Frankfurt v Arminia Bielefeld

Eintracht Frankfurt’s late push for a European spot come May has taken some notable hits in recent weeks, following a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund and then a 1-1 draw with Augsburg last weekend. Against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday in The Bundesliga, Oliver Glasner’s side will be determined to get back to winning ways. 

The Eagles had a bumpy start under their new head coach in the first half of the season, which led to four draws and a defeat from their first five home games, but in recent months something has clicked into gear for Frankfurt and they now look extremely impressive at home. 

Indeed, Glasner’s side beat Union Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen, and Mainz before coming so close to repeating the trick against Dortmund a few weeks ago. And they should be confident of getting the better of Arminia on Friday. 

Although Arminia haven’t been entirely dreadful on the road this season, Frank Kramer’s side have struggled to pick up wins, with their own victories to date coming against relegation-threatened Stuttgart and an RB Leipzig side still reeling from their head coach getting sacked. 

Indeed, the visitors to the old Waldstadion have managed just two wins from nine games on the road this season and it’s highly unlikely that that’s going to change on Friday night. Especially against a relatively full-strength Frankfurt side.

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Freiburg v Stuttgart

Frieburg have seen their form waver remarkably in recent weeks, with just three wins from their last 10 games in all competitions. However, certain factors should see the Black Forest side get back to winning ways on Saturday. 

For a start, they’re up against Stuttgart. Who currently hold the unenviable title of being the Bundesliga’s second-worst team when it comes to picking up points from their last 10 games. Only Greuther Furth have a poorer return than eight points from a possible 30. 

Couple that with Stuttgart’s form on the road, which has seen them pick up just one victory from nine – against a helpless Wolfsburg side – and it seems evident that the odds are firmly stacked against Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side on Saturday. 

To make matters worse for the Swabian guests, Freiburg will also be able to welcome back key central defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who was notably absent through injury during the club’s clumsy 2-2 draw with Arminia and the 5-1 demolition from Dortmund last weekend. 

Indeed, Schlotterbeck was back in place for the impressive 4-1 victory over Hoffenheim in the German Cup in midweek and points to the fact that Christian Streich’s side once again have the wind in their sails. Which, unfortunately, means another defeat for Stuttgart.

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Greuther Furth v Mainz 

Although 20 points and eight positions stand between Greuther Furth and Mainz in the Bundesliga table, both teams should go into Saturday’s clash with very little between them on the pitch. 

Furth, to their credit, have managed to instill some grit into their side over the festive period and have gone from losing 12 league games in a row to now enjoying three draws and a win from their last four matches. 

Perhaps most notably, Stefan Leitl’s side have avoided defeat in their last three home games by keeping a clean sheet against Union, Augsburg, and Stuttgart. If only they’d managed more than one goal themselves, they may have been able to turn two of those draws into defeats. Regardless, Furth have managed to plug a lot of the defensive holes that plagued them in the first half of the season. 

Mainz, in contrast, have seen a strong start to the season dissolve in their hands and have only managed four wins from their last 10 league games. A disappointing stat that is undoubtedly fueled by an away record that has seen Bo Svensson’s side lose their last four games on the road. 

Most worryingly for the mid-table side, Mainz have scored just eight goals from nine games on the road this season. This, when coupled with Furth’s recent defensive record, should undoubtedly lead to a low-scoring affair in Bavaria. 

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Hoffenheim v Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund’s crazy season continued rumbling on this week as Marco Rose’s side were knocked out of the German Cup by second division side St Pauli, losing 2-1 on a disappointing night in Hamburg.

Indeed, while Dortmund’s form in the league seems to contrast with the fortunes in cup competitions, the one consistent theme among both sets of form is the team’s complete inability to defend their own goal. 

In 19 league games this season, Rose’s porous side have conceded no less than 29 goals. Couple that with 15 goals conceded from 10 cup games and it certainly underlines where the problems lie for these title contenders. And where Hoffenheim can strike on Saturday. 

Although Sebastian Hoeneß’s side have had their own struggles of late, with just one win in their last five games, they haven’t failed to score in a single game since late November. And have bagged 21 goals in their last 10 games to boot. This suggests that Hoffenheim’s wavering form doesn’t seem to get in the way of them putting the ball in the back of the net. 

