RB Leipzig v Cologne

With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund winning their opening fixture, Domenico Tedesco would have wanted three points against Stuttgart, but his RB Leipzig were unable to covert their chances. Taking the lead through Christopher Nkunku inside 10 minutes, it looked promising for RB Leipzig, but they were undone by an excellent goal from Naouirou Ahamada, that yielded an xG of 0.08 – none of the Leipzig defence were quick enough to close the Frenchman down.

Conceding after 31 minutes, Leipzig dominated the game with 68% possession but struggled to break down a resolute Stuttgart defence. Chances flowed but with a combined xG of 1.35, Nkunku, Lukas Klostermann and Andre Silva were wasteful. Had Leipzig signed Timo Werner prior to the opening round of fixtures, this could have been a completely different result. The 26-year-old German returned to his former side from Chelsea after two years and with a record of 90 goals and 40 assists in 156 games across all competitions for Leipzig, promises to be an excellent addition. Werner could also be in line to start against Cologne on Saturday afternoon and his partnership alongside Silva and Nkunku could prove devastating.

Leipzig played well last weekend and will ask for much of the same against Cologne, only that they convert their chances. Last season, Cologne struggled away, conceding 28 in 17 games but they do have a decent scoring record against Leipzig, scoring four in their last three. For Cologne, the departure of Anthony Modeste will be evident, but they pose a threat at corners and on the break. Against Schalke, 42% of Cologne’s 26 shots ended up on target and despite only scoring three, they finished with an xG of 5, which shows that they can create chances. But on Saturday, they must take at least one.

But whilst Cologne counter-attack, they’re left open at the back, often leaving the two central-defenders without cover in the full-back area. Benno Schmitz, Luca Kilian, Julian Chabot and Jonas Hector isn’t exactly the quickest backline and with the pace that Nkunku and Werner possess, and with summer arrival David Raum on the left-flank, expect Leipzig to be quick in their transitions and to be much more clinical than they were last weekend. Four of the last six meetings between these two teams has finished with over 2.5 goals and expect this to be a high-scoring game with gaps left behind the Cologne defence that Leipzig will exploit.

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Werder Bremen v Stuttgart

Back into the Bundesliga after a one-year absence, Werder Bremen found themselves 2-1 up against Wolfsburg with goals from Niclas Füllkrug and Leonardo Bittencourt within two minutes of each other, cancelling out Lucas Nmecha’s opener. Had it not been for conceding an 84^th minute equaliser, Ole Werner would have won his first game in charge of a Bundesliga club. Against Stuttgart this weekend, it gives Werner as excellent opportunity to do so.

With 65 goals in 34 games in the 2. Bundesliga last season, Werder were excellent on the break. The duo of Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch scored 40 goals between them and whilst it’s naturally tougher in the Bundesliga, their return should be enough to see them remain in the top flight. With an xG of 0.96 from 6 chances against Wolfsburg, it shows that whilst they may not create much, they do take their chance when the opportunity arises. During the 2020/21 season when Bremen were last in the Bundesliga, it wasn’t necessarily their goalscoring exploits that got them relegated – there were four teams with fewer goals scored that season – but rather their defensive mistakes.

Against Stuttgart, like they did vs Wolfsburg, expect Werder Bremen to counter-attack centrally and on the right. Anthony Jung will look to sit back and provide defensive cover, allowing Mitchell Weiser on the opposite flank to get forward in a 5-3-2 as they look to exploit any space left behind Silas.

As for Stuttgart, they’ll likely line-up in a similar formation with Sasa Kalajdzic being the focal point. The Austrian spent much of last season out injured but returning towards the end, scoring six in 15 games. Both have goals in their attack and neither side has a particular tight defence with both teams preferring to have attacking full-backs. Stuttgart allowed 26 shots on their goal last weekend, but RB Leipzig were wasteful. Chances will come at both ends and three of their last four meetings has seen both teams find the net.

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Schalke v Borussia Monchengladbach

Daniel Farke’s Borussia Mönchengladbach tenure started off with a win against Hoffenheim last weekend. Appointed as a successor to Adi Hütter, Farke tends to favour a possession style of play, seeing more of the ball whilst remaining strong at the back. Controlling most of the ball with 62% possession, Farke set up his Gladbach side in a 4-2-3-1 with Marcus Thuram playing his favoured role through the middle, opposed to playing on the left-flank, and scoring the goal that gave Gladbach the lead following Ramy Bensebaini’s equaliser. The 25-year-old missed 12 games across all competitions last season through injury, and so his inclusion in the squad is a welcomed sight and one that adds a focal point to Gladbach’s attack.

Gladbach will be disappointed to have gone behind after allowing Robert Skov in at the far post unchallenged, scoring from an xG of 0.22, but they responded well. With 14 chances created in comparison to Hoffenheim’s three, Gladbach implemented Farke’s plan of overwhelming the opposition whilst remaining strong at the back. With an attacking trio of Alassane Pléa, Florian Neuhaus and Patrick Hermann behind Thuram, Gladbach didn’t favour a particular side as they moved through their transitions, which will keep Schalke guessing this weekend.

Other than Thuram, a player to keep an eye on is summer arrival Ko Itakura, who had a particularly impressive game against Hoffenheim. Playing alongside Nico Elvedi in defence, Itakura recorded 101 passes and a completion of 94%, remaining composed and rarely turning the ball over. On his Bundesliga debut, the Japan international recorded an assist, but was excellent defensively, winning 67% of his challenges – only Joe Scally and Elvedi recorded a higher percentage. Against Schalke, it will be interesting to see how the 188cm defender combats the threat of Sebastian Polter, who scored 10 Bundesliga goals last season, four of which were scored with his head.

As for Schalke, they were welcomed back to the Bundesliga with a 3-1 defeat against Cologne. Down to 10 men inside 35 minutes owing to Dominick Drexler’s sending off for a challenge on Jonas Hector, Schalke switched to a 4-4-1 and allowed 26 shots on their goal, 11 of which were on target. Conceding an xG of 5, S04 were lucky that Cologne were wasteful in front of goal, something that Gladbach may not be. Gladbach have only lost one of their last five visits to the VELTINS Arena and Farke’s side is far superior to that of Schalke. Their opening day win will have given this Gladbach squad confidence heading into this game.

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