Photo Credit: Dirk Vorderstraße/ Wikimedia Images
Bayern and Dortmund enter off big European performances and one of the biggest relegation matches and more in the weekly Bundesliga matchday 27 preview.
Friday is typically a good match-up and one team has been rather good this year when it comes to playing on a Friday is Schalke 04, who they host Borussia Monchengladbach.
Both sides are pushing hard to be in next season’s Champions League and neither have been totally convincing of late. The last time Borussia stringed two wins together was the first six matches under current manager Andre Schubert.
Schalke hooked pathetic against Hertha Berlin though they won their two prior matches. Not since match day 18 has the Miners been defeated at the Veltins Arena.
Prediction: Schalke 04 with a 3-1 resounding win as Leroy Sane creates some magic.
Hertha Berlin put some distance between themselves and the challengers to the Champions League places as they play Bundesliga debutants FC Ingolstadt in Berlin.
Hertha BSC have three points separating themselves from Borussia in fourth and four from Schalke in fifth. The attacking tandem of Vedad Ibisevic and Solomon Kalou as produced 20 goals between them. The visitors have been a very difficult nut to crack and these two will need their A game to succeed.
FC Ingolstadt is now nearly mathematically assured survival in the Bundesliga having accumulated 33 points from 26 matches. The key has been their defense as they have conceded just 29 goals in the league a number only bested by Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Hertha.
Prediction: 1-0 Hertha BSC
FC Koln has been much more attacking this season under manager Peter Stoger. This stability will be put to the test as Bayern Munich comes to the Cathedral City after their European adventure.
Bayern Munich was down 2-0 at the 28th minute mark at home to Juventus and yet they came back to win 4-2 and 6-4 on aggregate in a truly fun game. But will there be a let down after such a trial?
FC Koln has not lit the world on fire but they have earned points on solid defense and a few goals to find themselves comfortably mid-table. After a tumultuous few years this stability is a blessing for those who love the game day atmosphere at Rhein Energie Stadion.
Prediction: 1-0 Munich and only just
VFL Wolfsburg will be excited with their opposition in the quarterfinals of the Champions League but they will look towards their home match against Darmstadt, who are still in a relegation fight.
Wolfsburg has been bad on the road, just two wins all season on the road. Yet, one was at Darmstadt. This squad just couldn’t finish last week at Hoffenheim. At home they will be much more comfortable and will have the positive mindset to make things happen.
Darmstadt has a tough rest of the season. Only one match is against a team in the bottom half of the league and that is on the road. A last minute goal to Augsburg dropped two key points last week and that will not sit too well with this very desperate team.
Prediction: 2-0 Wolfsburg
Hamburg is again not out of the relegation fight. To avoid this again they host 17th place Hoffenheim who is showing life under new manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Hamburg is a mystery team. One week they dispatch Hertha Berlin with seeming ease. Then they follow that up with lackluster draws that are less entertaining than watching paint dry. The dinosaurs are aptly named.
Hoffenheim is showing life when it matters most. They have won each of their last three home matches and find themselves level on points with Eintracht Frankfurt who are in the relegation playoff place. On the road they have been vastly different conceding eight goals in their last two.
Prediction: 1-1 draw not doing what everyone needs
Werder Bremen have moved above the relegation zone but against Mainz they face a team fighting to be a part of Europe next year.
Mainz has benefited from not playing in Europe and find themselves in sixth place and a mere two points off a place in the Champions League.
Bremen have had their moments. At the hinrunde they had five losses in a row. Recently in the ruckrunde they have picked up seven points from their last four, the lone loss coming to Bayern Munich last week. With the international break next weekend this match could be pivotal in staying from the drop out of the Bundesliga.
Prediction: 1-1 and Bremen is lucky to get that and an extra point
Eintracht Frankfurt have eight matches to remove themselves from 16th place and the relegation playoff. Hannover 96 are almost done but this is their last opportunity to survive relegation to the Zweite Liga.
This writer’s heart isn’t prepared for FOX to broadcast this across America as Frankfurt just couldn’t get going last week against Monchengladbach in Niko Kovac’s first match in charge after replacing Armin Veh. The squad has bags of talent and should be three or four places higher in the Bundesliga. They need to prove with this home match that they have what it takes to stay up. It also helps that the club still has four matches remaining against teams who are currently in the relegation zone.
Hannover 96 has been bad. HOW BAD? They have spent two thirds of the season in relegation and are starring at a seven point difference between them and both Hoffenheim and Frankfurt. At this point it is rather simple: either they win or get ready for life in the Zweite Liga.
Prediction: 2-1 Frankfurt with first win since January
Stuttgart has had and excellent ruckrunde. Now mid table they host Bayer Leverkusen after they were knocked out of the Europa League.
Stuttgart when they get going can really score. They put three in the net against stingy Ingolstadt, a defense that had only conceded 26 prior to last week. So dangerous on the attack that any team that isn’t in good form will concede.
Leverkusen is an odd team. They have Javier Hernandez and in him a legitimate superstar. Thing is it might be that the tactics of Roger Schmidt are preventing this squad fro reaching their true potential. This team has talent to burn. And yet they have dropped from the Champions League to the Europa League and now been dropped out of that competition as well and sit in seventh in the Bundesliga.
Prediction: 3-0 Stuttgart will ROLL
FC Augsburg are looking to survive another year in the Bundesliga. That might be a bit difficult considering they host Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund won in England in the Europa League this week and will be looking forward to their quarterfinals match up therein. The four man attack they boast is daunting indeed with Ilkay Gundogan, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marco Reuss, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. If they were in the Champions League the whole world would be singing their praises.
FC Augsburg is still in a relegation dog fight. They salvaged a draw when they came back from being down 2-0 at Darmstadt. Being on points with Darmstadt and Werder Bremen and yet three points from Frankfurt and Hoffenheim is not a position they had figured to be in at year’s end.
Prediction: FC Augsburg 5-Borussia Dortmund 2.
