Eintracht 5 Bayern 1

The first thing to say is that this kind of defeat is not uncommon no matter how many one-sided jibes one may hear about the Bundesliga. Bayern have their bogey teams, Frankfurt, Hoffenheim and Borussia Monchengladbach to name a few. Also, Frankfurt over the past few years have done this to many teams — Barca, Arsenal, Napoli and a quite a few others. The home side decided to go toe-to-toe with Bayern, an approach that can pay dividends against the serial German champions, especially considering their glaring absence of a number 6. The alarm bells won’t be ringing just yet for Thomas Tuchel. After all, on most weekends they’ll overwhelm their domestic opponents and they aren’t likely to face a credible threat in the Champions League until the quarterfinals. However, Tuchel may yet end up getting a small but significant victory as a result of this defeat as he builds the case for the board to prioritize signing a defensive midfielder in January.  

Bundesliga Picks Final Tally

Final Round — 6/9

Season — 137/306 (44.77 %)

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 34

Augsburg vs Furth — Home

Dortmund vs Hertha — Home

Union vs Bochum — Home

Arminia vs Leipzig — Away

Wolfsburg vs Bayern — Draw

Mainz vs Frankfurt — Home

Stuttgart vs Koln — Home

Leverkusen vs Freiburg — Draw

Gladbach vs Hoffenheim — Home

Last round — 2/9

Season — 131/297

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 33

Bochum vs Arminia — Home

Hoffenheim vs Leverkusen — Draw

Furth vs Dortmund — Home

Freiburg vs Union — Home

Koln vs Wolfsburg — Home

Hertha vs Mainz — Home

Frankfurt vs Gladbach — Away

Bayern vs Stuttgart — Home

Leipzig vs Augsburg — Home

Last round — 1/9

Season — 129/288

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 32

Union vs Furth — Home

Augsburg vs Koln — Home

Stuttgart vs Wolfsburg — Home

Arminia vs Hertha — Away

Mainz vs Bayern — Draw

Dortmund vs Bochum — Home

Hoffenheim vs Freiburg — Draw

Gladbach vs Leipzig — Draw

Leverkusen vs Frankfurt — Home

Last round — 5/9

Season — 128/279

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 31

Wolfsburg vs Mainz – Home

Frankfurt vs Hoffenheim – Draw

Koln vs Arminia – Home

Freiburg vs Gladbach – Home

Furth vs Leverkusen – Away

Leipzig vs Union – Home

Bayern vs Dortmund – Home

Bochum vs Augsburg – Home

Hertha vs Stuttgart – Draw

Last round – 5/9

Season – 123/270

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 30

Freiburg vs Bochum — Home

Mainz vs Stuttgart — Away

Dortmund vs Wolfsburg — Home

Augsburg vs Hertha — Home

Gladbach vs Koln — Home

Arminia vs Bayern — Away

Hoffenheim vs Furth — Home

Union vs Frankfurt — Home

Leverkusen vs Leipzig — Away

Last round — 3/9

Season — 118/261

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 29

Stuttgart vs Dortmund — Home

Furth vs Gladbach — Away

Koln vs Mainz — Draw

Bayern vs Augsburg — Home

Wolfsburg vs Arminia — Draw

Hertha vs Union — Draw

Bochum vs Leverkusen — Away

Frankfurt vs Freiburg — Home

Leipzig vs Hoffenheim — Home

Last round — 0/1

Season — 115/252

Bundesliga Rescheduled Pick

Augsburg vs Mainz — Draw

Last round — 3/9

Season — 115/251

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 28

Union vs Koln – Home

Arminia vs Stuttgart – Away

Hoffenheim vs Bochum – Home

Freiburg vs Bayern – Draw

Leverkusen vs Hertha – Home

Frankfurt vs Furth – Home

Dortmund vs Leipzig – Away

Augsburg vs Wolfsburg – Draw

Gladbach vs Mainz – Home

Last round – 4/9

Season – 112/242

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 27

Bochum vs Gladbach — Draw

Mainz vs Arminia — Home

Stuttgart vs Augsburg — Home

Furth vs Freiburg — Away

Hertha vs Hoffenheim — Away

Bayern vs Union — Home

Leipzig vs Frankfurt — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Leverkusen — Home

Koln vs Dortmund — Away

Last round — 1/1

Season — 108/233

Bundesliga Rescheduled Pick

Mainz vs Dortmund — Away

Last round — 6/8

Season — 107/232

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 26

Hoffenheim vs Bayern — Home

Freiburg vs Wolfsburg — Home

Union vs Stuttgart — Draw

Gladbach vs Hertha — Home

Leverkusen vs Koln — Home

Frankfurt vs Bochum — Home

Dortmund vs Arminia — Home

Furth vs Leipzig — Away

Last round — 1/8

Season — 101/224

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 25

Arminia vs Augsburg — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Union — Draw

