Bundesliga Match Day 8: Preview and Forecast
Who would have thought a Bayern Munich-Wolfsburg game in October would hold so much importance...for Die Roten?!?
It's true, though, Bayern is a team in turmoil. From questionable rotations to shoddy player performances to players doubting the coach, the Bavarians are not exactly in top form at this stage. Frankly, the recent performances by Bayern have left many doubting whether or not the squad can muster enough pride to rally.
I think that line of thought, however, would be going a bit too far. It's true, Bayern has been pretty awful of late and has shown zero consistency or urgency. At times, Niko Kovac has looked overmatched in dealing with the team of personalities and egos that he holds court over.
And while all of those observations and criticisms might ring true to an extent, it is still hard to think that Die Roten won't be hungry to re-assert their alpha presence in the league ASAP...starting this week against Wolfsburg.
The Wolves have shown far more bite this season than last year, but this is a game that Bayern absolutely needs. Wolfsburg has proven to be improved, but the biggest key is how the team chooses to attack this match. Will they line up and go to-to-toe with the Bavarian Giant or will they revert to the lazy tactics of Bayern opponents in years past, opting to sit back and hope for a draw?
We are hoping the Wolves arrive at the arena ready to show their teeth.
The big key here for Bayern is how Kovac aligns his troops. Waiting for that may actually be more intriguing than the game itself.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Wolfsburg 1
Eintracht Frankfurt 3, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1: Die Adler has won two in a row and looks like it could be finding its stride a bit under Adi Hutter, while F95 is scuffling, having lost three in a row. One of the keys for Eintracht Frankfurt has been the emergence of Ante Rebic and Luka Jovic. The duo represents the dangerous potential that Die Adler has and they have begun to heat up. Should Rebic and Jovic continue to assert themselves on the opposition, it could a tremendous opportunity for Eintracht Frankfurt to vault up the table.
RB Leipzig 4, FC Augsburg 3: Augsburg is quite possibly the most exciting team in the league at this stage. The return of Alfred Finnbogason instantly made Die Fuggerstädter one of the most dangerous offensive squads and took the heat off of 24-year old Austrian Michael Gregoritsch. With Philipp Max providing a spark from left back, Augsburg has become an incredibly hard team to defend and defense is not exactly Leipzig's strength.
This one should be a fun shootout with both squads eager to throw haymakers offensively. Timo Werner showed some creativity and pace for Germany during the international break, but still hasn't been able to replicate the scoring ability onto the international stage (since the Confederations Cup in 2017) that he's show at Leipzig . That said, Die Roten Bullen should have just enough firepower offensively to hold off Augsburg. Werner, Yussuf Poulsen, Jean-Kevin Augustin, and Marcel Sabitzer should have enough in the arsenal to sneak by a vert game and dangerous Augsburg side. Emil Forsberg is likely to miss the game due to injury.
Bayer Leverkusen 3, Hannover 96 1: This is another game that could be exciting to watch given the talent involved. Hannover prefers to muck the game up for its opposition, while Die Werkself will be looking to put its pace and skill on display. The unique part of Hannover is that it actually has some capable offensive talent in Niclas Fullkrug and Bobby Wood, but will likely try to stifle Leverkusen's offensive threats, which could include any combinations of Julian Brandt, Leon Bailey, Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, Lucas Alario, and Paulinho.
Interestingly, Brandt did not get much love from Jogi Low over the international break, which was a little curious. Brandt seemingly is just the type of player that Low is looking to rebuild with, but failed to do anything other than appear as a sub for Die Mannschaft.
Hoffenheim 3 FC Nürnberg 1: Much like Dusseldorf, Der Club appears to have hit a bit of a wall in its return to the Bundesliga's top tier, while Hoffenheim will be looking to battle back after consecutive losses to RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt. Hoffenheim is the better team and it is about time that it starts to play like it. The squad's performance does beg the question on whether or not Julian Nagelsmann's lame duck status is having an effect on how his message is being received by the players.
Borussia Dortmund 3, VfB Stuttgart 1: BVB is the leader of the pack and rolling. With Paco Alcácer's torrid goal scoring pace and the overall excellent play so far from the likes of Marco Reus, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Christian Pulisic, and others; the only real question for Dortmund is if its back line can remain healthy and stable enough to fend off the league heavyweights in the coming weeks/months.
It has not been an easy road for Die Schwaben and it won't get any better this week. Without any consistency, Stuttgart has fallen to the league basement where it will fight to stave off relegation.
Schalke 04 2, Werder Bremen 1: In yet another interesting contest, a revived (from the dead perhaps) Schalke side will face off against an increasingly impressive Werder Bremen team. Schalke has won two in a row, while Bremen has won three of its last four. This should be a fun, back-and-forth contest, but I can't see many goals going on the scoreboard. I was hesitant to even predict two goals for Schalke, but it feels like this is a game that the team know that it needs.
Hertha Berlin 3, SC Freiburg 2: From the heights of dominating Bayern Munich to the lows of a disappointing draw against Mainz, Die Alte Dame can be a confusing team to look at. Still, the marked improvement from last season and the ever-dangerous Ondrej Duda have Hertha Berlin among the Bundesliga's top contenders.
Freiburg has been up and down. With two wins and two draws over its last five games, the squad has performed better of late and should view this as an opportunity to gain some momentum by bumping off one of the league leaders. Hertha, however, just looks too strong.
Borussia Monchengladbach 3, Mainz 1: In taking Bayern's heart before the international break, M'Gladbach displayed how effective that it can be...but can it be consistent? Mainz just has a way of making things difficult (and ugly) for nearly everyone. The return of Lars Stindl certainly provided the team a boost against Bayern and could be just the right factor to catapult the Die Fohlen into serious contention for a top six position. Monchengladbach seems like it is ready to make the leap from baffling to good....
Last week's record: 4-5 Season record: 26-37
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.
