Bundesliga Match Day 16: Preview and Forecast
Bar none, Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig is the marquee match-up of the midweek schedule.
Bayern has re-established itself as a serious contender for the league crown after a somewhat shaky first half of the season, but its prize for such a resurgence is a date with an equally impressive RB Leipzig side. Bayern's impressive attack should have its way, while it's sometimes questionable defense will be put to the test.
As for RB Leipzig, Timo Werner has been nothing short of spectacular as he has been at his goal-scoring best in racking up 10 league goals (12 overall). If Werner can consistently find himself getting behind the Bayern defense, Leipzig might be poised to pull off the upset.
Leipzig's defense, however, likely won't be able to contain Die Roten long enough to capture a win.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4, RB Leipzig 2
Borussia Monchengladbach 2, FC Nürnberg 1: M'Gladbach's bad luck has become a bit of a staple. After getting out to what has been a terrific start, Die Fohlen suffered two key injuries last weekend when Raffale (broken collarbone) and Lars Stindl (ankle) each went down with injuries that will keep them sidelined for a spell. That does not leave the talent cupboard barren by any means, but Stindl is one of the leaders of the squad and plays a key role both on and off the field for M'Gladbach.
This will be a key stretch for the Foals, but - in a rare case - M'Gladbach is running into a Nürnberg side that has been wrapped up in a pretty awful downward spiral. Timing is everything I guess...
Borussia Dortmund 4, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1: It is hard to fathom that Dortmund is going to struggle against what should be a completely overmatched F95 side, so instead let's take a quick look at what is going on with Christian Pulisic. The USMNT captain is seemingly in his waning days with BVB as he is expected to leave for Chelsea either this winter or next summer. Dortmund's incredible talent and depth has likely not afforded Pulisic with as much playing time as he would like, which has likely cause the Hershey, PA native to assess what he wants to achieve this season.
Leaving at midseason would be a tough call and is probably not in the plans as it would conceivably cost Pulisic a chance at both Bundesliga and Champions league glory. A move in the summer appears much more likely and would finally push Pulisic to the Premier League, where everyone assumed he would eventually end up.
It's key to note that Bayern reportedly ready to make a strong move toward Pulisic, but it may be a matter of whether the American wants a move to England permanently versus an extended stay in Germany. Pulisic would absolutely be a vital acquisition in Bayern's effort to conquer the North American market. Already with Canada's best player (Alphonso Davies), Bayern would seemingly love to bring in Pulisic to draw more interest, attention, and revenue from the United States.
Hertha Berlin 1, FC Augsburg 1: Die Alte Dame has been a puzzling team to follow. After a strong start, Hertha Berlin had a relatively awful November, but had rebounded of late...until dropping an unexpected 2-1 decision to VfB Stuttgart last weekend.
Augsburg is doing what we thought it would do this season. When healthy, Augsburg is a tough out for anyone in the league, but Die Fuggerstädter has not had much luck with injuries this season. There is something there with Augsburg. They are a fun and exciting team to watch when they are clicking, but they often have failed to take advantage of opportunities this season. Traveling to Berlin won't be easy, but it seems like this is one of those games where Augsburg can push its opposition into mistakes and walk away with a draw ogr possibly even a late win.
Wolfsburg 2, VfB Stuttgart 1: Stuttgart can't do it two games in a row can they? Since I am picking the Wolves, I am sure they will. 🤷♂️
Schalke 04 2, Bayer Leverkusen 2: Two teams that have been remarkably poor given the respective talent in place will square in the Bundesliga's version of the Underachiever Derby. Schalke has been hindered by squad inconsistency and the lack of a natural scoring option as injuries to Mark Uth, Breel Embolo and Guido Burgstaller have all played a huge part in the poor offensive production for Schalke.
If any team has been a bigger letdown than Schalke than it would be Leverkusen for sure. It is becoming a belabored point, but Julian Brandt and Leon Bailey's respective stock has fallen off a cliff from where it was last season. It's not that either player is bereft of talent or lost their quality, it's just a tremendous simultaneous slump that both players are enduring. In fairness, Leverkusen's squad has massively underperformed and Brandt and Bailey are two of the players that have become poster children for it. Each could easily turn it around and have excellent second half performances, but they need to show something...anything really to help Die Werkself get straightened out.
SC Freiburg 2, Hannover 96 2: Hannover's horrific effort against Bayern was one of those game films that should have been instantly burned and never watched again. There was nothing that H96 could gain from reviewing that footage. Freiburg, meanwhile, did not exactly light the world up last week in its 2-0 loss to Fortuna Düsseldorf. For as brilliant as Christian Streich has been this season this is another tough spot for his team. Hannover's pride took a major hit on Saturday and the squad is in a show some life or quit completely scenario. As fun as Freiburg can be, it should be encountering a highly motivated H96 side, which should do enough to claw out a draw. To do that, Hannover is going to need Niclas Fullkrug to show the form he often displayed last season and not the uneven play he's had in this campaign.
Eintracht Frankfurt 3, Mainz 1: After dropping two in a row, Die Adler bounced back with a convincing 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen last week. Frankfurt's potent offense should have no problem finding its stride against Mainz, which has shown the willingness to stand and trade punches with the any squad in the league. Unfortunately for M05, Die Adler has some of the best and most dangerous weapons in the Bundesliga. Expect Frankfurt to play a free-wheeling and exciting contest as they gamble to find the back of the net.
Werder Bremen 1, Hoffenheim 1: Werder Bremen has begin to find its form again after a downspell and should be primed to give Hoffenheim fits when TSG1899 visits Weserstadion. Despite the team's lull in November, Die Werderaner is showing its talent once again. It will be interesting to see how much more of a role Josh Sargent will play as the American star has entered the last two games as a substitute. Could Sargent's first Bundesliga start be in the mix soon?
Hoffenheim is undefeated in its last eight matches, but can count four draws among those results. Julian Nagelsmann's team has been very tight defensively and also has been able to capitalize offensively when opportunities are present, but it has been mostly Reiss Nelson and Andrej Kramaric driving the offense with little support of late. Both Nelson and Kramaric have six goals overall, but cannot be burdened with having to carry the majority of the offense if TSG1899 is going to try and leap into a top-four position.
Last week's record: 6-3
Season record: 59-76
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.
