Bundesliga Match Day 5: Preview and Forecast
In an English week, any number of lineup changes could come into play for the teams of the Bundelsiga. That said, the Borussia Monchengladbach-Eintracht Frankfurt tilt should be among the marquee match-ups for Match Day 5 regardless of which players take the field.
M'Gladbach will be looking to get back on the right track after dropping a disappointing 4-2 decision to Hertha Berlin on Saturday, while Eintracht Frankfurt is seeking to grab a 'W' in hopes of creeping back up to the top half of the table.
This match-up feels like the teams will play to a stalemate, but it doesn't mean it won't exciting. M'Gladbach needs to dust itself off from that beating at the hands of Hertha Berlin, while Frankfurt is seeking to gain any semblance of momentum under Adi Hütter if it truly wants to being a steady progression up the table.
For Die Adler, the offensive talent and prowess is there, but it needs refinement and a little bit more consistency from the defenders. Luka Jović, Ante Rebić, Sebastian Haller, and Mijat Gaćinović are a talented and potent quartet for Hütter to use as he sees fit offensively, while Thorgan Hazard, Alassane Pléa, Jonas Hofmann, and Patrick Herrmann have been the most dangerous weapons for the Die Fohlen.
Eintracht Frankfurt and M'Gladbach are two of the biggest enigmas in the league. Each has the potential to play spectacularly one game before pulling a no-show the next. It would be tremendous for the Bundesliga (and each team!) if either could really assert itself in the coming weeks enough to throw a scare into Bayern Munich. Both squads offer the pace and technical ability to compete with Bayern on the right day, but will either squad be capable of that sort of effort this season? Right now, it looks doubtful...but that could change.
We expect a tight game with some excitement, but it just feels like these two squads are too evenly matched at that moment.
Prediction: Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Eintracht Frankfurt 2
Werder Bremen 2, Hertha Berlin 2: Bremen's somewhat lucky win over Augsburg last weekend has them sitting pretty in the Bundesliga standings, but a date with newly-minted buzzsaw Hertha Berlin could leave them in a bit of a struggle. Die Alte Dame has been excellent in calmly taking care of business with three wins in four games, but Bremen has not be a slouch by any stretch.
With the short week, this is truly a boom or bust game. We kind of think that both squads will struggle a bit defensively and will ultimately draw, but this is a key match to keep an eye on. These squads could conceivably be in the battle for a top six spot in the table as the season progresses.
Schalke 04 2, SC Freiburg 1: The importance of this game for Schalke cannot be overstated. The heat is on Domenico Tedesco and his squad absolutely needs a victory. As Freiburg proved on Sunday, however, Breisgau-Brasilianer will not be an easy out. If Schalke loses this one, it could be the catalyst for a huge overhaul, including some calls for Tedesco's job. Die Königsblauen will need Mark Uth or Breel Embolo to make an impact after both were neutralized against Bayern Munich. There's no feeling whatsoever on how Tedesco will set his team up for this one. With a state of desperation in the air, Tedesco will likely do whatever is necessary to try and secure a victory in what is now the most important game of the season for Schalke.
Bayern Munich 4, FC Augsburg 0: It is hard to tell what kind of lineup Niko Kovač will roll out for this game. With Hertha Berlin looming next weekend and a Champions League date with Ajax shortly thereafter, Kovač could opt to look at this Augsburg game as a chance to mix things up. With Corentin Tolisso, Kingsley Coman, and Rafinha already injured and due to miss significant time (Tolisso is done for the year), Kovac will likely opt to use Sandro Wagner and Renato Sanches at a minimum. From there, who knows? The reality is, however, Bayern really won't need to do much to hammer Augsburg with any combination of players from its roster. For Fuggerstädter, Philipp Max will get a chance to show Germany what it has been missing from the national team.
Hoffenheim 2, Hannover 96 1: Hoffenheim let what looked like a surefire victory slip away in the final minutes against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, so Julian Nagelsmann will be looking to rally his troops in hopes of avoiding another disappointment. Hannover won't go down easily, though, especially after under-performing last weekend against FC Nürnberg. This has potential to be one of the true gems of the week as it will no doubt be a physical and intense match.Hoffenheim's Kevin Vogt will likely have to play a key role in trying to slow down Hannover's Niclas Füllkrug.
Bayer Leverkusen 3, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1: Leverkusen's vaunted offense is still not clicking, so predicting three goals against a tough F95 squad might seem like a reach. Admittedly, it is! But Die Werkself has to breakthrough at some point and has young legs, which should be less affected by the English week. The moment that Julian Brandt, Leon Bailey, and Kai Havertz finally put it together will be an epiphany for the squad, but the longer they take to figure things out, the longer Heiko Herrlich's future will be in question.
Düsseldorf has been a quality opponent for everyone and has been such a competitor in its return to the top flight. Following the path paved by Hannover 96 last season, F95 is making each opponent work extremely hard and not taking on the role of league doormat. Even with that though, we expect Leverkusen to make a statement in this one.
Borussia Dortmund 3, FC Nürnberg 1: Dortmund needed a late goal from Christian Pulisic to force a draw with Hoffenheim and it appears that Lucien Favre is having just as much trouble figuring out the BVB roster as his predecessors did. Dortmund is really perplexing. Offensively they have the requisite talent to be able to score with and on any team in the league. Defensively, however, BVB is young in the middle and prone to mistakes. Nürnberg won't rollover for BVB, but this should be a game where Dortmund asserts itself early.
For the longest time I've credited Marco Reus with being the engine behind Dortmund, but in reality, Pulisic is slowly morphing into that role. Pulisic doesn't need to break out (he already has), but his continued growth as a leader and focal point of the BVB attack only great displays his emergence as a world class player.
Wolfsburg 2, Mainz 1: Wolfsburg came back down to Earth on Match Day 4 when it dropped a 3-1 decision to Freiburg, but Mainz is offering the Wolves a great opportunity to get back on the winning track. Mainz has been markedly better this season and shouldn't be considered an easy out for anyone, but the feeling is that Wolfsburg is going to pull it out.
RB Leipzig 3, VfB Stuttgart 2: Leipzig's inconsistency is maddening and has Die Roten Bullen scuffling along in each game that they play. The Europa League loss to RB Salzburg gave the indication of just how far the squad is away from being a legitimate contender in the Bundesliga or the Europa League.
Stuttgart needs to find its bearings as well, which is why this is a perfect match-up. We hope to see these two squads engage on a fun and entertaining offensive showdown, but neither side has really displayed the consistency to be a clear favorite. We'll take RBL, but we're not overly confident.
Last week's 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.