Bochum vs Furth — Away

Hertha vs Frankfurt — Away

Bayern vs Leverkusen — Home

Leipzig vs Freiburg — Home

Stuttgart vs Gladbach — Draw

Koln vs Hoffenheim — Home

Last round — 5/9

Season — 100/216

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 24

Hoffenheim vs Stuttgart – Home

Furth vs Koln – Draw

Freiburg vs Hertha – Home

Leverkusen vs Arminia – Home

Gladbach vs Wolfsburg – Home

Union vs Mainz – Away

Frankfurt vs Bayern – Home

Bochum vs Leipzig – Away

Augsburg vs Dortmund – Draw

Last round – 4/9

Season – 95/207

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 23

Mainz vs Leverkusen — Draw

Augsburg vs Freiburg — Home

Wolfsburg vs Hoffenheim — Home

Arminia vs Union — Draw

Stuttgart vs Bochum — Away

Koln vs Frankfurt — Home

Bayern vs Furth — Home

Dortmund vs Gladbach — Home

Hertha vs Leipzig — Away

Last round — 4/9

Season — 91/198

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 22

Leipzig vs Koln — Home

Bochum vs Bayern — Draw

Freiburg vs Mainz — Home

Furth vs Hertha — Draw

Gladbach vs Augsburg — Home

Frankfurt vs Wolfsburg — Home

Leverkusen vs Stuttgart — Home

Union vs Dortmund — Away

Hoffenheim vs Arminia — Draw

Last round — 6/9

Season — 87/189

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 21

Hertha vs Bochum — Home

Augsburg vs Union — Draw

Mainz vs Hoffenheim — Home

Arminia vs Gladbach — Draw

Koln vs Freiburg — Home

Stuttgart vs Frankfurt — Away

Bayern vs Leipzig — Home

Dortmund vs Leverkusen — Home

Wolfsburg vs Furth — Home

Last round — 5/9

Season — 81/180

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 20

Frankfurt vs Arminia — Draw

Gladbach vs Union — Draw

Furth vs Mainz — Away

Freiburg vs Stuttgart — Home

Hoffenheim vs Dortmund — Home

Leverkusen vs Augsburg — Home

Bochum vs Koln — Draw

Leipzig vs Wolfsburg — Home

Hertha vs Bayern — Away

Last week — 3/9

Season — 76/171

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 19

Dortmund vs Freiburg — Home

Koln vs Bayern — Draw

Union vs Hoffenheim — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Hertha — Home

Mainz vs Bochum — Home

Stuttgart vs Leipzig — Away

Gladbach vs Leverkusen — Home

Augsburg vs Frankfurt — Away

Arminia vs Furth — Home

Last round — 3/9

Season — 73/162

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 18

Bayern vs Gladbach — Draw

Leipzig vs Mainz — Draw

Leverkusen vs Union — Draw

Hoffenheim vs Augsburg — Draw

Freiburg vs Arminia — Home

Furth vs Stuttgart — Away

Frankfurt vs Dortmund — Home

Hertha vs Koln — Away

Bochum vs Wolfsburg — Home

Last round — 2/9

Season — 70/153

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 17

Bayern vs Wolfsburg — Home

Bochum vs Union — Draw

Frankfurt vs Mainz — Home

Hoffenheim vs Gladbach — Home

Furth vs Augsburg — Home

Leipzig vs Arminia — Home

Hertha vs Dortmund — Away

Freiburg vs Leverkusen — Draw

Koln vs Stuttgart — Away

Last round — 4/9

Season — 68/144

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 16

Stuttgart vs Bayern — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Koln — Home

Mainz vs Hertha — Home

Arminia vs Bochum — Draw

Gladbach vs Frankfurt — Away

Union vs Freiburg — Home

Dortmund vs Furth — Home

Leverkusen vs Hoffenheim — Draw

Augsburg vs Leipzig — Away

Last round — 2/9

Season — 64/135

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 15

Koln vs Augsburg — Home

Hertha vs Arminia — Draw

Bochum vs Dortmund — Draw

Bayern vs Mainz — Draw

Freiburg vs Hoffenheim — Home

Leipzig vs Gladbach — Home

Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart — Draw

Furth vs Union — Away

Frankfurt vs Leverkusen — Away

Last week — 4/9

Season — 62/126

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 14

Union vs Leipzig — Home

Hoffenheim vs Frankfurt — Away

Augsburg vs Bochum — Draw

Leverkusen vs Furth — Home

Arminia vs Koln — Draw

Mainz vs Wolfsburg — Home

Dortmund vs Bayern — Home

Stuttgart vs Hertha — Home

Gladbach vs Freiburg — Home

Last week — 5/9

Season — 58/117

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 13

Stuttgart vs Mainz — Home

Hertha vs Augsburg — Draw

Bochum vs Freiburg — Away

Koln vs Gladbach — Draw

Furth vs Hoffenheim — Away

Wolfsburg vs Dortmund — Home

Bayern vs Arminia — Home

Frankfurt vs Union — Home

Leipzig vs Leverkusen — Home

Last week — 4/9

Season — 53/108

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 12

Augsburg vs Bayern — Away

Hoffenheim vs Leipzig — Away

Arminia vs Wolfsburg — Away

Leverkusen vs Bochum — Home

Gladbach vs Furth — Home

Dortmund vs Stuttgart — Home

Union vs Hertha — Home

Freiburg vs Frankfurt — Draw

Mainz vs Koln — Home

Last round — 6/9

Season — 49/99

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 11

Mainz vs Gladbach — Home

Bayern vs Freiburg — Home

Bochum vs Hoffenheim — Away

Stuttgart vs Arminia — Home

Wolfsburg vs Augsburg — Home

Leipzig vs Dortmund — Home

Hertha vs Leverkusen — Draw

Koln vs Union — Draw

Furth vs Frankfurt — Away

Last week — 5/9

Season — 43/90

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 10

Hoffenheim vs Hertha — Home

Union vs Bayern — Draw

Dortmund vs Koln — Draw

Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg — Draw

Arminia vs Mainz — Away

Freiburg vs Furth — Home

Frankfurt vs Leipzig — Draw

Augsburg vs Stuttgart — Away

Gladbach vs Bochum — Home

Last week — 5/9

Season — 38/81

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 9

Mainz vs Augsburg — Home

Leipzig vs Furth — Home

Arminia vs Dortmund — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Freiburg — Away

Bayern vs Hoffenheim — Home

Hertha vs Gladbach — Draw

Koln vs Leverkusen — Away

Stuttgart vs Union — Draw

Bochum vs Frankfurt — Away

Last week — 2/9

Season — 33/72

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 8

Hoffenheim vs Koln — Draw

Union vs Wolfsburg — Home

Frankfurt vs Hertha — Home

Dortmund vs Mainz — Draw

Freiburg vs Leipzig — Draw

Furth vs Bochum — Home

Gladbach vs Stuttgart — Home

Leverkusen vs Bayern — Draw

Augsburg vs Arminia — Away

Last round — 6/9

Season — 31/63

Wolfsburg till the next break

Union (A) Freiburg (H) Leverkusen (A) Augsburg (H)

Mark van Bommel’s impressive start in charge has somewhat stuttered recently and Wolfsburg will hope that they are not cut adrift from the top four after three very difficult games to begin this run of fixtures.

