0: A 62nd minute goal from Kai Havertz (assisted by Julian Brandt) powered Die Werkself to its only Bundesliga win of the season over a shockingly game Mainz side. Sure, Mainz deserves some credit for its toughness and ability to push its opponents, but Leverkusen is underachieving and the Die Werkself fans should be concerned. Unless Heiko Herrlich can build off of this victory and get some momentum going, he could be looking over his shoulder shortly.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 4, Mainz 1 (W)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1, RB Leipzig 1: In a tale of two clubs that are undoubtedly not thrilled with their respective starts, Die Adler and Die Roten Bullen played to a 1-1 draw. Gelson Fernandes' 26th minute tally gave Frankfurt an early lead, but Emil Forsberg's 54th minute penalty kick conversion knotted the game to leave both teams frustrated. Ralf Rangnick's hold on his squad is loosening as the roster has not yet looked comfortable under the new boss.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2, RB Leipzig 2 (W)
Weekly record: 3-6
Season record: 15-21
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.
