By Rich
1. FC Union Berlin moved, at least temporarily, into one of the 4 top spots in the table on Friday with a 2:1 win at home over RB Leipzig. Union’s Taiwo Awoniyi scored his 9th Bundesliga goal of the season in the match’s 6th minute off an assist from Timo Baumgartl, but Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku tied the match just a few minutes later with a shot from far outside the goal. The match remained tied until early in the 2nd half, when Union’s Baumgartl tapped the ball in. The win gives Union a 5-point lead in the table over Leipzig going into the rest of the weekend’s matches, and Leipzig remain 1 of 5 clubs who have still failed to win an away match this season. The big match this weekend is, of course, Der Klassiker on Saturday in Dortmund. Dortmund’s Erling Haaland is anticipated to start after his return to competition last weekend, a game in which he contributed to a 3:1 win at Wolfsburg. Haaland’s goal last weekend was his 50th Bundesliga goal in as many appearances, and his 10th in 7 appearances this season. Bayern are coming to this match with a slender 1-point lead over Dortmund in the standings, and the trip is a return to Dortmund for Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored 74 goals for Dortmund in 131 appearances from 2010 to 2014. They are not the only players to watch on Saturday, however. Dortmund’s Marco Reus, for example, scored or assisted in 9 of his 12 Bundesliga appearances last season and in 8 of his last 9 this season. Bayern have won all 5 of the most recent Klassiker, and have only lost 2 of the last 10. Overall, Bayern lead with 51 Bundesliga wins to Dortmund’s 26. Lewandowski is also the top scorer in this fixture, with 25 goals. The statistics are less attractive for Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has won just 2 of 13 matches against Dortmund as a head coach, drawing 4 and losing 7. Looking ahead to Sunday, Gladbach will host Freiburg in the last match of the weekend, in a fixture that will feature 2 of the best full-backs of the league in Joe Scally and Christian Günter. Gladbach’s Scally has started every match in this season, his first in the Bundesliga, and is the club’s best player for winning challenges. Günter, who is also Freiburg’s captain, is one of the league’s highest-scoring defenders. Gladbach are 1 of just 3 clubs yet to lose a league home match this season, and while Freiburg are in 3rd place in away points this season, they have not won a match in Mönchengladbach since all the way back in May 2008.
1. FC Union Berlin moved, at least temporarily, into one of the 4 top spots in the table on Friday with a 2:1 win at home over RB Leipzig. Union’s Taiwo Awoniyi scored his 9th Bundesliga goal of the season in the match’s 6th minute off an assist from Timo Baumgartl, but Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku tied the match just a few minutes later with a shot from far outside the goal. The match remained tied until early in the 2nd half, when Union’s Baumgartl tapped the ball in. The win gives Union a 5-point lead in the table over Leipzig going into the rest of the weekend’s matches, and Leipzig remain 1 of 5 clubs who have still failed to win an away match this season. The big match this weekend is, of course, Der Klassiker on Saturday in Dortmund. Dortmund’s Erling Haaland is anticipated to start after his return to competition last weekend, a game in which he contributed to a 3:1 win at Wolfsburg. Haaland’s goal last weekend was his 50th Bundesliga goal in as many appearances, and his 10th in 7 appearances this season. Bayern are coming to this match with a slender 1-point lead over Dortmund in the standings, and the trip is a return to Dortmund for Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored 74 goals for Dortmund in 131 appearances from 2010 to 2014. They are not the only players to watch on Saturday, however. Dortmund’s Marco Reus, for example, scored or assisted in 9 of his 12 Bundesliga appearances last season and in 8 of his last 9 this season. Bayern have won all 5 of the most recent Klassiker, and have only lost 2 of the last 10. Overall, Bayern lead with 51 Bundesliga wins to Dortmund’s 26. Lewandowski is also the top scorer in this fixture, with 25 goals. The statistics are less attractive for Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, who has won just 2 of 13 matches against Dortmund as a head coach, drawing 4 and losing 7. Looking ahead to Sunday, Gladbach will host Freiburg in the last match of the weekend, in a fixture that will feature 2 of the best full-backs of the league in Joe Scally and Christian Günter. Gladbach’s Scally has started every match in this season, his first in the Bundesliga, and is the club’s best player for winning challenges. Günter, who is also Freiburg’s captain, is one of the league’s highest-scoring defenders. Gladbach are 1 of just 3 clubs yet to lose a league home match this season, and while Freiburg are in 3rd place in away points this season, they have not won a match in Mönchengladbach since all the way back in May 2008.
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