Get German Football News editor Daniel Pinder looks at three key things to watch out for in the Bundesliga this weekend with some exciting match-ups across the nine games.
Top 3 clash as RB Leipzig host Freiburg
With five wins and two defeats under new head coach Julian Schuster, Freiburg are quietly making waves in the Bundesliga. Sitting third and two points behind RB Leipzig, Schuster’s side come into this game with the fourth best defence in the league, but the best defence? RB Leipzig. However, while Freiburg have had a full week to prepare for this fixture, Marco Rose’s side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday night, a mentally exhausting 90-minute tactical battle. And against Freiburg, they will be without Xavi Simons after the Dutchman suffered ligament damage on his ankle.
One player RB Leipzig, who are also without David Raum, will have to watch is Vincenzo Grifo. Freiburg’s playmaker already has four assists this season and is ranked fourth in the Bundesliga for shot-creating actions.
New manager bounce at Bochum
The big news coming out of the Bundesliga this week is the dismissal of head coach Peter Zeidler at Bochum after failing to win any of his eight games in charge across all competitions. Not only that, sporting director Marc Lettau has also departed the club.
Markus Feldhoff has since been appointed as interim coach, and his first task will be against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich. First versus eighteenth. But we’ve seen the new manager bounce before, could that happen at Bochum? The Ruhr club won this exact game last season in February with Takuma Asano, Keven Schlotterbeck and Kevin Stöger scoring in a 3-2 win back then. And despite low confidence, Bochum will surely look at Bayern Munich’s 4-1 demolishing against Barcelona on Wednesday and think that they can grab something from the game.
Borussia Dortmund must react
Nuri Şahin took responsibility for Borussia Dortmund’s defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday after his side raced into a 2-0 lead. But questionable game management regarding substitutions and tactical tweaks saw Real score five unanswered goals. It’s Dortmund’s third defeat of the season but despite a 2-1 win against St. Pauli in their last Bundesliga game, their performance was underwhelming.
Not once in the Bundesliga this season has Die Schwarzgelben looked like a side that could challenge for the top four, let alone the Bundesliga title. A 5-1 defeat against Stuttgart and a 2-1 loss at Union Berlin is far from good enough for a side of Dortmund’s stature. And now it’s up to Şahin to find a solution, and fast, because fans appear to be becoming restless.
Player to Watch – Kevin Stöger (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Borussia Mönchengladbach will be looking to win successive Bundesliga games for the first time this season as they slowly climb the table. After three defeats in their opening four games, Gerardo Seoane’s side now have two wins in their last three, and a large part of their improvement in results is down to the form of Kevin Stöger.
A free transfer after his contract at Bochum expired, Stöger has three assists in seven league games this season and is topping attacking metrics. Leading the way in Shot-Creating Actions per 90 (9.24) in the Bundesliga, what’s more astounding is that the Austrian leads this metric across Europe’s Big 5 European Leagues this season. Not only that, Stöger has made 29 Key Passes in the Bundesliga this season, the most of any player, and is certainly making a claim for signing of the season.
Bundesliga Fixtures – Week 8
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Mainz 05 vs Borussia Monchengladbach (Friday)
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Stuttgart vs Holstein Kiel (Saturday)
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RB Leipzig vs Freiburg
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Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund
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St. Pauli vs Wolfsburg
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Werder Bremen vs Bayer Leverkusen
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Bochum vs Bayern Munich (Sunday)
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Union Berlin vs Eintracht Frankfurt
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Heidenheim vs Hoffenheim
