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Coronavirus cases are spiking in Germany and the Bundesliga will still go-ahead with its schedule as all nine games look exciting across Halloween weekend.
(All times US Central time on ESPN+ unless stated)
SCHALKE 04 vs. VfB STUTTGART (Friday at 2:30pm)
A horror start doesn’t even begin to describe the Royal Blues’ plight. After last week’s loss in the Revierderby, they are winless in their last 21 matches. Their -17 goal difference is also frightening. Ozan Kabak is serving the fourth of his five-match ban, so he will not be facing his former club.
Die Schwaben have found their strengths to becoming more of a threat on eight points from the first five matches and in fifth place. Stuttgart are unbeaten in their last four, though the most recent result was a 1-1 draw with FC Koln. Sasa Kalajdzic has had a hand in five of the team’s ten goals so far this season.
EINTRACHT FRANFURT vs. WERDER BREMEN (Saturday at 9:30am)
After a decent start, Die Adler had a nightmare against Bayern Munich, losing 5-0. The loss dropped them down to eighth position. They will be looking to bounce back through Andre Silva and Bas Dost who have combined for five of Frankfurt’s seven goals so far. Dost has been a bogey man for Bremen as he has five goals and three assists in four matches against the Green-Whites.
Speaking of the Green-Whites, they are one place above Frankfurt at present. A three-man backline did well to hold Hoffenheim last weekend. However, they were dealt a ghoulish blow as Niklas Fullkrug is out for several weeks with a calf injury. Josh Sargent should start again for Bremen, though it would be news if Milot Rashica did the same.
FC COLOGNE vs. BAYERN MUNICH (Saturday at 9:30am)
The synopsis for the Billy Goats reads like a horror flick: A team with a 15-match winless streak takes on killer team in Bayern Munich. They may have to make do without Jonas Hector due to a neck problem. The last two matches have shown some light though with back-to-back 1-1 draws.
Just facing Bayern these days is a frightening prospect. Just ask Frankfurt and Atletico Madrid. Lokomotiv Moscow almost pulled a shocker on Tuesday, but Joshua Kimmich laid the axe to those hopes as it’s two out of two wins in the Champions League for the Bavarian club. Only Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig have been able to escape with point against Bayern this calendar year, will the Goats be able to do the same?
FC AUGSBURG vs. MAINZ 05 (Saturday at 9:30am)
Augsburg’s trip to Leverkusen was not such a scream as they fell to a 3-1 defeat on Monday. That makes it back-to-back defeats for Die Fuggerstäder. They will have to make do without Alfred Finnbogason who is out with a thigh injury. Florian Niederlechner and Michael Gregoritsch are expected to continue in attack.
It’d be nothing but rocks for the 05ers so far this season as they are still without the meager threat of a single point. The last time Mainz opened a season with five defeats, Jurgen Klopp was their manager in 2005. They will hope for the same happy ending as they had on Matchday Six fifteen years ago with a win.
ARMINIA BIELEFELD vs. BORUSSIA DORTMUND (Saturday at 9:30am)
Bielefeld emerged from the darkness of the lower leagues for the first time in 11 years. However, they are stuck in the dark of three straight losses at present. However, they have made the Schuco a haunted house for Dortmund as they unbeaten in their last six against the Black and Yellow there.
The scary part for BVB is that in their last 17 visits to Bielefeld, they have won just twice. However, it was they who have done the spooking recently with wins over Schalke last Saturday and then Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday. They have also done some scary defending allowing just two goals so far in league play.
BORUSSIA MÖNCHENGLADBACH vs. RB LEIPZIG (Saturday at 12:30pm)
It looked like Gladbach would vanquish the big boss in Real Madrid on Tuesday after going 2-0 up, but Real recovered to snatch a point the last few minutes at Borussia Park. What could arguably have been six points in the Champions League is just two as they had a late lead on Inter Milan the previous week. They did come from behind themselves last weekend against Mainz.
RB Leipzig are top of the Bundesliga, but are coming back from their own horror show after being thrashed 5-0 at Manchester United. Die Roten Bullen will be looking to gore the Foals through Angelino, Emil Forsberg and Yussuf Poulsen and remain in the penthouse of the Bundesliga.
SC FREIBURG vs. BAYER LEVERKUSEN (Sunday at 8:30am)
For Freiburg, it started off brightly with a win against Stuttgart, but they are winless in their last four since—though three were draws. Yet, in each of those three draws, Die Breisgauer were ahead. Nils Petersen has not scored in his last three matches. They are hoping the Schwarzwald Stadion can be the haunted house for their opponents as they are unbeaten in their last five home matches.
Leverkusen were the last away team to win at Freiburg, though, on Matchday 29 last season. In fact, Die Werkself have only lost once in their last ten against Freiburg, so they have been Freiburg’s personal demon as of late. Leverkusen are also unbeaten in their first five for the first time in eleven years—though they will be coming off a loss in the Europa League to Slavia Prague on Thursday.
HERTHA BERLIN vs. VfL WOLFSBURG (Sunday at 11am)
Matteo Guendouzi may make his Bundesliga debut for Hertha. It’s not a moment too soon as Hertha have lost four on the bounce after their opening win against Bremen. Another bright spot for Hertha is that Jhon Cordoba has three goals in his last five matches, though his opener was not enough to hold off RB Leipzig last week.
Wolfsburg finally got a win last weekend against Bielefeld after four straight draws. They are one of three unbeaten teams left in the Bundesliga along with Leipzig and Leverkusen. However, they will be without captain Josuha Guilavogui who came off in the first half last week with a torn thigh muscle.
HOFFENHEIM vs. UNION BERLIN (Monday at 1:30pm):
Andrej Kramaric could be out of isolation after participating in international duty with Croatia. The two league matches without him were a loss to Dortmund and a draw to Bremen. However, their Europa League campaign has been unblemished with wins over Red Star Belgrade and Gent this past Thursday. Spurs loanee Ryan Sessegnon could make his full debut with the Sinsheimers in this one as well.
Loris Karius’s debut for Union could wait a little longer as he suffered a foot injury in training. Union are unbeaten in their last four, but their last three have all been draws. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck and forward Anthony Ujah are definitely out, but midfielder Grischa Prömel could return to the squad after missing last week’s draw with Freiburg. Five Bundesliga matches without defeat would be a new club record for Union.
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