Bundesliga Match Day 5: Wrap-Up
It is so hard to be this bad at predicting games. Like, you would think I put in an offseason of work just be to able to pick LOSERS. One of those bad beats I took was when I picked Bayern Munich. Granted, Bayern didn't actually lose the game, but its 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg was certainly stunning, unexpected, and the product of a gritty (no, not this Gritty) effort from Fuggerstädter.
A tremendously patient and sublime goal from Arjen Robben gave Die Roten a 1-0 lead that looked like it would stand up, but Augsburg never quit.
Using an 87th minute tally from former Bayern Munich player Felix Götze, Augsburg successfully secured a draw to gain a point and shock the record champions.
Admittedly, we thought this would be a laugher for Bayern, even with what we knew would be a crazy lineup. By starting Leon Goretzka at left back, Niko Kovač knew his lineup would likely experience some uneven play and it did. The first part of the game saw Bayern struggling to find itself and even when it did start to gain some momentum, it was some sloppy finishing from Renato Sanches that cost Die Roten a few more goals.
For Augsburg this was a tremendous effort and one that maybe the rest of the Bundesliga can learn from. Fuggerstädter never backed down from Bayern and didn't resort to trying to physically decimate Die Roten either, Augsburg simply just played with Bayern and it worked! Instead of parking the bus and sitting deep, Augsburg made an attempt to play the game and were justly rewarded.
Predicted score: Bayern Munich 4, FC Augsburg 0
SC Freiburg 1, Schalke 0: This is not good for Schalke. An 0-5 start was not in the cards, Florian Niederlechner's 27th minute goal ensured that's exactly what was going to happen. Schalke just can't score or really create any sort of offensive threat with any type of consistency. Domenico Tedesco is assuredly on the hot seat and the road will not get any easier for the young coach. Things have spiraled out of control a bit and now Schalke is beyond desperate for a 'W.' With a very winnable game against Mainz up next, now would be as good a time as any for Schalke to figure out what ails it. For Freiburg, it was a welcome second win in a row for Christian Streich's side.
And apparently the answer to this is a resounding YES.
Predicted score: Schalke 04 2, SC Freiburg 1
Hoffenheim 3, Hannover 96 1: Die Kraichgauer used goals from Joshua Brenet, Pavel Kaderabek, and Ishak Belfodil to push aside the ever-scrappy boys from Hannover 96. Hoffenheim is going to have its down days, but Julian Nagelsmann will likely keep this team firmly in top six contention despite his lame duck status. Beating teams like Hannover is exactly what Hoffenheim needs to - and should be - doing at this stage. Niclas Füllkrug provided the goal for Hannover via a penalty kick.
Predicted score: Hoffenheim 2, Hannover 96 1
Werder Bremen 3, Hertha Berlin 1: ALERT! ALERT! Die Werderaner is for real. We could see glimpses of Werder Bremen's potential during the second half of last season, but now we are seeing just how effective Die Grün-Weißen can be. Goals from Martin Harnik and Milos Veljkovic gave Werder Bremen a 2-0 lead before Hertha Berlin's Javairo Dilrosun cut the lead with a goal of his own. A penalty kick from Max Kruse, however, provided Die Werderaner with the necessary insurance in the 66th minute to secure the victory.
This start by Werder Bremen should have drawn the attention from the rest of the Bundesliga and
Die Grün-Weißen may only be getting stronger as Josh Sargent's emergence looking more and more likely very soon. Bremen could be even more potent very shortly.
Predicted score: Werder Bremen 2, Hertha Berlin 2
Bayer Leverkusen 2, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1: Kevin Volland's brace powered the Leverkusen offense to help Die Werkself secure the much-needed victory. Leverkusen has underachieved thus far, so being able to come away with a win over a pesky opponent could help propel them in the right direction. For F95, Rouwen Hennings scored in extra time, but was unable to hold Leverkusen down long enough to at least secure a draw.
Predicted score: Bayer Leverkusen 3, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 (W)
Borussia Dortmund 7, FC Nürnberg 0: Welcome to the top flight Nürnberg! Dortmund didn't waste any time doling out pleasantries as it demolished Der Club. Impressive 20-year old Dane, Jacob-Bruun Larsen started the scoring for BVB just nine minutes into the game, but they were far from done. Marco Reus added a brace, while Achraf Hakimi, Manuel Akanji, Jadon Sancho, and Julian Weigl also scored.
THIS was the type of offensive outburst we've been waiting to see from Dortmund all season.
Predicted score: Borussia Dortmund 3, FC Nürnberg 1 (W)
RB Leipzig 2, VfB Stuttgart 0: Willi Orban and Jean-Kevin Augustin supplied the goals for Die Roten Bullen, but the story here is more about how wildly inconsistent VfB Stuttgart is. Give Leipzig credit for going out and finally taking control of a game, but Stuttgart is in bad shape if it cannot score against a Leipzig squad that rest defense as an "option."
Predicted score: RB Leipzig 3, VfB Stuttgart 2 (W)
Borussia Monchengladbach 3, Eintracht Frankfurt 1: M'Gladbach used goals from Alassane Plea, Thorgan Hazard, and Nico Elvedi to outlast Die Adler and secure another impressive win. Die Fohlen has been on a nice run to start the season and has displayed far more consistency than last season. Whether or not the team has turned the corner remains to be seen, but they have been impressive aside of the misstep last week against Hertha Berlin.
We thought Eintracht Frankfurt was finally getting its bearings, but they are still a bit off. Ante Rebic provided the goal for Die Adler, but it looks like they need a bit more time to before they're ready to really compete.
Predicted score: Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Eintracht Frankfurt 2 (L)
Mainz 0, Wolfsburg 0: Thanks for nothing Wolfsburg! Anyway, this one actually was entertaining despite the lack of goals. We though the Wolves were primed to get by Mainz, but like usual we were wrong!
Predicted score: Wolfsburg 2, Mainz 1 (L)
Weekly record: 4-5
Season record: 19-26
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.
