Borussia Dortmund fans are focused on one game only this weekend. More through a sense of dread than anticipation. The Saturday evening slot sees BVB face Bayern Munich, and while the title race is all but over, it’s hard not to treat this game as bigger than the rest. But there is more Bundesliga football happening this weekend than Der Klassiker. Eight more games, in fact, starting with Augsburg vs FC Köln tonight.
There are a few games I’ll be following this weekend. Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz feels
like it could be ripe for an upset. Leverkusen are a much stronger team, but Mainz’s form has picked up since the winter break and I think everyone, including Predicting Ball, is undervaluing them here. Predicting Ball gives Mainz a 17.6% win probability compared against Leverkusen’s 59.7%. I’m not sure Leverkusen should be below 50%, but I feel like this is a little bit too high. The other game that jumps out to me from the weekend’s slate is Werder Bremen vs Heidenheim. This game pitches the two teams in the automatic relegation spots against each other, and with Bremen heavily favoured (Predicting Ball gives them a 52.7% win probability), this could be a huge chance for them to climb back out of the relegation zone. Still, I think this game feels pretty wide open, and maybe this is Heidenheim’s chance to close the gap?
Here is the rest of this weekend’s Bundesliga schedule:
Friday:
- Augsburg vs FC Köln
Saturday:
- Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz
- Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Union Berlin
- Hoffenheim vs St. Pauli
- Werder Bremen vs Heidenheim
- Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich
Sunday:
- VfB Stuttgart vs Wolfsburg
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs Freiburg
- Hamburger SV vs RB Leipzig
The same rules apply as the BVB match threads, though I’m hoping tempers are less likely to flare in these threads. But as a reminder, here are the match thread rules:
- Exercise common sense. We allow profanity, adult humor, and other forms of crudeness within reason, but of course there are lines. Hateful language will not be tolerated. Exceptionally violent language (especially directed at specific people) will not be tolerated. Before you type, ask yourself, “Would I have a reasonable expectation of being thrown out of a bar in an average city if I said something like this?”
- Be respectful. There will definitely be times when everyone is upset and disagreements get heated, and that’s fine, but remember that we’re all rooting for the same team. Keep arguments based on substance and not personal insults.
- No sharing illegal streams. NONE. Zero tolerance.
- No spam. I have no interest in whatever crypto scheme you’re shilling. You will be banned.
Enjoy the game! Heja BVB!
