Bundesliga Match Day 6: Wrap-Up
Yeah...this prediction didn't work out so well. In fact, Schalke nearly reversed my predicted score and unceremoniously dispatched RB Leipzig 3-1, knocking Die Roten Bullen off of its perch atop the Bundesliga table.
This Schalke squad might actually be -- somewhat -- legit. Salif Sane (29'), Amine Harit (PK - 43'), and Rabbi Matondo (58') staked Schalke out to a 3-0 lead, which seemingly overwhelmed a stunned RB Leipzig side.
About the only misstep for Schalke on the day was an awful howler by Alexander Nubel in the 83rd minute, which gave Emil Forsberg a goal. I think everyone -- including Nubel himself -- would agree that he should have made the save. Either way, Die Königsblauen came away with a thoroughly impressive victory and has put itself in the mix to content for a top-six position this season.
As for RB Leipzig, this was a somewhat major misstep, but also one of those crazy things that happens over the course of a long season. I would expect Die Roten Bullen to lean on its talent and Julian Nagelsmann's tactics to get back in the win column next weekend in a home game against Wolfsburg.
Before that happens, though, a Champions League fixture against Lyon waits Leipzig on Wednesday.
Prediction: RB Leipzig 3, Schalke 0 (L)
(Courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
(Courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Union Berlin 1: Bas Dost (48') and Andre Silva (62') staked Die Adler out to a 2-0 lead before Anthony Ujah cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 86th minute. Eintracht Frankfurt held off Union Berlin and continued its impressive early season effort. Dost and Silva can't fully replace Luka Jovic, Ante Rebic, and Sebastien Haller, but they are likely going to produce at a good rate.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Union Berlin 1 (W)*
Bayer Leverkusen 3, FC Augsburg 0: Leverkusen needed a convincing win and that's exactly what Die Werkself got. An own goal, along with tallies from Kevin Volland (76') and Kai Havertz (84'), gave Leverkusen a solid victory as the squad heads into the Champions League this week. Tomorrow's match-up with Juventus, should be a good way for Die Werkself to show it can handle the pressure -- and immense talent -- it will see on the big stage. I'm not saying Leverkusen could or should win...I'm saying they need a good showing.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 3, FC Augsburg 2 (W)
Borussia Monchengladbach 3, Hoffenheim 0: M'Gladbach handled its business over Hoffenheim behind goals from Alassane Plea (43'), Marcus Thuram (65'), and Florian Neuhaus (83').
Prediction: Hoffenheim 1, Borussia Monchengladbach 1 (L)
Wolfsburg 1, Mainz 0: Marcel Tisserand's goal in the 9th minute looked like it might just be the start of a big day for the Wolves, but that was the only goal of the game as Wolfsburg was happy to leave Mainz with three hard-earned points.
Side note: Sandro Schwarz wore a gray hoodie while coaching this game. It was a plain gray hoodie and I am completely fascinated by this. Okay, carry on...
Prediction: Wolfsburg 2, Mainz 1 (W)
Random Thought
Why do I keep doing this to myself? I slogged through another season of Fear the Walking Dead and for another season I feel like the show was just treading water. There certainly was the potential for the show to have a wicked and crazy season finale, but it failed...and failed miserably. The whole plot-line just suffers weaker versions of the usual Walking Dead tropes and last night was another missed opportunity for the show to actually do something meaningful.
I am truly Charlie Brown having the football pulled away at the last minute with this show. I don't know why I watch it. The only real value of the whole season was the multiple reference to the Traveling Wilburys and the song "The End of the Line." Perhaps, the showrunners should heed the lyrics from that truly awesome song and start writing to take this show to the finish line instead of continuing to wander aimlessly around the dial waiting to be put out of its misery by currently inattentive AMC executives.
Bayern Munich 3, SC Paderborn 2: This game was not as close as the score indicates. It was a dominant, yet woefully sloppy effort from Bayern Munich, which could be attributed to a lot of things, but we would need 7,000 words to over all of that. In short, Serge Gnabry, Philippe Coutinho, and Robert Lewandowski scored for Bayern Munich, while Kai Proger and Jamilu Collins handled the scoring for Paderborn.
Lewandowski is on his way to a massive season if he keeps this up.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 5, SC Paderborn 0 (W)
Borussia Dortmund 2, Werder Bremen 2: 🎵"The heat is on..."🎵 Lucien Favre. This Borussia Dortmund roster was not designed to be scuffling along in the league, but that is where it is at. The game started out with some crazy energy as Milot Rashica (7') and Mario Gotze (9') exchanged early goals. Marco Reus added a 41st minute goal to give BVB a 2-1 lead in what looked like a game where it was going to walk away with three points.
Former Bayern Munich man Marco Friedl -- whose role with Werder Bremen is becoming more vital week after week -- found the net in the 55th minute to knot the game and help Die Werderaner earn a point.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3, Werder Bremen 2 (L)
(Courtesy of @Bundesliga_EN)
SC Freiburg 2, Fortuna Dusselfdorf 1: If you aren't rooting for Freiburg at this point, you have no heart. Christian Streich's boys fell behind Fortuna in the 42nd minute when Rouwen Hennings scored, but Breisgau-Brasilianer clawed its way back into the game. First, Jonathan Schmid knotted the game in the 45th minute and in the 81st minute Luca Waldschmidt's breakthrough season continued as he scored the game winner.
Even better for Freiburg, the squad showed its mettle by pushing through some adversity. When things looked bleak, Breisgau-Brasilianer kept working. Lucas Holers miss on a PK in the 64th minute might have deflated a lot of teams, but Freiburg kept pushing forward.
Big kudos to the work being done by Christian Streich, who sometimes dresses like a 25-year-old out hunting for new IPAs to sample.
Prediction: SC Freiburg 2, Fortuna Dusselfdorf 1 (W)*
Hertha Berlin 4, FC Koln 0: Die Alte Dame woke up in a big way and put a severe beatdown on the Billy Goats. Javairo Dilrosun (23') gave Hertha Berlin a lead, but a red card to FC Koln's Jorge Mere in the 41st minute really opened the game up for Die Alte Dame. Vedad Ibisevic came in as a sub in the 53rd minute and scored a goal right away...literally. Ibisevic then added another goal four minutes later to overwhelm Koln. Dedryck Boyata's 83rd minute goal finalized the scoring, but it was a much needed three points for Hertha Berlin, while Koln is going to have to re-group in a big way if it wants to stave off relegation.
Prediction: Hertha Berlin 2, FC Koln 2 (L)
Season Record
Match day record: 5-4
Season record: 30-24
Perfect calls: 6
