Bundesliga Match Day 24: Weekend Preview and Forecast
- Chuck Smith
- Mar 1, 2019
- 6 min read
As Bayern Munich barrels through the Ruckrunde, this week's match against Borussia Monchengladbach hits Die Roten at an awkward time with so many players in Bavaria affected by illness or injury.
Sitting just three points behind Borussia Dortmund, Bayern is in prime striking distance to at least tie BVB for first place in the coming weeks if it can just stay focused on the task at hand. That job this week is a match against a third-place and extremely dangerous M'Gladbach side.
Bayern cannot afford a slip-up and certainly cannot look past Die Fohlen -- even if the record champions' Champions League return leg against Liverpool is looming. This is Bayern's chance to make the Bundesliga a two-horse race and I think the Bavarians are going to do just that.
The manner in which Bayern does it, however, will be interesting to watch.
Niko Kovac's offense has sputtered of late and to no surprise, Thomas Muller has not been featured while the offense has struggled. Part of the reason why Muller has not been included in the lineup is because he was suspended for the Liverpool fixtures, which meant Kovac needed to try and get the seemingly disgruntled James Rodriguez ingrained into the starting XI.
While James' talent is undeniable, his fit in the offense of late has not been always been smooth. Specifically, Robert Lewandowski has looked like a shell of himself without his partner in crime Muller in the lineup.
Thanks to some injuries and illnesses, this could be the week that Kovac finally pulls the trigger on placing Muller back in the starting XI. Lewandowski certainly needs it and even referenced his desire for Muller to play alongside him after last week's 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin.
Muller could provide just the spark and creativity that the Bayern offense has been lacking and if Kovac can push Borussia Monchengladbach further down the standings -- AND make his striker happy, why not?
As for the Foals, the electric start to the season has been followed by a bit of a lull of late, but M'Gladbach is dangerous. As always, Thorgan Hazard will be a handful for Bayern, but the Belgian, Lars Stindl, Matthias Ginter, Alassane Plea won't be enough to slow Bayern down this week.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Borussia Dortmund 3, FC Augsburg 1: For as poor as BVB has been of late, Augsburg has been much, much worse. Die Fuggerstädter is an awful rut that it does not appear able to pull out of any time soon. Of course, a victory over Dortmund would go a long way to righting the ship, but it would be hard-pressed to think that Augsburg will be able to sting a Dortmund side looking to re-establish itself. Augsburg has won only one game out of its last 13 Bundesliga contests.
If Marco Reus can return to the lineup, the Black and Yellows should be in a position to roll right through Augsburg. While there is a lot of talent on the Dortmund roster, it does not mesh nearly as well without Reus acting as the engine. BVB needs its leader back, but even if he cannot go this week, Dortmund's talent should rule the day.
Bayer Leverkusen 3, SC Freiburg 2: Breisgau-Brasilianer's five goal outburst last week likely won't be repeated, but Christian Streich's side should make things interesting against a Leverkusen side which can play with a little of reckless abandon at times.
This contest should be fun with Nils Petersen and Luca Waldschmidt piloting the Freiburg offense, while Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz, Leon Bailey, and Kevin Volland will be looking to keep Die Werkself's offense operating at a high level. If anything, this match should be exciting.
Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Hoffenheim 1: I have a feeling this match will be one of the great features of the weekend for the Bundesliga. I can't deny how much I enjoy watching Die Adler's offense, while Hoffenheim has been very good in its own right this season.
Julian Nagelsmann will no doubt be looking to concoct a way to slow down Luka Jovic, Ante Rebic, and Sebastien Haller, but it won't be easy. The trio has been absolutely fantastic this season. Nagelsmann, however, has shown a great ability to make life hell for such offense talents and I would expect TSG1899 to pull out all of the stops to slow down the high-scoring trio.
Whatever that plan is, however, I don't think it will be enough to stop Eintracht Frankfurt from securing the win.
Hertha Berlin 2, Mainz 1: The rugged, tough, and pesky style of Mainz will get a severe test from an equally physical side in Hertha Berlin. Die Alte Dame's solid season would look even better if it can push aside M05 this week. Despite being in 10th place Hertha Berlin is still within striking distance of a top-six spot and this is not a week where it can afford to let down --- especially because Mainz is only two points behind Hertha in the standings.
RB Leipzig 4, FC Nurberg 1: Is this finally the week that Timo Werner gets back on track? I hope so. The snakebitten striker has been battling multiple illnesses over the past few weeks and while Leipzig's offense is solid even with out him, it becomes far more dangerous with the 22-year-old in tow.
The rumors swirling that the talented forward will taking his talents to Bavaria this summer could become a distraction in the coming weeks, so Werner should look to get himself back in the scoring column ASAP before the German media makes this star's future a daily subject. Getting back in the scoring column will be tough, however, if Werner misses another game due to illness.
Regardless, Die Roten Bullen should slice right through Der Club.
Schalke 2, Fortuna Dusseldorf 1: Last season, M'Gladbach was the team I got suckered into picking every week. This season....it's Schalke. I have no idea idea why I keep picking them only to be let down. It is truly the "Charlie Brown trying to kick the football" scenario. I keep swinging, missing, and landing on my butt.
Uh..so yeah, this game is ugly. Dusseldorf, for its part, has been pretty solid and Schalke, for its own part, has been terrible. I keep rolling with the opinion that Die Königsblauen can't be this bad...but they keep proving me wrong.
It would be nice to see USMNT hopeful Weston McKennie continue to make further progress under Domenico Tedesco, but the team, overall, has just been poor and looks increasingly like a terrible environment for McKennie's development. With Schalke's rumored debt issues, it may not be McKennie's problem much longer any way.
Regardless, F95 has been good, but I'll continue to be suckered into thinking Schalke can turn it around.
VfB Stuttgart 2, Hannover 96 1: This...is....the....battle...to...avoid...RELEGATION! Stuttgart has looked a bit better of later, but Hannover has been purely awful. It is sad to see how H96 has folded this season. Hannover has been out-gunned this season and wildly bad at times.
Stuttgart still has Mario Gomez, Benjamin Pavard, and some other quality talent that should be enough to push Die Schwaben to a much needed win.
Wolfsburg 2, Werder Bremen 2: Yet another intriguing match-up as the Wolves and Werder Bremen will do battle as two of the leagues up-and-coming squads. I love the progress both squads have made this season and each team has itself nicely positioned for European football in the near future. Heck, as of now, Wolfsburg is already primed for a Europa League position for next season.
Bremen has made equally great strides and is sitting in 9th place, but is showing great signs of things to come for the future --- including USMNT hopeful Josh Sargent, who signed a long-term deal with the club this week.
Anyway, this game just feels like a hard-fought draw. Both squads have shown creativity and excitement this season and we are hoping we see a little more of that during this match day.
Match day record: 3-6
Season record: 98-109
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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