Bundesliga Match Day 3: Preview and Forecast
Bayer Leverkusen ace Kai Havertz is in the midst of showing the world how great he can be, which will undoubtedly pave the way for him to bolt Die Werkself after this season. While the club will surely benefit from the expected none-figure price tag that will be on his head, Peter Bosz and company will also have the advantage of having Havertz power the Leverkusen lineup for the rest of this season.
Simply put, Havertz is damn good and many other teams are noticing.
Superior in the athletic, physical, and technical parts of the game, Havertz is proving every week that he is a force to be reckoned with and Hoffenheim will be the unfortunate side that will be tasked with slowing the 20-year-old star down this week. Unfortunately for TSG1899, however, Havertz is far from the only player that it will have to worry about.
Kevin Volland, Leon Bailey, Karim Bellarabi, Jonathan Tah, and Lucas Alario are just a few other players that have Die Werkself shaping up to be a prime contender for the Bundesliga title this season.
This week's contest should see Leverkusen use its home field advantage and power through Hoffenheim, but TSG1899 likely won't make things all that easy. I would expect that Hoffenheim hands tough for a while, but eventually gets worn down by Die Werkself.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 3, Hoffenheim 1
(Courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
(Courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
RB Leipzig 2, Borussia Monchengladbach 1: This will be a nice litmus test for both squads to see how they stack up. Despite being on the road, Die Roten Bullen should be the better team, but could be without star striker Timo Werner, which would be a massive blow. Werner is nursing a thigh injury that could keep him out of the game.
M'Gladbach, meanwhile, is not quote as solid as it was last season, but still have enough gas in the tank to make life difficult for Leizpig. If Werner plays, Die Roten Bullen would have an easier time, but this feels like a tight, one-goal affair without the 23-year-old, who recently extended his contract through 2023.
Bayern Munich 5, Mainz 05 0: The only thing that can slow Bayern Munich down in this game is if all of its new parts cannot get on the same page. It is so difficult to predict how Niko Kovac will align his troops and who exactly would be in that lineup. With Leon Goretzka and Fiete Arp as the only questionable players (due to injury) for Bayern Munich, Kovac could go in a lot of different directions.
Mainz has not been great this year so far, but has shown the ability to muck a game up in the past. It would not be shocking if M05 decided to try the same approach as Hertha Berlin successfully employed on Bayern Munich, which was to physically beat on them until the referee made some calls.
Still, Bayern Munich should be able to rely on its superior talent and depth -- along with the newly extended Robert Lewandowski -- to walk away with an easy victory.
(Courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
SC Freiburg 2, FC Koln 2: Can Freiburg keep it going? Maybe...just maybe. Christian Striech's boys have been one of the great stories of the league so far, but it feels like the bottom has to fall out at some point, right? The Billy Goats, meanwhile, seem destined for a win.
This presents a bit of an internal conflict with the line of thinking that all good things must come to an end. Freiburg will certainly lose this season and in fact, will likely do it more often than not, but this feels like the good vibes will be maintained for at least a little while longer and the squads will draw.
On a positive note for Freiburg, Luca Waldschmidt finally earned a senior-team call-up for Germany. It should be interesting to see how he works with Die Mannschaft's star-studded lineup.
Schalke 04 2, Hertha Berlin 2: Schalke is at home, but I think Hertha Berlin is slightly better. For whatever reason, I just feel like this is another draw. I HATE picking games to end in a tie, but this one just feels like it. I can't imagine that Die Königsblauen is going to lose again this early, but it still doesn't feel like they are good enough to win.
Random Thought
I went to the USWNT team friendly vs. Portugal on Thursday night and it was quite a spectacle. As part of the record crowd (for a friendly), I think there is certainly room for the NWSL to add a team in Philadelphia. Talen Energy Stadium (where the Philadelphia Union plays) could likely draw a nice crowd for its lower bowl should a women's team come to town.
Just a thought...
Wolfsburg 4, SC Paderborn 1: To its credit, Paderborn has been pretty fearless in its return to the top flight, while the Wolves have looked extremely tough so far. Wolfsburg is maturing very nicely and has a very sound mix of veterans and youth, along with offensive power and defensive stability. This could be a very advantageous match-up for the Wolves and we expect Wout Weghorst to find the back of the net once or twice.
Borussia Dortmund 5, Union Berlin 0: BVB's strength and depth will shine once again against what will surely be an overmatched Union Berlin side. Even last week when it looked like FC Koln might shock the world, Dortmund was able to storm back. I'm not sure there will be any doubt on who will be walking away with three points this week.
Werder Bremen 3, FC Augsburg 1: Werder Bremen has to win at some point, right? I can't imagine Die Werderaner loses AGAIN. They're too good to struggle this much and luckily they're facing an Augsburg side that has not shown a ton of life so far.
Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Fortuna Dusseldorf 1: Die Adler should be in a nice spot at home against F95. Die Adler is better and more talented than F95 and this is the type of game that Eintracht Frankfurt needs to win if it wants to stay in the hunt for a top-six position within the Bundesliga.
One area to watch with Frankfurt, however, has been the suddenly volatile situation brewing around Ante Rebic. There has been so much talk about him leaving of late, it almost seems like he's saying he wants to go...without fully saying he wants to go.
Random Thought
Watching the latest iteration of Hard Knocks has been fairly interesting, but not exactly for the football action or even the off-the-field stories about the players. The real story is Jon Gruden and how much of a mad man he sounds like. I can't tell if he has a southern accent or a fake southern accent? His voice schtick has become as part of his persona as Scott Ferrall.
I literally am fascinated just listening to the guy talk. Anyway, this has not been the bets season of Hard Knocks, but it has been pretty good nonetheless. Gruden, though, has been the unquestioned star no matter how much we see of David Carr, Keelan Doss, or Luke Willson.
Season Record
So far, so good (can't wait until it all comes crashing down):
Last match day record: 7-2
Season record: 12-6
Perfect calls: 1
