Bundesliga Match Day 32: Weekend Preview and Forecast
In what could potentially be one of the most fun games of the weekend, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen will square off in a fantastic matchup.
Both squads are loaded with offensive talent, but each have some flaws as well. Eintracht Frankfurt's biggest issue at this stage is just its legs. A very aggressive schedule has put a bit of wear-and-tear on the roster, while Leverkusen is still fresh, but has been inconsistent from week-to-week.
Eintracht Frankfurt is coming off of a disappointing scoreless draw with Hertha Berlin last weekend a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Europa League. Leverkusen, meanwhile, bounced Augsburg last weekend.
It's hard to not love how Eintracht Frankfurt plays and it is also hard not to really like the potential of Leverkusen's offense. Both sides have the ability to put on a terrific match and offer up a plethora of offensive talent to showcase. How Adi Hutter chooses to proceed with his lineup will be key. Will he rest key players or go for broke and try to hang on to his current top-four position?
With its focus split on the Europa League semifinals against Chelsea and trying to hang on to a top four spot in the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt is doing its best to hang on, but is tired. Really tired. As good, talented, and fun as Eintracht Frankfurt is, they'll likely be a bit spent in this one.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 2, Eintracht Frankfurt 2
(Standings courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
In the end, I am going to have to drink (a lot!) to survive this week's schedule. I somehow went 6-3 last time these teams matched up. My how things have changed. I'm not going to lie...this slate of games is incredibly hard to read, but here we go:
RB Leipzig 3, Mainz 05 1: This could be a dangerous spot for Die Roten Bullen as Mainz has been pretty adept at making life hell for just about everyone. M05 has lost a little bit of its edge with just two wins in its last eight games, however, while Leipzig is unbeaten in its last 16 games across all competitions.
The interesting part about how Leipzig has developed into such a force is how it is getting contributions from just about everyone. The squad's depth has meshed with its upper-end talent to create a very strong product on the pitch.
A key for Leipzig will continue to be the play of Timo Werner. With Werner widely assumed to be leaving for Bayern Munich this summer, every performance by the 23-year-old talent will be under a microscope. So far this season Werner has embraced the challenge. Can he continue it with a strong finish to the season?
Hoffenheim 2, Borussia Monchengladbach 1: Die Fohlen has been on a bit of an awful slide overall, while Hoffenheim was looking terrific until getting shellacked last weekend by Wolfsburg. These are two teams with coaches who will be gone in a matter of weeks and perhaps a little malaise has set in. Both squads still have a top six position to fight for, but clearly both also have an eye on what's next.
With a win, TSG1899 could vault itself right over the Foals in the standings, so Hoffenheim may have a little extra motivation to pull this one out. Hoffenheim has also had the better offense as well as Andrej Kramaric and Ishak Belfodil have been excellent.
Bayern Munich 5, Hannover 0: Bayern can't have another letdown against a bottom rung squad, can it? Hannover is going to park a fleet of buses on the field and there isn't anything Bayern can do about it except be smart and rely on its talent. The Bavarians will need to show a little more motivation and energy than they did last week in an awful performance during its draw with FC Nurnberg.
Hertha Berlin 2, VfB Stuttgart 1: Yeah....so about two months ago, this would have been a no-brainer to pick Die Alte Dame. Today, not so much. With a few wins and some luck, Stuttgart could at least set itself up for the relegation playoff, which would be about the best the squad can hope for after a miserable season. Hertha, meanwhile, is in the dead zone with no ability to play for a European spot, not any threat of being relegated.
The sad part for Stuttgart is that it is absolutely better than its record has shown, but Die Schwaben will have a tough time regrouping for next season even if it can blaze a trail to another season in the top flight.
Wolfsburg 3, FC Nurnberg 1: Coming off of one of its best effort of the season, Der Club is riding high, but the Wolves still have much to play for. With 49 points, Wolfsburg is still within striking distance of a European spot and could force its way back into the top six with a strong performance this weekend. At a minimum, the Wolves look to be setting themselves up for 7th place, which would at least get the squad into the Europa League qualifiers.
Nurnberg's greatest hope is to win its last few games and hope to claw its way into the relegation playoff, which would at least give it some hope to remain in the top flight. I can't see that happened, but I am an idiot, so who knows?
Borussia Dortmund 2, Werder Bremen 2: Playing without Marco Reus could make this a very dangerous spot for BVB. Dortmund's hopes for a Bundesliga title hinge on it taking care of business over the next three weeks, while also needing Bayern to slip up. As we found out last week, that is not out of the realm of possibility. Losing Reus, however, could be a major roadblock in BVB achieving that goal.
After a grueling set of games with Bayern, Werder Bremen suffered a letdown last weekend against in getting smashed 4-1 by Fortuna Dusseldorf, but Die Werderaner is a tough bunch and would nothing more than to knock off a league power on their way to staying the race for a top six position.
This game ultimately feels like a draw, but I wouldn't be shocked if Werder Bremen pulls out the victory.
Schalke 04 2, FC Augsburg 2: This is another game that feels like a draw. Both teams have been a bit better of late after being pretty brutal earlier in the season and both have eyes on avoiding relegation. A victory for either team could go a long way in helping both stay out of the RELEGATION DANGER ZONE.
Fortuna Dusseldorf 2, SC Freiburg 1: F95 has shown some fight in the Ruckrunde and been a stable squad, while Breisgau-Brasilianer has been all over the place. This game is another one that is incredibly hard to predict. I'll go with Fortuna just because they've been a bit more consistent, but Christian Streich will likely mastermind his way to a "W" somehow because I have no luck.
Last match day record: 2-7
Season record: 142-137
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.