Stuttgart till the next break

Gladbach (A) Union (H) Augsburg (A) Arminia (H)

Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men have caught fire like they did at the beginning of last season, but the back-to-back fixtures against Augsburg and Arminia might just kickstart their campaign.

Bayern till the next break

Leverkusen (A) Hoffenheim (H) Union (A) Freiburg (H)

Even for a club of Bayern’s might this presents a tricky set of fixtures and Julian Nagelsmann will be keen to stamp out any complacency from the champions or points could be dropped easily in any of these four games.

Gladbach till the next break

Stuttgart (H) Hertha (A) Bochum (H) Mainz (A)

Adi Hutter’s ideas finally seemed to be coming through to his new players as they beat Dortmund and Wolfsburg in successive games before the break, and this run of fixtures should enable the Foals to establish further upward momentum.

Mainz till the next break

Dortmund (A) Augsburg (H) Arminia (A) Gladbach (H)

The two Borussias present difficult games, but the matches in between should enable Bo Svensson’s impressive side to remain in the top half.

Leverkusen till the next break

Bayern (H) Koln (A) Wolfsburg (H) Hertha (A)

Just like last season Leverkusen welcome Bayern with a sense of opportunity but the hope is that regardless of the result, Gerardo Seoane’s men don’t fall away completely like Peter Bosz’s men did after losing to the champions last season.

Leipzig till the next break

Freiburg (A) Furth (H) Frankfurt (A) Dortmund (H)

Not the fixtures one wants if they want to kickstart their season, but Jesse Marsch’s men will have to start delivering to avoid being cut off from the top four and for that to happen a first away win of the season is a priority before they welcome Dortmund for what could be a crucial game.

Koln till the next break

Hoffenheim (A) Leverkusen (H) Dortmund (A) Union (H)

In recent seasons the Billy Goats may have looked at these games with trepidation, but thanks to a terrific start they can actually look forward to taking on some of the big guns, especially when they welcome hated rivals Leverkusen and former prodigy Florian Wirtz.

Hoffenheim till the next break

Koln (H) Bayern (A) Hertha (H) Bochum (A)

They have been Bayern’s béte noire for a while and the other fixtures could be tricky, but I still expect Hoffenheim to get four points and remain in their comfort zone.

Furth till the next break

Bochum (H) Leipzig (A) Freiburg (A) Frankfurt (H)

The cellar dwellers will find little respite in this run, but the home against fellow strugglers Bochum at least presents an opportunity to win their first game of the league campaign.

Freiburg till the next break

Leipzig (H) Wolfsburg (A) Furth (H) Bayern (A)

The only undefeated side in the league are going to be severely tested in this run, but I wouldn’t bet against Christian Streich’s men causing an upset or two thanks to their tactical intelligence and organization.

Frankfurt till the next break

Hertha (H) Bochum (A) Leipzig (H) Furth (A)

Other than the visit of Leipzig this presents a good chance for Oli Glasner’s Frankfurt side to build on their impressive win at Bayern before the break and establish themselves in the European places.

Dortmund till the next break

Mainz (H) Arminia (A) Koln (H) Leipzig (A)

It’s imperative that BVB get nine points before the test at Leipzig, but these are exactly the kind of games that Dortmund have lost points in recent seasons and Marco Rose will have to correct that if his men are to establish themselves as serious challengers for the title.

Bochum till the next break

Furth (A) Frankfurt (H) Gladbach (A) Hoffenheim (H)

A must-win trip to Furth in a relegation six-pointer to begin with, but even that might just be a pyrrhic victory considering the difficulty of opponents that follow.

Arminia till the next break

Augsburg (A) Dortmund (H) Mainz (H) Stuttgart (A)

The trip to Augsburg already feels so decisive and the result of that game will set the narrative around the tougher fixtures that follow.

Union till the next break

Wolfsburg (H) Stuttgart (A) Bayern (H) Koln (A)

An exciting set of fixtures for a club that relishes playing bigger sides while giving them a run for their money.

Hertha till the next break

Frankfurt (A) Gladbach (H) Hoffenheim (A) Leverkusen (H)

A run of games that sees the capital side up against sides in positions that they aspire towards but are nowhere close to being, hence the need to somehow get at least one win to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

Augsburg till the next break

Arminia (H) Mainz (A) Stuttgart (H) Wolfsburg (A)

A relegation six-pointer at home against Arminia must yield three points for Markus Wienzierl’s men to keep their head above water and enable a bit of margin against three difficult opponents following.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 7

