Bundesliga Match Day 7: Preview and Forecast

Make or break time for Bayern Munich wasn't supposed to happen until about May or so for Bayern Munich, but here we are, in mid-October (again!) as Die Roten is scuffling along trying to find its way under a manager that is on the way to losing his locker room.

With disappointing draws against FC Augsburg and Ajax sandwiched around a humbling loss to Hertha Berlin, Bayern is wounded. Playing without confidence, cohesiveness, or clinical finishing, Die Roten is flailing in nearly every aspect of the game. This is not to say the group has fallen apart, but they will certainly be headed in that direction should they suffer another unmotivated or disappointing performance.

M'Gladbach, much like Augsburg and Hertha Berlin, is likely to engage with Die Roten. Die Fohlen is a bit cocksure and has some lofty talent to back it up. I don't think M'Gladbach has any fear of Bayern heading into the game. With Lars Stindl likely to make his return to the squad this weekend (probably as a second half sub), the Foals will get an even bigger boost of confidence.

This is an extremely dangerous game for a reeling Bayern Munich side. Whispers of discord are abound and it's not just one or two players, but a plethora of players who are unhappy with Niko Kovac as shown in the tweets below:

This is make or break for Bayern. They need to win and Kovac could roll out any combination of lineups. Should he fail to bring home three points, it will be fireworks in Bavaria.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 1

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Werder Bremen 2, Wolfsburg 1: This game has potential to be one of the top league matches of the week, but Die Werderaner is coming off a tough loss to VfB Stuttgart. The darlings of this young season, Werder Bremen has used a mix of young and experienced players to establish itself among the contenders for a top six position in the Bundesliga. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, has sputtered a bit after winning its first two league games. With three draws and a loss over its last four matches, the Wolfsburg has played well enough to stay in contention, but really needs to look at this match as one that it needs.

As Werder Bremen has not lost at home this season (win, two draws) we expect that trend to continue in a tough match. Certainly Max Kruse and 21-year old midfielder Maximilian Eggestein are two of the players that could be in line to make a big impact for Die Werderaner.

Borussia Dortmund 3, FC Augsburg 2: Yet another fixture that has huge potential to be a thriller, BVB is absolutely rolling right now. In order to keep that streak of fine (at least offensive) play going, Dortmund will have to get by a very confident and dangerous Augsburg side.

Augsburg has the look of a dangerous team. After having out-played Bayern in a draw, Die Fuggerstädter dismantled SC Freiburg 4-1 behind a hat trick from Icelander Alfred Finnbogason, who had a hat trick in his return from a knee injury.

Christian Pulisic's calf injury could hinder Dortmund a bit, but BVB has so many weapons right now. Not the least of whom is Jacob Bruun Larsen, who has performed like one of the league's top players so far this season. Regardless, with Marco Reus playing up to his incredible potential, Dortmund should have enough power to get past Die Fuggerstädter at Westfalenstadion.

Schalke 04 1, Fortuna Düsseldorf 0: Die Königsblauen may be on the road this week, but they are coming off consecutive shutout wins (Mainz and Lokomotiv Moscow) and finally showing some signs of life. We expect that trend to continue this week even if Schalke s still having a lot of trouble scoring goals. The lack of offensive firepower has been alarming, but at a minimum, Die Königsblauen has at least started to assert itself in the midfield and defensively. Maybe USMNT man Weston McKennie will continue to make himself a scoring presence and ignite the Schalke offense.

Hannover 96 2, VfB Stuttgart 2: This one just wreaks of a tie. Hannover is reeeeeeeeeling, while Stuttgart has been a roller coaster. I have zero feel for this other than it feels like these two squads will fight out a tie.

Hertha Berlin 3, Mainz 1: Hertha is no joke. Die Alte Dame dominated Bayern and helped reinforce to the rest of the Bundesliga what Augsburg initiated, it's okay to trade punches with Bayern Munich and not worry about getting knocked out. After years of cowering behind a parked bus, Herth Berlin decided to throw hands with Bayern and sent the big red bully home without incurring any damage. Hertha's quality and potential may come off as a bit of a surprise (it was to us!), but we are getting the feeling that this is no flash in the pan. Die Alte Dame seems like it will be here for the long run this season. Ondrej Duda and Vedad Ibisevic have become one of the top offensive duos in the Bundesliga for a reason and as long they are playing at this level, Hertha will be tough to stop.

As for Mainz, Die Nullfünfer is winless in its last three (two losses, draw) and could be headed to further depths in the standings.

Bayer Leverkusen 3, SC Freiburg 1: Die Werkself is likely still stinging from the four-goal comeback that Dortmund put down on them last week. That type of defeat can sometimes morph into a season-defining loss. Heiko Herrlich's ability to help the squad rebound could go a long way to preserving his job or even grease the skids for him to be fired if Leverkusen keeps scuffling. This is a game where you would want Julian Brandt to throw the squad on his back and carry them to a won. Frankly, Die Werkself needs to see that kind of resolve out of Brandt as he morphs into more of a leadership role on the team.

Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Hoffenheim 2: Hoffenheim's disappointing loss to Leipzig last week spun right into a tough 2-1 loss to Manchester City. Frankfurt, meanwhile, has won just one of its last five, which was last week's 4-1 victory over Hannover 96. Die Adler has been a bit unpredictable under Adi Hutter. Often not living up to the expectations for the team, Frankfurt could be on the path to putting it all together. Hoffenheim won't make things easy and is probably in a good position as the home side to capture a win, but this feels like two pretty equally matched teams will fight to a draw.

RB Leipzig 3, FC Nürnberg 1: After an up and down start to its season, this match represents Leipzig's chance to firmly establish itself as having moved on from its season opening debacle against Dortmund. With a five game unbeaten streak (three wins, two draws) in the Bundesliga, Die Roten Bullen should be in an excellent position to roll right past Der Club for a home win.

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Random Entertainment Note

I finally finished Ozark season two and it was fantastic. I really liked season one, but I felt as if there could be some cracks to the show that might cause it to fall apart. Instead, the show got far better with a wild ride of twists and turns that kept me engaged over the course of the entire season.

The story line is fascinating for a number of reasons and the acting is superb.

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Last week's record: 3-6

Season record: 22-32

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.