With no notable absences in attack for either side ahead of Saturday’s clash, it would make perfect sense for this match to end up being a high-scoring affair. Both teams may struggle to defend or even win the match, but scoring goals should come relatively easily to both. 

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Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg

Bayer Leverkusen were not entirely convincing last weekend but their 2-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach allowed Gerardo Seoane’s side to pick up their first win in six games and end a poor run of form. The visit of Augsburg on Saturday should allow them to build on that turn-in form. 

Although Leverkusen are still without key defenders Odilon Kossounou and Edmond Tapsoba due to the African Cup of Nations, the side seem intent on scoring their way out of trouble. In their last 10 league games, they’ve bagged no less than 21 goals. Only Dortmund and Bayern Munich have scored more. And when it comes to home games in the Bundesliga this season, Leverkusen have averaged no less than three goals per game. 

Indeed, it’s that proficiency in front of goal that should make short work of an Augsburg side that have ground out draws in recent weeks but have still looked far from competent against decent opposition. 

Although the visitors did pick up an impressive 2-0 victory in Köln in mid-December, that result has been overshadowed by a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Greurther Furth and then a 3-1 defeat to Hoffenheim in their last away match.

Markus Weinzierl’s side may have only picked up three defeats in their last 10 games in the league, but on the road they’ve only managed one win in the same amount of matches, having conceded 14 goals along the way. Which is exactly the kind of opponent this trigger-happy Leverkusen side will be desperate to face as they get back to their very best. It’s hard to look beyond a home win for this clash.

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Borussia Monchengladbach v Union Berlin

Borussia Monchengladbach seem to be in free-fall at the moment, with an unexpected defeat to Hannover in the German Cup coming after a run of form in the Bundesliga which has seen them lose five of their last seven league games. 

Although the Foals have a number of issues, much of it can be put down to wantaway stars Denis Zakaria and Matthias Ginter being ejected from the starting XI while the club figures out what to do with them. Which has, in turn, led to Gladbach shipping a number of goals. 

Without their star defensive midfielder and central defender, Gladbach have shipped four goals in their last two Bundesliga games. Which makes an overall unenviable defensive record of 35 goals conceded in 19 league games this season. 

Couple that with their poor run of form and it’s clear to see why Union Berlin would fancy their chances to score goals at the Borussia Park on Saturday afternoon. Especially considering the run of form the capital side are in at the moment. 

Not only are Urs Fischer’s side undefeated in their last five games, but they’ve also bagged eight goals along the way – including seven in their last three games alone. The Iron Ones aren’t exactly the most gung-ho team in the Bundesliga, but at the moment they look extremely dangerous in front of goal and should enjoy themselves against the Foals. 

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Bochum v FC Koln

Both Bochum and FC Koln have overcome relatively low expectations of them this season, with the former pushing into mid-table and the latter potentially having aspirations of bagging a European spot. And both teams have done that through smart, defensive football. 

For example, so far this season Bochum have only conceded 27 goals in 19 league games. Which is bested by only six teams in the Bundesliga. And in their last five home games in the German top-flight, Thomas Reis’ side have conceded just three goals. They’ll be hoping for more of the same in Saturday’s “Top Spiel” clash. 

FC Koln, for their part, have a similar record on the road. Although Steffen Baumgart’s side have had some notable upsets in away games this season – a 3-2 defeat to Bayern and a 5-0 loss to Hoffenheim for example – their remaining seven away games have seen them concede just nine goals in nine games. 

Indeed, while it may not seem like a rousing clash to put in front of a television audience, Bochum v FC Koln should end up being a match that tasks both sides with proving which one has the most stubborn defence. 

Only two of Bochum’s nine league games this season have finished with more than 2.5 goals while only four of FC Koln’s nine games have done the same. And against other mid-table sides, both teams have tended to bunker down and minimise the chance of conceding crucial goals. 

This match will likely be too close to call in terms of picking an actual result, but we can rest assured that it will be a low-scoring clash between two unambitious teams

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