Koln vs Furth — Home

Hertha vs Freiburg — Away

Stuttgart vs Hoffenheim — Home

Wolfsburg vs Gladbach — Draw

Dortmund vs Augsburg — Home

Leipzig vs Bochum — Home

Mainz vs Union — Draw

Bayern vs Frankfurt — Home

Arminia vs Leverkusen — Away

Last week — 3/9

Season — 25/54

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 6

Furth vs Bayern — Away

Hoffenheim vs Wolfsburg — Away

Union vs Arminia — Draw

Leverkusen vs Mainz — Draw

Leipzig vs Hertha — Home

Frankfurt vs Köln — Home

Gladbach vs Dortmund — Away

Bochum vs Stuttgart — Away

Freiburg vs Augsburg — Home

Last week — 4/9

Season — 22/45

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 5

Hertha vs Furth — Home

Bayern vs Bochum — Home

Augsburg vs Gladbach — Away

Mainz vs Freiburg — Home

Arminia vs Hoffenheim — Draw

Koln vs Leipzig — Away

Stuttgart vs Leverkusen — Draw

Dortmund vs Union — Home

Wolfsburg vs Frankfurt — Home

Last week — 4/9

Season — 18/36

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 4

Leverkusen vs Dortmund — Home

Union vs Augsburg — Home

Freiburg vs Köln — Draw

Furth vs Wolfsburg — Away

Hoffenheim vs Mainz — Draw

Leipzig vs Bayern — Away

Frankfurt vs Stuttgart — Home

Bochum vs Hertha — Home

Gladbach vs Arminia — Home

Last round — 6/9

Season — 14/27

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 3

Dortmund vs Hoffenheim — Home

Stuttgart vs Freiburg — Draw

Mainz vs Furth — Home

Köln vs Bochum — Home

Arminia vs Frankfurt — Away

Augsburg vs Leverkusen — Away

Bayern vs Hertha — Home

Union vs Gladbach — Home

Wolfsburg vs Leipzig — Draw

Last week — 4/9

Season — 8/18

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 2

Leipzig vs Stuttgart — Home

Hertha vs Wolfsburg — Away

Bochum vs Mainz — Draw

Freiburg vs Dortmund — Draw

Frankfurt vs Augsburg — Home

Furth vs Arminia — Home

Leverkusen vs Gladbach — Draw

Hoffenheim vs Union — Draw

Bayern vs Köln — Home

Last week — 4/9

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 1

Gladbach vs Bayern — Home

Union vs Leverkusen — Draw

Augsburg vs Hoffenheim — Home

Arminia vs Freiburg — Away

Wolfsburg vs Bochum — Home

Stuttgart vs Furth — Home

Dortmund vs Frankfurt — Home

Mainz vs Leipzig — Draw

Koln vs Hertha — Draw

Gladbach 0 Dortmund 1

Another important win to keep the momentum going for Dortmund. It wasn’t always easy, but ultimately the visitors managed the pace of this DFB Pokal quarterfinal much better than their hosts, whose season, and in turn Marco Rose’s tenure runs the risk of completely fizzling out.

My making the semis BVB now have a genuine chance of silverware this season, though the knocks taken by Jadon Sancho and Raphael Guerrerio are a bit of a dampener for Edin Terzic. With Bayern and Sevilla up next, Dortmund will hope neither player’s injury is serious. 

This Football Weekend Jan 30-31

As usual, some key games all across Europe this weekend.

Saturday

Union vs Gladbach — 8th vs 5th, only 3 points separate the sides

West Brom vs Fulham — Relegation battle, both need the win

Arsenal vs United — Classic rivalry between sides in good form

Leipzig vs Leverkusen — 2nd vs 3rd with other sides catching up

Villarreal vs La Real — 5th vs 6th in battle for Europe

Marseille vs Rennes — 6th vs 5th in battle for Europe

Sunday

Atalanta vs Lazio — Increasingly heated rivalry

West Ham vs Liverpool — 5th vs 4th in enticing contest

Barca vs Athletic — Rematch of crazy Supercopa final two weeks ago

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 19

Stuttgart vs Mainz — Home win

Union vs Gladbach — Away win

Bayern vs Hoffenheim — Home win

Werder vs Schalke — Draw

Eintracht vs Hertha — Home win

Dortmund vs Augsburg — Home win

Leipzig vs Leverkusen — Home win

Cologne vs Arminia — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Freiburg — Home win

Matchday 18 Picks — 5/9

Season so far — 45/126

This Football Weekend Jan 22-24

Another weekend of football means another round of interesting and important fixtures. They are some tricky games on the mainland and a pretty hyped up cup clash in England to look ahead to this time.

Friday

Gladbach vs Dortmund — Battle of the Borussias in a cramped fight for top 4

Saturday

Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg — 3rd vs 5th in another top 4 battle

Sevilla vs Cadiz — Andalusian sides both in the top half

Milan vs Atalanta — 1st vs 6th as Serie A’s two over-performers meet

La Real vs Betis — Always fun, both aiming for Europe

Monaco vs Marseille — South coast rivalry with European implications

Sunday

Verona vs Napoli — Tricky test at 9th place hosts for the visitors title aims

Rennes vs Lille — 5th vs 2nd between two evenly matched teams

Lazio vs Sassuolo — Tough test for hosts resurgence against bold visitors

United vs Liverpool — Not as hyped as last week’s clash but still big

Atletico vs Valencia — Spain’s 3rd and 4th biggest clubs

St Etienne vs Lyon — France’s biggest derby with both needing a win

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 18

Gladbach vs Dortmund — Home win

Augsburg vs Union — Home win

Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg — Home win

Freiburg vs Stuttgart — Home win

Mainz vs Leipzig — Away win

Arminia vs Eintracht — Away win

Hertha vs Werder — Draw

Schalke vs Bayern — Draw

Hoffenheim vs Cologne — Home win

Matchday 17 Picks — 3/9

Season so far — 40/117

This Football Midweek Jan 19-20

We are pretty much at the halfway stage now all across Europe and there are some crucial midweek games in terms of jostling for position in England, Spain and Germany.

Tuesday

Leverkusen vs Dortmund — Rivals, 3rd vs 4th and Bosz history

Leicester vs Chelsea — Battle for champions league qualification

Wednesday

City vs Villa — Possibly a good game, but what state are the visitors in?

Freiburg vs Eintracht — Give me some more Luka Jovic please

Leipzig vs Union — 2nd vs 5th in this intriguing East German battle

Villarreal vs Granada — Europa League teams in 4th & 7th

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 17

Gladbach vs Werder — Home win

Mainz vs Wolfsburg — Draw

Hertha vs Hoffenheim — Away win

Leverkusen vs Dortmund — Home win

Schalke vs Cologne — Home win

Arminia vs Stuttgart — Away win

Augsburg vs Bayern — Draw

Freiburg vs Eintracht — Away win

Leipzig vs Union — Draw

Matchday 16 Picks — 5/9

Season so far — 37/108

This Football Weekend Jan 15-17

While La Liga is on pause for the Supercopa Espana final, the other leagues continue their programs this weekend, with some genuine crackers in store.

Friday

Union vs Leverkusen — 5th hosts 3rd

Lazio vs Roma — Rome Derby featuring both sides in decent form

Saturday

Wolves vs West Brom — Black Country Derby

Wolfsburg vs Leipzig — 6th hosts 2nd

Leicester vs Southampton — Only three points separate the two

Sunday

Liverpool vs United — England’s biggest game is a genuine title clash

Inter vs Juve — Italy’s biggest game is a genuine title clash

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 16

Union vs Leverkusen — Away win

Werder vs Augsburg — Home win

Dortmund vs Mainz — Home win

Cologne vs Hertha — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Leipzig — Away win

Hoffenheim vs Arminia — Home win

Stuttgart vs Gladbach — Draw

Bayern vs Freiburg — Home win

Eintracht vs Schalke — Home win

Matchday 15 Picks — 2/9

Season so far — 32/99

This Football Weekend Jan 8-10

Action in England is diverted this weekend due to the tradition of the FA Cup, but there are plenty of prominent league fixtures on the continent to look forward to.

