With the final international break prior to the winterpause over the Bundesliga is back and with a bang.
While the rest of the leagues attention was focused on the various internationals FC Ingolstadt found their successor for Markus Kauczinski and in an unexpected coach.
In comes Maik Walpurgis. The last gig that this coach had was with VfL Osnabruck who have since stayed put in the third division. His firing from that post in 2015 was after a 11th place finish after consecutive top five seasons.
For FC Ingolstadt, who took a gamble on Kauczinski, this now comes off as a very cheap option who could make sure that when the drop happens that the club will not do a Paderborn and drop two divisions.
Matches of the Weekend
Friday gets us started in the right way with Bayer Leverkusen hosting RB Leipzig.
Leipzig is the surprise team of the season with the hungry sort of squad that they have brought up from the second division but until now they had only a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund. With Leverkusen there is a legitimate test for the title challengers and perhaps we will learn more about this side.
When FC Koln and Borussia Monchengladbach get together it is as feisty as any derby in Europe. Borussia is in a bad rut and against their rival things could finally work out. Thing is that after such a great start to life in the Bundesliga Andre Schubert is reaching that dip in his second season and now there is a need to fix the problems in the back.
FC Koln is in a great place having built themselves brick by brick and with Anthony Modeste leading the Bundesliga in goals the good times are here, but when the goals stop the real test will begin.
The biggest weekend match is the topspiel and it is Der Klassiker, HORRIBLE NAME. The biannual match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Thomas Tuchel is still getting his squad on page with him and yet they are six points off from leaders Bayern. Tuchel has never been good when facing Bayern but this is not the Munich side that swept away all in their path that was under Pep Guardiola. Fingers crossed that Christian Pulisic returns and makes some magic for the USMNT hype machine to explode.
Bayern is not the Bayern of the last few years and yet they are still on top of the Bundesliga. Carlo Ancelotti has his 4-3-3 and has been sticking to it regardless of the fact that it is alienating Thomas Muller who under Pep was just a machine. If Vidal or Robben are not 100% there are no three points, maybe not ever one, for the reigning champions in this title tilt.
Bundesliga on Fox
Friday’s Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig starts the weekend off on FS2.
Saturday’s morning matches has FC Koln facing arch rival Borussia Monchengladbach on FS1 with Mainz vs Freiburg on Fox Soccer Plus, and Wolfsburg and Schalke on FS2. Topspiel has Der Klassiker between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich on Fox.
Sunday’s doubleheader starts with Hoffenheim vs HSV on FS1 and Eintracht Frankfurt vs Werder Bremen on FS2, a rematch of the penultimate match of last season.
