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Back from the March international break, we enter the home stretch of the Bundesliga campaign with the potential for a thrilling title race, a thrilling race for Champions League spots, and potential battle for the second Europa League spot, and an unlikely race to avoid the relegation playoff. Welcome to Matchday 27.
TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM vs. BAYER LEVERKUSEN (Friday at 2:30pm CT, FS2)
(Matchday 10: Bayer Leverkusen 1-4 Hoffenheim)
Hoffenheim are trying to get back into the hunt for the place that Die Werkself currently occupies. They are currently four points adrift of that position and need to pass three teams to get there. However, they will be missing some key components. Nico Schulz was the hero for Germany in midweek against Netherlands, but will be suspended for this match. Andrej Kramaric will also miss out after picking up a knee injury while on duty with Croatia.
In the reverse fixture on Matchday ten, Leverkusen were thrashed, 4-1, at home by Hoffenheim. Two weeks ago also saw a home defeat to Werder Bremen. Die Werkself will hope for an away win of their own as they try to close the gap on the top four which is five points away. Julian Brandt and Leon Bailey have improved vastly in the Ruckrunde as has the team as a whole as they have won six of their last nine.
SC FREIBURG vs. BAYERN MUNICH (Saturday at 9:30am CT, FS2)
(Matchday 10: Bayern Munich 1-1 Freiburg)
Back in October, Freiburg got a surprise draw at the Allianz. Mid-table safety appears likely as they have lost just once in their last seven. However, they will be hard-pressed to get a result against a Bayern team that has won 13 of their last 14 league matches.
Bayern will be looking for a similar performance from the one before the break which was a 6-0 thrashing of Mainz, James Rodriguez got a hat trick in the match and top scorer Robert Lewandowski will be looking to get closer to 200 Bundesliga goals. He needs two more on that end. He has scored 13 goals in 13 matches against Freiburg.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs. VFL WOLFSBURG (Saturday at 9:30am, Fox Soccer Plus)
(Matchday 10: Wolfsburg 0-1 Borussia Dortmund)
BVB are the only team in the Bundesliga to avoid defeat at home this season. Jadon Sancho impressed with England with an assist in their 5-0 defeat of the Czech Republic. He leads the Bundesliga in assists with 12 and he turned 19 on Monday. Marco Reus is likely to retain his place in the lineup despite a thigh issue, but Christian Pulisic is out due to his picked up in the USA’s friendly against Chile on Tuesday.
Wolfsburg took out their frustrations on Fortuna, 5-2, after being thrashed 6-0 by Bayern the week before. Wout Wiehorst got a hat trick in the match and assisted on the other two goals. He will be called upon again to get a result against BVB and keep in the chase for Europe as they are just goal difference behind Leverkusen.
SV WERDER BREMEN vs. MAINZ 05 (Saturday at 9:30am CT, Fox Soccer Matchpass)
(Matchday 10: Mainz 2-1 Werder Bremen)
Bremen is just three points out of sixth after defeating Leverkusen before the break. The Green-Whites are unbeaten in their last nine matches thanks in large part to Max Kruse who has scored four times in the last three matches. Claudio Pizzaro is out though with a thigh strain which may open the door for Josh Sargent to appear.
Mainz appear likely to be stuck in mid-table as they are ten points clear of the danger zone and twelve points off the top six. The 05ers went into the break on three straight defeats—including the 6-0 defeat to Bayern. A fourth straight loss would be a first under Sandro Schwarz. Keeping Bremen off the scoresheet would be a first for any team this season if that happens.
FORTUNA DUSSELDORF vs. BORUSSIA MÖNCHENGLADBACH (Saturday at 9:30am CT, Fox Soccer Matchpass)
(Matchday 10: Borussia MG 3-0 Fortuna Dusseldorf)
Fortuna are not out of the relegation woods yet, but appear close to doing that despite back-to-back losses. However, they have one of the tougher run-ins to end the season. Alfredo Morales might see some action for Fortuna while Dodi Lukebakio is suspended.
Borussia easily handled Fortuna in the reverse fixture on Matchday 10, but they are in a more precarious position in fourth place now after drawing twice and losing three times in 2019. Also experiencing a drop in form is Thorgan Hazard as he has yet to score in the Ruckrunde. The Foals are just two points clear of a hard-charging Eintracht Frankfurt.
FC NÜRNBERG vs. FC AUGSBURG (Saturday at 9:30pm CT, Fox Soccer Matchpass)
(Matchday 10: FC Augsburg 2-2 FC Nürnberg)
Nürnberg are likely to face the drop as they are bottom of the table, winless in their last 20, and seven-points adrift of 16th-place Stuttgart. One potential bright spot is that USA international Timothy Tillman—on loan from Bayern—may make his third appearance for Der Club. He made his first start two weeks ago against Frankfurt.
Seven points from the last three matches has Augsburg five points clear of the bottom three. Sergio Cordova spearheaded a turnaround before the break against Hannover, but will likely start on the bench before Alfred Finnbogasson. The Iceland international has been hot and cold when playing. Six of his ten goals have been part of hat tricks.
RB LEIPZIG vs. HERTHA BERLIN (Satruday at 12:30pm CT, FS2)
(Matchday 10: Hertha Berlin 0-3 RB Leipzig)
Leipzig are unbeaten in their last eight and looking to consolidate third place. They also have had six clean sheets in the process en route to being the stingiest defense by a distance. However, that defense will be without Lukas Klostermann who got injured on his Germany debut against Serbia.
By contrast, the Capital Club have won just three in their last twelve league matches. They are now tenth and in danger of being cut adrift for a European place. They will have to make do without striker Vedad Ibisevic and center back Jordan Torunarigha, who both got sent off against Dortmund two weeks ago.
HANNOVER 96 vs. SCHALKE 04 (Sunday at 8:30am CT, FS1)
(Matchday 10: Schalke 3-1 Hannover 96)
A five-match losing streak has left the 96ers six points adrift of 16th with just eight matches to play. Hannover only have three wins this season, all at home, and two of them against the teams directly above and below them. They need to shore up a defense that has conceded a league-high 61 goals—a league-high 20 of which have come from set pieces.
Schalke have been in free fall and are winless in their last eight. They are only three points clear of 16th-place Stuttgart and will be without Weston McKennie likely for the rest of the season after he ruptured ankle ligament in the USA’s friendly win against Ecuador. Guido Burgstaller could return for the Royal Blues after dental surgery.
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT vs. VFB STUTTGART (Sunday at 11am CT, FS2)
(Matchday 10: VfB Stuttgart 0-3 Eintracht Frankfurt)
The Eagles are the in-form team at the moment outside of Bayern with four straight wins and unbeaten in their last nine in league play (13 in all competitions). If results fall in their favor this weekend, they could reach the top four. Ante Rebic, Luka Jovic, and Sebastien Haller have combined for 37 of the team’s 51 goals this season.
Stuttgart has recently switched to a five-man back line. They have picked up five points in their last five matches which is five times as much as they amassed in the five matches before that. Stuttgart have never been swept by Eintracht in a single season and could move level with Schalke if they win and the Royal Blues continue their freefall against lowly Hannover.