Friday

Gladbach vs Bayern — Traditional rivalry, one of the few places Hansi Flick has lost

Saturday

Sevilla vs La Real — Visitors really need a win to make this a genuine race for 4th

Schalke vs Hoffenheim — Will the hosts equal the record of 31 games without a win?

Union vs Wolfsburg — Win this and one of these over-performers are genuine dark horses for 4th

Atletico vs Athletic — Classic rivalry and attritional fare expected between Simeone and Marcelino

Granada vs Barca — Small signs that Barca are improving will be put to test at 7th placed hosts

Leipzig vs Dortmund — 2nd vs 4th with high stakes for Nagelsmann and Terzic

Milan vs Torino — How do the league leaders react after their first defeat?

Rennes vs Lyon — 4th hosts 1st in a big test for Lyon’s title credentials

Sunday

Roma vs Inter — 3rd vs 2nd and a chance for the hosts to enter the title conversation

Juve vs Sassuolo — 4th vs 5th and both teams playing some sublime football

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 15

Gladbach vs Bayern — Draw

Leverkusen vs Werder — Home win

Schalke vs Hoffenheim — Draw

Freiburg vs Cologne — Home win

Union vs Wolfsburg — Home win

Mainz vs Frankfurt — Away win

Leipzig vs Dortmund — Home win

Augsburg vs Stuttgart — Home win

Arminia vs Hertha — Away win

Matchday 14 Picks — 2/9

Season so far — 30/90

This Football Weekend Jan 1-4

The new year gets underway with football’s continuous story being told as Serie A and the Bundesliga come back from their “breaks”.

Friday

United vs Villa — 2 of the most in-form teams in the league

Saturday

Spurs vs Leeds — Mourinho vs Bielsa

Betis vs Sevilla — Seville derby

Hertha vs Schalke — Big pressure on the big strugglers

Real vs Celta — Stuttering champs against the most in-form team in Spain

Sunday

Atalanta vs Sassuolo — 2 inspiring unconventional overperformers

Chelsea vs City — Big stakes in a big 6 clash

Monday

Southampton vs Liverpool — Two clubs linked to each other, rather stifled

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 14

Arminia vs Gladbach – Away win

Cologne vs Augsburg — Home win

Hoffenheim vs Freiburg — Draw

Werder vs Union — Draw

Frankfurt vs Leverkusen — Away win

Hertha vs Schalke — Draw

Stuttgart vs Leipzig — Draw

Dortmund vs Wolfsburg — Draw

Bayern vs Mainz — Home win

Last round’s score — 1/9

Season so far — 28/81

Union 2 Dortmund 1

Edin Terzic may have been given the temporary reigns to the dugout at BVB on the basis of being able to connect to the emotion of the club, but all the fire and brimstone in the world can’t compensate for a defensive structure that has serious weaknesses, including individual components like Burki, Akanji and whisper it, Hummels. Thought has to take precedence over emotion if Dortmund genuinely want to get on the right track again.

This Football Weekend Dec 18-21

Here comes another interested weekend of football in the top 5 leagues.

Friday

Union vs Dortmund — Doesn’t get easier for Terzic’s Dortmund at Kopenick.

Saturday

Southampton vs City — Ralph vs Pep with the Austrian higher than the Catalonian.

Barca vs Valencia — Struggling big clubs relying on youth for optimism.

Everton vs Arsenal — Carlo and Mikel meet one year from their appointments.

Leverkusen vs Bayern — Top two clash, with attacks in supreme form.

Sunday

Sassuolo vs Milan — Tough test for the leaders at 6th place hosts.

Spurs vs Leicester — 2nd vs 4th, Jose vs Rodgers, several players in good form.

United vs Leeds — We’ve waited a long time for this historic rivalry.

Atalanta vs Roma — Key game in battle for top 4 spots.

West Brom vs Villa — Big Sam’s return in a derby.

Lazio vs Napoli — Another big game in battle for top 4 spots.

Lille vs PSG — Top two clash with Lille looking the real deal.

Monday

Chelsea vs West Ham — London derby with sides only separated by 1 point.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 13

Union vs Dortmund — Away win

Gladbach vs Hoffenheim — Draw

Schalke vs Arminia — Draw

Mainz vs Werder — Draw

Leipzig vs Cologne — Home win

Augsburg vs Frankfurt — Away win

Leverkusen vs Bayern — Home win

Freiburg vs Hertha — Draw

Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart — Draw

Last round’s score — 1/9

Season so far — 27/72

This Football Midweek Dec 15-16

End of continental competition so time for some midweek rest, right? Wrong says the football calendar! On and on the relentless machine goes. Here’s what I am looking forward to this midweek.

Tuesday

Wolves vs Chelsea — Nuno needs some answers and Lampard does too. 

Stuttgart vs Union — Battle of the thoroughly surprising and entertaining overachievers.

Werder vs Dortmund — First BVB game post-Favre, at a venue they are hit and miss at best.

Real vs Athletic — Will Zidane’s men revert to type after winning three big games?

Wednesday

Juve vs Atalanta — Has been a great game for three seasons now. But what about Papu?

Arsenal vs Southampton — One squad is clearly better, One manager is clearly better. Who will prevail?

Leicester vs Everton — Rodgers vs Ancelotti, with both sides getting their groove back.

Bayern vs Wolfsburg — Tired champions welcome undefeated resolute visitors.

Hoffenheim vs Leipzig — Nagelsmann derby between Germany’s two most hated clubs.

Fulham vs Brighton — Relegation battle with the host playing better football than the visitors.

Liverpool vs Spurs — Top 2, Klopp vs Jose, Kane, Son, Salah and uhm… Curtis Jones.

