Bundesliga Match Day 30: Weekend Wrap-Up
- Chuck Smith
- Apr 23, 2019
- 4 min read
It looked like things were slipping away for Wolfsburg.
Already scuffling to stay in the nine-team race for a top six position within the Bundesliga, the Wolves could ill-afford to leave the Volkswagen Arena without at least one point. A goal by Eintracht Frankfurt's Jonathan de Guzman in the 78th minute made things look bleak for Wolfsburg, but the Wolves never stopped fighting.
American center back John Brooks came through with a goal in the 90th minute that secured a draw for the Wolves and kept the team within striking distance of a European spot for next season. While Wolfsburg has been dangerous for most of the season, it had won just four of its last 10 games. With just a four weeks left of the season, this point was extremely valuable.
As for Eintracht Frankfurt, the Bundesliga's only remaining team in European competition has not been as focused for its league games since locking into a Europa semifinal spot against Chelsea. Maybe Die Adler is a little distracted or maybe Frankfurt is just a little tired from the intense schedule, but Adi Hutter's squad will need to refocus if it wants to be at its best for the key games it has left across all competitions.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Wolfsburg 1 (L)
(Standings are courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
Bayern Munich 1, Werder Bremen 0: A hard-fought victory with Niklas Sule providing the offense is probably not quite the plan that Niko Kovac had drawn up, but it is the one that led the Bavarians to three points.
Werder Bremen played extremely tough, but did not have enough offensive aggression to really put a challenge on Bayern in this game. Granted, given the way Bayern controlled the ball offensively and created good chances, the score could have easily been 5-0 if not for some excellent play from goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka.
The fascinating climax of this tie will commence on Wednesday with a DFB-Pokal semifinal fixture. If this was a boxing match, Bayern would be up by a lot on the scorecards through six rounds, but Die Werderaner has a true puncher's chance to score a KO in the late rounds if Bayern does not have its normal focus or tenacity.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3, Werder Bremen 1 (W)
FC Augsburg 6, VfB Stuttgart 0: Uh...well, this was an all-out butt-kicking. Rani Khedira opened up scoring in the 11th minute for Die Fuggerstädter and Augsburg never looked back. Andre Hahn added a goal in the 18th minute before Philipp Max and Marc Richter each added a brace. Jonathan Schmid bagged two assists as well in what was a very uplifting performance for Augsburg under Martin Schmidt.
Stuttgart is officially a lost cause. There is likely no way in recovering from this curb-stomping.
Prediction: FC Augsburg 2, VfB Stuttgart 2 (L)
Bayer Leverkusen 2, FC Nurnberg 0: Lucas Alario and Kevin Volland supplied the offense in a workmanlike effort for Die Werkself. It was not a spectacular effort, but it was enough to secure three points against a team that currently resides in 17th place.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 4, FC Nurnberg 1 (W)
Mainz 3, Fortuna Dusseldorf 1: F95 is still a bit too banged up to live up to the form it displayed last month, while Mainz once again displayed its toughness and resilience. Jean-Philippe Mateta got the scoring started right away in the game's first minute before Dodi Lukebakio answered in the 19th minute for Fortuna Dusseldorf.
From that point, however, it was all Mainz. Karim Onisiwo's 67th minute goal was the game-winner before Mateta added another in the 87th minute to secure a brace. It was an impressive effort from Die Nullfünfer, which is a team making great strides as the season winds down.
Prediction: Mainz 2, Fortuna Dusseldorf 1 (W)
RB Leipzig 2, Borussia Monchengladbach 1: Marcel Halstenberg's brace (17' and 53') gave Die Roten Bullen a convincing lead before M'Gladbach mounted a comeback despite some impressive play late in the game.
Alassane Plea put Die Fohlen on the scoreboard in the 61st minute and M'Gladbach had at least three other good opportunities after that, but Leipzig continued its awesome run through the league. Leipzig is now unbeaten in its last 14 games overall.
Leipzig's phenomenal run is leading directly into a showdown with Bayern Munich on Match Day 33. Matches against Mainz and SC Freiburg will occur before the showdown with the Bavarians, but both teams figure to be amped up and ready for what should be a fantastic fixture.
Prediction: RB Leipzig 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 2 (W)
Hoffenheim 5, Schalke 04 2: The season-long, raging dumpster fire that has been Schalke's season continue to burn. It was yet another embarrassing result for Die Königsblauen as Hoffenheim stayed hot and blasted Schalke.
Speaking of torrid play, Ishak Belfodil secured a brace, which marked the sixth and seventh goals for the 27-year-old over the past four games. Belfodil now has 16 goals and six assists in 31 games across all competitions this season.
Andrej Kramaric (45'), Adam Szalai (65'), and Nadiem Amiri (73') also provided goals for Hoffenheim, which has just one loss in its last 12 games. As for Schalke, Daniel Caligiuri (59' - PK) and Guido Burgstaller (90') provided the goals, but could not offset another ridiculously bad result.
Prediction: Hoffenheim 3, Schalke 04 1 (W)
Borussia Dortmund 4 SC Freiburg 0: Christian Streich did not have any miracle solution to slow down Dortmund and it showed. The Black and Yellows used goals from Jadon Sancho (12'), Marco Reus (54'), Mario Gotze (71'), and Paco Alcacer (87' - PK). Reus also had two assists to bolster his already staunch campaign to be recognized as the league's top player.
As for Freiburg, it will have to look forward to next weekend in hopes of keeping its head above water in its effort to avoid relegation.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3, SC Freiburg 2 (W)
Hertha Berlin 0, Hannover 96 0: Not a lot to be written about for this one. Hertha's unfortunate slide continues, while Hannover earned a point -- which is extremely noteworthy these days.
Prediction: Hertha Berlin 2, Hannover 96 1 (L)
Last match day record: 6-3
Season record: 140-130
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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