Bundesliga Match Day 22: Preview and Forecast
- Chuck Smith
- Feb 15, 2019
- 6 min read
The Bundesliga's marquee match-up this week features neither Borussia Dortmund nor Bayern Munich. Instead, the battle between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach takes center stage as a fascinating duel.
Sitting in fifth place with 33 points, Die Adler is desperately trying to claw its way into a top four position in hopes of securing a berth in the Champions League. One of the teams occupying space at the upper end of the table are the Foals, who sit in third place with 42 points.
The match-up itself is exciting and will group some of the league's top offensive talent when the teams meet at Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt. Eintracht Frankfurt's big three of Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller, and Ante Rebic will get another chance to prove itself against top-tier competition, while M'Gladbach's Thorgan Hazard, Alassane Plea, and Lars Stindl will lead Die Fohlen's effort to stay within striking distance of league leader Borussia Dortmund.
Because both teams are aware of the stakes involved, we may not get the offensive explosion that I'm hoping for, but I'm going to trust that both teams approach the game looking to carry on their normal aggressive mindset. If either squad sits back and plays conservatively it will be a big disappointment.
With all Jovic, Haller, and Rebic all linked to an exit from Frankfurt, this is a great opportunity for any or all three to show their respective skill. Perhaps the same could be said for Hazard, who has also been rumored to be leaving his squad.
Matthias Ginter will lead the effort to slow down Frankfurt's high-scoring trio, but that may be a tough task for the motivated Eagles. Whatever happens, we are expecting -- and DEMANDING -- an exciting match that ultimately ends with Die Adler securing a victory.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 2
Bayern Munich 3, FC Augsburg 1: This is a bit of a revenge game for Bayern as Die Roten will be looking to shake off the late draw that Die Fuggerstädter earned in the Hinrunde on a goal by former Bayern man Felix Gotze.
The timing of this contest absolutely works out for Augsburg as Bayern's eyes could be firmly on its Champions League match against Liverpool on Tuesday, but I think Bayern will want to take care of business against a team that already stunned the Bavarians once this season. Regardless, this match should feature a very focused Bayern side. If the squad needed a wake-up call, it certainly got it when Bayer Leverkusen thumped Die Roten a few weeks back.
Augsburg has won just once in its last 12 Bundesliga games (two weeks ago in a 3-1 victory over Mainz), but does have some weapons, namely Icelander Alfred Finnbogason, but the 30-year-old is questionable for the game due to a calf injury. Augsburg was not happy with its performance last weekend as Die Fuggerstädter got throttled 4-0 by Werder Bremen, so this game only goes one of two ways. Either Augsburg comes out and plays like it is the World Cup final or they lay down and let the Bavarian Giants step right over them. I think Augsburg will fight, but just won't have the weapons to hold to go blow-for-blow with Die Roten over the course of 90 minutes.
Hoffenheim 3, Hannover 96 1: Hoffenheim has just one loss in its last 14 Bundesliga games (eight draws) and has found something in itself that was not previously apparent. TSG1899 has some fire within it and a sense of never giving up that has served it well of late -- especially last week in fighting back from a three-goal deficit to draw with Borussia Dortmund. TSG1899 will let the good times roll this week and push aside a decimated H96 side.
Schalke 2, SC Freiburg 1: (Ominous voice) Two teams striving to save their respective seasons and only one can survive!
Okay, maybe that's not entirely true, but both teams are in striking distance of relegation and a win would be really important for either team. Breisgau-Brasilianer is currently one point ahead of Schalke in the table and while the bottom three teams (Stuttgart, Hannover 96, FC Nurnberg) in the table have looked incredibly hapless of late, three points at this time of year could provide a little breathing room and perhaps room for error down the road.
Christian Streich's side is definitely in a better spot mentally than Schalke and it's true that this is a HUGE game for SC Freiburg in terms of pushing itself further away from the league's bottom-dwellers. One of the primary reasons that Streich's side is at least a threat these days is the emergence of 22-year-old Luca Waldschmidt, who has six goals and three assists in 21 games across all competitions. Waldschmidt and Nils Petersen could be enough of an offensive threat to push Schalke, but ultimately I feel like Die Königsblauen will walk away with the "W."
RB Leipzig 3, VfB Stuttgart 0: With Stuttgart struggling mightily, this should be an instance where Die Roten Bullen can hit the road and pick up a relatively easy victory. One interesting story watch is how Timo Werner plays. The 22-year-old speedster has been held scoreless in the three straight games (in addition to missing a couple of matches due to illness) and should be ready to break out. After an extremely strong Hinrunde, Werner could possibly be feeling the pressure of having some big name eyes on him (namely Bayern and Liverpool). While Leipzig is desperately trying to woo its leading scorer back, both Bayern and Liverpool are considered to be heavy contender to try and procure the forward this summer.
Whether Werner scores or not really might not even matter in this one. Leizpig should be able to pull away from Die Schwaben.
Wolfsburg 2, Mainz 1: This is yet another quality fixture in a week filled with them. Mainz has been a tough out for a lot of its opponents, but this seems like Wolfsburg will hold its home field advantage at Volkswagen Arena and secure a victory. These two squads seem to always play a tight game (four of their last six matches have ended in a 1-1 draw), but this feels like another game that Wout Weghorst will help power Wolfsburg to a win.
Werder Bremen 2, Hertha Berlin 2: This is a fascinating match-up. Both teams could be considered on the way up and Die Alte Dame will be looking to exploit its home field advantage. Earlier in the season, Hertha dropped a 3-1 decision to Werder Bremen, but both teams have improved from that point.
Die Werderaner has been extremely solid this season and is undefeated (two draws) in its last four games, while Hertha Berlin has been a bit up-and-down in terms of wins and losses. Regardless, Die Alte Dame is legitimate.
I see this one ending in a draw with both teams challenging each other in a big way. It just feels like neither of these squads is too far ahead of the other at this point.
Bayer Leverkusen 4, Fortuna Dusseldorf 2: The revival of Leverkusen should continue, despite facing a very game F95 squad. Peter Bosz has rejuvenated the likes of Julian Brandt and Leon Bailey, while Kai Havertz continues to show why he is one of the most talented young players in the game. Leverkusen has always looked dangerous on paper, but now they legitimately are scaring teams. The only thing holding Die Werkself back is a any semblance of being consistent.
As for Fortuna Dusseldorf, it should be commended for working to get into a relatively safe position at this stage of the season. As the team develops on the pitch, it has positioned itself nicely to at least get one more season in the top flight. Sitting in 12th place, F95 is 10 points clear of the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE, which really is excellent given how awful the squad look at times earlier in the season.
Borussia Dortmund 3, FC Nurnberg 0: BVB could be missing a few key players, but it won't matter. Dortmund will smash right through Der Club as it did back in September when it decimated Nurnberg 7-0. Coming off of its embarrassing 3-0 Champions League loss to Tottenham Hotspur, Dortmund is in desperate need of a win. If Marco Reus and Paco Alcacer are still too injured to play that could be hard to come by, but It is hard to imagine BVB taking another step back, especially against a side as confused as Der Club.
Last match day record: 4-5
Season record: 89-100
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.
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