Barca vs La Real — Sociedad somehow still top La Liga, can they prove it at a weak Barca?

Rennes vs Marseille — Champions League busts with a chance to state domestic intent.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 12

Frankfurt 2 Gladbach 1

Stuttgart 3 Union 1

Werder 2 Dortmund 2

Hertha 2 Mainz 0

Schalke 1 Freiburg 1

Hoffenheim 1 Leipzig 2

Bayern 1 Wolfsburg 1

Arminia 1 Augsburg 1

Cologne 2 Leverkusen 2

Last round’s score — 3/9

Season so far — 26/63

This Football Weekend Dec 12-13

All international action is over after the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League came to a close this week. The next two and a half months promise non-stop domestic football leaving lazy pundits confused about to who to blame for the schedule when they can’t put it all on something beyond their borders. Right then, let’s get on with. A few real doozies this weekend.

Saturday

Marseille vs Monaco — South coast rivals, both in contention, both playing well.

United vs City — Manchester derby with both needing to answer some questions in this one.

Everton vs Chelsea — Ancelotti against his former team with serious questions being asked.

Real vs Atletico — Madrid derby with both in good spirits and game faces firmly on.

Lens vs Montpellier — France’s surprise top half entertainers take on each other.

Sunday

Betis vs Villarreal — Pellegrini against his former team and Pellegrini vs Emery.

Leverkusen vs Hoffenheim — Germany’s Europa League high-scorers face off.

PSG vs Lyon — Always a big game and it this moment at least, a title bout.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 11

Wolfsburg 1 Frankfurt 1

Dortmund 2 Stuttgart 1

Freiburg 2 Arminia 0

Leipzig 3 Werder 1

Mainz 1 Cologne 1

Gladbach 2 Hertha 1

Union 0 Bayern 2

Augsburg 2 Schalke 1

Leverkusen 2 Hoffenheim 1

Last week’s score — 4/9

Season so far — 23/54

This Football Weekend Dec 4-6

Big games and derbies all over the continent to look forward to.

Friday

Hertha vs Union — Berlin derby with both teams playing adventurous football.

Saturday

Sevilla vs Real — Title implications, pressure on both after European humiliation and Lopetegui’s history.

Juve vs Torino — Turin derby where both teams really need to win.

West Ham vs United — Moyes’ history and the fact United have lost a lot at West Ham recently.

Bayern vs Leipzig — Top of the table clash though both teams are increasingly weary.

Chelsea vs Leeds — Lampard vs Bielsa and everything that entails.

Montpellier vs PSG — It might not last, but right now the 2012 champions are just two points behind PSG.

Sunday

Lille vs Monaco — Both are just two points behind PSG with the highest goals scored after the champions.

Roma vs Sassuolo — Until last weekend both were undefeated on the pitch.

Spurs vs Arsenal — North London derby where Mourinho welcomes Arsenal playing Jose football.

Liverpool vs Wolves — Always feisty this one and the kind of game Nuno is always up for.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 10

Hertha 2 Union 2

Freiburg 1 Gladbach 1

Frankfurt 2 Dortmund 1

Cologne 2 Wolfsburg 1

Arminia 1 Mainz 2

Bayern 1 Leipzig 1

Werder 2 Stuttgart 2

Schalke 1 Leverkusen 3

Hoffenheim 2 Augsburg 1

Last week’s score — 3/9

Season so far — 19/45

This Football Weekend Nov 28-29

Let’s get right into another exciting weekend of continental football.

Saturday

Sassuolo vs Inter — 2nd, unbeaten, playing great football welcome disheveled Inter in 5th.

Valencia vs Atletico — Classic rivalry played between two currently highly motivated teams.

Gladbach vs Schalke — Last time Schalke won 24 games ago was against Gladbach.

Sunday

Southampton vs United — Tricky visit for Ole’s men at high flying Saints.

Chelsea vs Spurs — Lamps vs Jose, two in-form teams and phenomenal talent in a title battle.

Arsenal vs Wolves — Battle of the risk-averse teams who should be doing better.

Napoli vs Roma — Both have established their title credentials, with the visitors in sublime form.

La Real vs Villarreal — 1st vs 3rd, rare chance for both to at least finish in the top four.

St Etienne vs Lille — Claude Puel past and present, with the veteran manager on the brink.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 9

Wolfsburg 1 Werder 1

Augsburg 2 Freiburg 1

Dortmund 3 Cologne 0

Leipzig 2 Arminia 0

Stuttgart 1 Bayern 2

Union 2 Frankfurt 1

Gladbach 2 Schalke 0

Leverkusen 3 Hertha 2

Mainz 2 Hoffenheim 1

Last week’s score — 3/9

Season so far — 16/36

This Football Weekend Nov 20-23

The merits of the international break have been debated by all and sundry, but at least for the next four months it's all about club football. We get back into the swing of things with a cracking set of fixtures this weekend.

Friday

Monaco vs PSG — Still an important game with the hosts improving and the visitors focused on the continent.

Saturday

Villarreal vs Real — 2nd vs 4th at La Ceramica where Real haven’t won in three seasons.

Spurs vs City — Jose vs Pep, Kane, Son, De Bruyne, Torres and shaky defences.

Atletico vs Barca — A new Atletico? Can’t be a better stage for Joao Felix and co to prove it.

Sunday

Cadiz vs La Real — The surprise leaders face another test at surprise high flyers.

Leeds vs Arsenal — A classic rivalry revisited in the league after quite a while.

Liverpool vs Leicester — 3rd vs 1st, Klopp vs Rodgers, chance for both to make a statement.

Napoli vs Milan — 3rd vs 1st, chance for both teams to lay a marker.

Monday

Wolves vs Southampton — Two smart clubs with upward aspirations and intelligent managers.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 8

Bayern 3 Werder 1

Arminia 0 Leverkusen 2

Gladbach 2 Augsburg 0

Hoffenheim 2 Stuttgart 1

Schalke 1 Wolfsburg 0

Frankfurt 2 Leipzig 2

Hertha 1 Dortmund 2

Freiburg 2 Mainz 0

Cologne 1 Union 1

Last round’s score — 4/9

Season so far — 13/27

This Football Weekend Nov 7-8

What a weekend of football we have before the last international break of the year! The big games speak for themselves so let’s get right into it.

