By Rich
The race for the Bundesliga title enters its final weeks this weekend following the international break. One of the most-watched contests this weekend will be that on Saturday between hosts RB Leipzig and visitors FC Bayern München. Just 4 points separate the 2 clubs at the top of the table in what has become one of the league’s biggest rivalries. Bayern are coming into the game, however, without striker Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to be out for 4 weeks with a knee injury he picked up during the break while competing for the Polish national team. Lewandowski is responsible for 35 of the club’s 78 goals this season, including at least 1 goal against every other club in the league - except for Leipzig. The match is almost a must-win for Leipzig if they want to claim the league title, but Die Roten Bullen have only won 1 of their 11 meetings with Bayern in all competitions, and the reverse fixture earlier this season ended in a 3:3 draw. If Bayern were to win on Saturday, they would be 7 points clear at the top of the table, and no such lead this late in the season has ever been overturned in Bundesliga history. Earlier on Saturday, Dortmund will host Frankfurt in what could also be a tense battle. Frankfurt’s 47 points have them in 4th place in the league, 4 points clear of 5th-place Dortmund. The game will feature the league’s next-best scorers after Lewandowski, in Erling Haaland and Andre Silva, who have each found the net 21 times this season. Haaland, however, has scored just 1 of his last 15 Bundesliga goals at home, while Silva has the 2nd-best goal record in Frankfurt’s history in the top flight. Finally on Saturday, Gladbach will host Freiburg late in the day when playmakers Florian Neuhaus and Vincenzo Grifo face off. Gladbach finally picked up 3 points before the break with a 3:0 win over Schalke, yet the club is still 4 points outside of a UEFA Europa League spot, with just 8 matches left. Freiburg are 1 point ahead of Gladbach, and a win over Gladbach could move them into 6th place, depending on the results of the other matches this weekend. One bad omen for Freiburg is this: no away team has won this fixture in their last 25 Bundesliga meetings - the last one was in March 2002, and Freiburg’s only win away at Gladbach was all the way back in April 1995. On Sunday, all eyes will turn to the derby between Berlin’s 2 clubs, when Union Berlin host Hertha. Union are in the hunt for their first trip to continental competition since the 2001-2 season, and are just 2 points behind 6th-place Leverkusen. Hertha, on the other hand, find themselves fighting for survival in the league, just 1 point ahead of the relegation play-off position and just 2 points ahead of the automatic relegation slots. In all 3 of the previous Bundesliga meetings between these 2 sides, the home side has won.
The race for the Bundesliga title enters its final weeks this weekend following the international break. One of the most-watched contests this weekend will be that on Saturday between hosts RB Leipzig and visitors FC Bayern München. Just 4 points separate the 2 clubs at the top of the table in what has become one of the league’s biggest rivalries. Bayern are coming into the game, however, without striker Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to be out for 4 weeks with a knee injury he picked up during the break while competing for the Polish national team. Lewandowski is responsible for 35 of the club’s 78 goals this season, including at least 1 goal against every other club in the league - except for Leipzig. The match is almost a must-win for Leipzig if they want to claim the league title, but Die Roten Bullen have only won 1 of their 11 meetings with Bayern in all competitions, and the reverse fixture earlier this season ended in a 3:3 draw. If Bayern were to win on Saturday, they would be 7 points clear at the top of the table, and no such lead this late in the season has ever been overturned in Bundesliga history. Earlier on Saturday, Dortmund will host Frankfurt in what could also be a tense battle. Frankfurt’s 47 points have them in 4th place in the league, 4 points clear of 5th-place Dortmund. The game will feature the league’s next-best scorers after Lewandowski, in Erling Haaland and Andre Silva, who have each found the net 21 times this season. Haaland, however, has scored just 1 of his last 15 Bundesliga goals at home, while Silva has the 2nd-best goal record in Frankfurt’s history in the top flight. Finally on Saturday, Gladbach will host Freiburg late in the day when playmakers Florian Neuhaus and Vincenzo Grifo face off. Gladbach finally picked up 3 points before the break with a 3:0 win over Schalke, yet the club is still 4 points outside of a UEFA Europa League spot, with just 8 matches left. Freiburg are 1 point ahead of Gladbach, and a win over Gladbach could move them into 6th place, depending on the results of the other matches this weekend. One bad omen for Freiburg is this: no away team has won this fixture in their last 25 Bundesliga meetings - the last one was in March 2002, and Freiburg’s only win away at Gladbach was all the way back in April 1995. On Sunday, all eyes will turn to the derby between Berlin’s 2 clubs, when Union Berlin host Hertha. Union are in the hunt for their first trip to continental competition since the 2001-2 season, and are just 2 points behind 6th-place Leverkusen. Hertha, on the other hand, find themselves fighting for survival in the league, just 1 point ahead of the relegation play-off position and just 2 points ahead of the automatic relegation slots. In all 3 of the previous Bundesliga meetings between these 2 sides, the home side has won.
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