Union Berlin v Koln

This weekend’s Bundesliga action kicks off with an enticing tie at the old Stadion An der Alten Försterei, where an out-of-form Union Berlin side welcome a cautious and not entirely confident Koln team. 

Indeed, Urs Fischer’s side have really struggled lately, with just four points from their last five league games – the third worst return in the German top flight – and just four goals scored along the way. Since the winter break no side in the Bundesliga have failed to score in more matches than the troubled capital side, which is in no small part due to the departure of Max Kruse for Wolfsburg in the January window. 

However, where better sides would be making the trip to Berlin in anticipation of all three points, Steffen Baumgart’s team will likely err on the side of caution. A policy that has done them well in recent match days. 

Much of that is to do with the fact that the team only have one clear route to goal, which involves as many crosses into the box for target man Anthony Modeste. The French striker has scored 40% of Koln’s league goals this season and will be looking to do the same on Friday, but it often means the side are relying on low-scoring affairs. 

Indeed, on the road this season Baumgart’s side have averaged just 1.3 goals per game and Union don’t look likely to add much to that on Friday night. This game certainly won’t be a high scoring clash. 

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Arminia Bielefeld v Stuttgart

While Arminia Bielefeld and Stuttgart are only one point apart in the Bundesliga table, both teams couldn’t be further apart. 

Frank Kramer and his side go into this clash having lost their last four games in a row and seem to have all but lost the hard-working spirit and incentive that took them to as high as twelfth in the table earlier in the season. In contrast, ahead of Saturday’s six-pointer, Kramer had a stark message for his players: “If they want to play in the Bundesliga (next season), then I have to see that.”

However, the hosts will be up against it this weekend as they take on a Stuttgart side that have undoubtedly refound their groove thanks to the return of star striker Sasa Kalajdzic. The Austrian target man has bagged no less than two goals and a further two assists in the Swabian side’s last four league games, which has seen them pick up two wins and a draw. 

Indeed, Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side have picked up more points in their last three league games than they did in their previous 11 thanks to their returning fire power. And they should be able to make short work of their fellow relegation battlers on Saturday. 

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Eintracht Frankfurt v Greuther Furth

Oliver Glasner has undoubtedly settled on a good thing at Eintracht Frankfurt and it seems to already be bearing fruits, considering the club’s run of five games without defeat in all competitions. 

The Eagles head coach has hardly changed his starting XI at all in that run of games, with a careful defensive structure well balanced alongside a dynamic front three of Daichi Kamada, Rafael Borre and Jesper Linstrom, and while he’ll be without the suspended Martin Hinteregger for Saturday’s clash, Frankfurt will be very confident of picking up all three points. 

Although Saturday’s hosts don’t have the best record in front of their home fans this season, they’ll be facing a team that are truly horrendous on the road this season in Greuther Furth, who have managed just one draw from 13 away games this season. 

Indeed, a draw away to Bielefeld in late January may have hinted at some sort of resurgence on the road for Stefan Leitl’s side but since then they’ve conceded 10 goals and scored just three in return. Saturday’s trip to Frankfurt should offer little respite from their poor run of form. 

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Freiburg v Bayern Munich

No team in the Bundesliga has picked up more points than Christian Streich’s Freiburg side over the course of the last five match days in the German top-flight, but the Black Forest club will likely see their unbeaten run of six games come to an end when they host Bayern Munich on Saturday. 

Julian Nagelsmann’s side have had to contend with some serious injuries and COVID infections, but the Bavarian giants tend to shift into top gear near the business end of the season and we’ve seen that from their last 11 games in all competitions. 

However, despite their solid run of form, the Munich side have struggled to keep clean sheets since the turn of the year, with just three from a total of 12 games. Which will be made all the harder without the injured Niklas Sule coordinating things in defence. 

As such, while Bayern are more than likely to win this game, we certainly shouldn’t rule out the prospect of a Freiburg side that averages 1.84 goals per home game this season from scoring at least one goal against Manuel Neuer & Co. 

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Hoffenheim v Bochum

Things just aren’t going right for Bochum at the moment and it could lead to the club getting dragged into the relegation race. 

Thomas Reis’s side have lost three of their last four league games, including a 2-0 defeat to Gladbach prior to the international break, which was cut short when a Bochum fan threw a beer at a linesman. Now, with the return of domestic football, the club is having to contend with the prospect of star winger Patrick Wimmer – who has struggled for form lately – jumping ship in the summer for a move to Wolfsburg. Things aren’t going to plan at the moment at the Ruhrstadion. 

In contrast, Hoffenheim look like a team with a clear plan for finishing in the top four this season and, despite a bizarre blip against Hertha Berlin in their last match, things are certainly ticking upwards for Sebastian Hoeneß’s side. 

Star forward Andrej Kramaric has signed a new long-term contract, left wing-back and the team’s main playmaker, David Raum, has just returned from an impressive international break with Germany and overall the Sinsheim side should be fully confident of picking up all three points on Saturday. 

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Bayer Leverkusen v Hertha Berlin

Hertha stunned the world of German football prior to the international break when they won their first league game since December in a 3-0 victory over Hoffenheim. A result made all the more impressive by the fact that the team were being coached by an assistant manager who had been at the club for a mere matter of days. 

Indeed, Felix Magath – and assistant Mark Fotheringham – have set the bar impressively high in their first game in charge, but a trip to the Bay Arena for the capital side will likely offer little hope of repeating the same trick twice. 

Bayer Leverkusen have been humbled in recent weeks with injuries to Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, which join the already injured Patrik Schick as perhaps the club’s best three players all on the sidelines for this clash. 

However, Gerardo Seoane can lay claim to one of the most in-depth squads in German football and the starting XI he’ll put out on Saturday should still be significantly better man for man than anything Hertha can muster. Albeit a team that will look far more defensive without their star striker or key playmakers. 

Couple Leverkusen’s more pragmatic list of stars with Magath’s risk-averse tactics at Hertha and we’re likely to witness a game with very few goals. 

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Borussia Dortmund v RB Leipzig

In Saturday’s “Topspiel” we have a Borussia Dortmund side that remains stubbornly efficient at home against an RB Leipzig team that have arguably been the best side in the Bundesliga since new head coach Domenico Tedesco took charge in December. 

Indeed, Dortmund have been far from impressive in recent months but Marco Rose’s side have deserved credit for keeping the show on the road, despite injuries to key players like Manuel Akanji, Marco Reus and Erling Haaland. 

Low-scoring draws against Koln and Augsburg, or 1-0 victories over Mainz and Bielefeld aren’t exactly the signs of future champions, but it has allowed the Westfalenstadion side to pick up as many points as Bayern Munich since late February. 

However, on Saturday the former Bundesliga champions face a truly daunting task when Leipzig come to town with high hopes of extending their unbeaten run in all games to 12 matches. And news that Haaland is a major doubt for the game will only give them more confidence. 

Dortmund’s ability to carve out results against teams in the bottom half of the table has been admirable, but against an in-form and top-class team, Rose’s side are sure to buckle without Haaland up front.

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