Saturday

Everton vs United — Both have questions to answer in this big northwest game featuring lots of great talent.

Mainz vs Schalke — Neither team has won a game yet this season with immense pressure on both.

Barca vs Betis — The Qique Setien derby with goals almost always a feature.

Dortmund vs Bayern — Der Klassiker with both teams separated at the top only by goal difference.

Atletico vs Cadiz — Cadiz are flying high and already have one win in Madrid. Can they get another?

PSG vs Rennes — 1st vs 3rd with both under pressure after European disappointments.

Sunday

Lazio vs Juve — Been a fun fixture for 2 seasons now and both teams getting into a semblance of form.

Getafe vs Villarreal — Rivals for European spots with diametrically opposite styles.

Leicester vs Wolves — Another clash of European hopefuls and a great contrast in styles to boot.

Atalanta vs Inter — Both came into the season with high hopes, but both have questions to answer.

La Real vs Granada — Overachieving teams who are doing well on both fronts.

Nice vs Monaco — Derby de la Cote d'Azur with exciting attacking talent in form.

City vs Liverpool — Pep vs Klopp, still the two best teams in the league and the sheer quality of the players.

Leverkusen vs Gladbach — Competitors for Champions League qualification in brilliant form.

Arsenal vs Villa — A bit of a grudge match with plenty of exciting talent.

Valencia vs Real — Always one of Spain’s biggest games.

Lyon vs St Etienne — France’s biggest derby.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 7

Werder 1 Cologne 1

Augsburg 1 Hertha 1

Leipzig 3 Freiburg 1

Stuttgart 1 Frankfurt 2

Union 2 Arminia 1

Mainz 1 Schalke 1

Dortmund 2 Bayern 1

Wolfsburg 1 Hoffenheim 2

Leverkusen 2 Gladbach 2

Last week’s score — 3/9

Season so far — 9/18

This Football Weekend Oct 31 - Nov 2

Time flies and another weekend of riveting football across Europe’s top five leagues is upon us. Here are the games I will be keeping an eye on.

Saturday

Athletic vs Sevilla — San Memes is always difficult for top teams and both sides need a win to climb up the table. 

Liverpool vs West Ham — The Reds are going to play a 4th choice centre back and the Hammers can never be discounted in such games.

Gladbach vs Leipzig — Champions League hangover for both teams, but it’s still Rose vs Nagelsmann featuring plenty of good players.

Sunday

United vs Arsenal — Traditional rivalry with the right mix of attacking flair and defensive incompetence.

Napoli vs Sassuolo — 2nd vs 3rd with 30 goals scored between the two in 10 games.

Roma vs Fiorentina — Grudge match with both teams capable of scoring plenty.

Sampdoria vs Genoa — Derby della Lanterna with the hosts buzzing in surprisingly good form.

Valencia vs Getafe — La Liga’s grudge match extraordinaire since 2019.

Lille vs Lyon — Free-scoring teams featuring the two best sides after PSG.

Monday

Leeds vs Leicester — Bielsa vs Rodgers with both teams capable of playing sublime football.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 6

Schalke 2 Stuttgart 1

Augsburg 1 Mainz 2

Frankfurt 2 Werder 0

Arminia 1 Dortmund 2

Cologne 0 Bayern 3

Gladbach 1 Leipzig 1

Freiburg 1 Leverkusen 2

Hertha 2 Wolfsburg 1

Hoffenheim 2 Union 0

Last week’s score - 6/9

This Football Weekend Oct 23-26

After a satisfying midweek of European football, time to turn our attention back to domestic matters this weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the most intriguing fixtures on offer.

Friday

Villa vs Leeds — Had a lot of needle in the Championship, likely to be just as feisty in the top tier.

Saturday

West Ham vs City — The Hammers are must watch right now while City’s defence remains a problem.

Atalanta vs Sampdoria — In form teams scoring great goals.

Bayern vs Frankfurt — A supreme Bayern hosting one of the few teams who aren’t afraid to attack them.

Leipzig vs Hertha — East German battle between two teams that can score.

Barca vs Real — El Clasico. Both come in to the game on the back of league defeats. Lots of stories as usual.

United vs Chelsea — Rarely meets the hype, but is a big game between top four rivals.

Dortmund vs Schalke — Rivierderby with a growing chasm between the sides.

Atletico vs Betis — Simeone vs Pellegrini and both teams have higher aspirations.

Sunday

Southampton vs Everton — Hasenhuttl vs Ancelotti and a test for Everton without James.

Cadiz vs Villarreal — The yellow battle between overachievers.

Nice vs Lille — Tricky test for both after Europa League exertions, with Lille playing sublime football.

Getafe vs Granada — Two teams hard as nails who’ve already claimed big scalps this season.

Arsenal vs Leicester — Two teams very rarely hard, but a lot of fun to watch on their day.

Lyon vs Monaco — Battle of France’s underachievers who really should be doing better.

Monday

Milan vs Roma — Zlatan, Dzeko and both teams playing really good football.

Bundesliga Picks Matchday 5

Stuttgart 2 Cologne 1

Leipzig 2 Hertha 0

Mainz 0 Gladbach 2

Bayern 3 Frankfurt 2

Union 1 Freiburg 1

Dortmund 3 Schalke 1

Wolfsburg 1 Arminia 1

Werder 1 Hoffenheim 2

Leverkusen 3 Augsburg 1

This Football Weekend Oct 16-19

After an international break dominated by all sorts of stories including COVID, I am looking forward to watching some club football on the pitch again. Not withstanding any quarantines or postponements, these are the games I am looking forward to this weekend.

Saturday

Granada vs Sevilla — Regional rivalry between two excellently coached teams.

Everton vs Liverpool — Merseyside derby at the top end of the table, not joking.

Napoli vs Atalanta — 8 goals in 2 games welcomes 13 goals in 3 games.

Augsburg vs Leipzig — 2nd hosts 1st in Germany. Seriously, Augsburg are currently 2nd!

Hertha vs Stuttgart — Mid-table high scorers clash.

Hoffenheim vs Dortmund — Lots of firepower, lots of youngsters, what’s not to like.

Inter vs Milan — Milan derby with both teams undefeated and aiming for the top. Again, not joking.

City vs Arsenal — Pep vs Arteta, Partey’s debut and defences there to be exposed.

Getafe vs Barca — As if Koeman needed another early test, here comes Bordalas.

Marseille vs Bordeaux — Historic clash and AVB needs a win big time.

Sunday

Bologna vs Sassuolo — De Zerbi’s Sassuolo are must watch and it is a regional derby.

Monaco vs Montpellier — In form Ben Yedder against in form Savenier.

Villarreal vs Valencia — Derbi de la Comunitat with Emery and Gracia facing unique pressures.

St Etienne vs Nice — Puel’s exciting young team vs Vieira’s exciting young team.

Spurs vs West Ham — Maybe Bale, but really these two London teams are just unpredictable.

Schalke vs Union — Goal difference of -14 after 3 games. Can Baum halt the Schalke car crash?

Leicester vs Villa — The two Midlands rivals have combined to score 23 in 7 games. More please.

Betis vs La Real — Darlings of the neutrals, unexpectedly 2nd vs 3rd.

Lille vs Lens — Long-awaited Derby du Nord, again unexpectedly 2nd vs 3rd.

Monday

Verona vs Genoa — Sign me up for Juric getting more justice against his former employers.

Leeds vs Wolves — The two best promoted teams of recent times face off.

Mixed feelings on Bayern’s absolute hammering of Schalke. On the one hand, appreciation of excellence from the best team in Europe right now. On the other, the mediocrity of their opponents gives the new Bundesliga season a hollow feeling on its very first night. #FCBS04

Coutinho starting against Paderborn means he won’t start against Chelsea, in keeping with recent big matches. Which in turn pretty much confirms Bayern won’t keep Coutinho beyond the season. How will Coutinho revive his career?

Bundesliga Picks Round 23

Schalke welcoming Leipzig is the biggest game of the weekend in Germany, though the host's drop-off in form makes this tie look less appetizing than it would have been even three weeks ago. Nevertheless, Schalke’s fans will generate a hostile atmosphere for Leipzig and Julien Nagelsmann’s side will have the novel experience of following up a successful Champions League knockout tie with a tricky domestic tie away from home. Elsewhere Dortmund take on their bogey team of the last two years — Werder Bremen. Dortmund haven’t beaten Bremen in four games, with the nadir being an embarrassing Pokal defeat a few weeks ago. Surely if Lucien Favre’s men can’t beat this doomed version of Bremen, then any hopes of winning the title can be kissed goodbye. Time for my picks.

Bayern 3 Paderborn 0

Gladbach 3 Hoffenheim 1

Bremen 2 Dortmund 4

Hertha 2 Cologne 1

Freiburg 2 Fortuna 0

Schalke 1 Leipzig 2

Leverkusen 2 Augsburg 1

Wolfsburg 1 Mainz 0

Frankfurt 2 Union 1

Last Round Score - 4/9

Season Score - 21/44

Bundesliga Picks Round 22

The ramifications of last weekend’s two big games are likely to be felt in this round of Bundesliga action. Despite scoring thrice, Dortmund predictably lost at Leverkusen thanks to the innate defensive vulnerability in Lucien Favre’s team. Even with a home crowd behind them I am expecting their defence to have another torrid night on Friday as they welcome a Frankfurt side that finally looks like it has moved on from losing last season’s triple threat of Haller, Rebic and Jovic. Adi Hutter’s men are unbeaten since the restart, beating Leipzig once each in the league and cup and with Filip Kostic and Andre Silva in fine form, one can see the visitors getting something at Signal Iduna Park.

The feeling in Leverkusen meanwhile was that of a watershed victory, but Peter Bosz’s style has its own vulnerabilities and I wouldn’t be surprised if they came a cropper at Union, where the hosts have already had some memorable victories over Germany’s big guns in their first ever Bundesliga season. Moving on, the fact that Leipzig showed a different tactical side to their game at Bayern and more significantly, displayed tenacity and fortitude leads me to believe they may have just stopped the rot. I am expecting a comfortable home win for Julian Nagelsmann’s men against a Bremen side who look increasingly doomed with each passing round.

Amongst the other big guns, Bayern should manage to win at Cologne, though Markus Gisdol has completely revitalized the Billy Goats and its the kind of game where if the champions are complacent, things can get tricky. Gladbach have had some extended time off thanks to Storm Ciara which should enable Marco Rose’s early pacesetters to get back on the winning trail at Fortuna. Finally, in a weekend where I am not really backing the traditional favourites too much, I think Schalke could lose at Mainz considering the lull in form that David Wagner’s men are going through at the moment. 

Dortmund 2 Frankfurt 2

Union 2 Leverkusen 1

Leipzig 3 Bremen 0

Paderborn 1 Hertha 1

Hoffenheim 2 Wolfsburg 1

Augsburg 1 Freiburg 1

Fortuna 1 Gladbach 3

Cologne 2 Bayern 3

Mainz 2 Schalke 1

Last Round Score - 2/8

Season Score - 17/35

Jurgen Klinsmann leaves Hertha Berlin after less than three months in charge

Another farcical end to a Jurgen Klinsmann managerial tenure. First, the great man himself:

I am more than convinced that Hertha will reach its goal to stay up. But for this job, which is not done yet, as the head coach I need the trust of the acting persons. Especially in a relegation battle unity, team spirit and focus on the basics are the most important elements. If they are not guaranteed, I can't live up to my potential as a head coach and fulfil my responsibility.

That's why, after long consideration, I have come to the conclusion that I will leave my post as the Hertha Berlin head coach and return to my initial long-term task as a member of the supervisory board.

Then, Hertha’s sporting executive Michael Preetz:

We were surprised by the developments this morning. Especially after such a trustful cooperation during the intense winter transfer period, there were no signs at all for this.

So Klinsmann claims he doesn’t have the trust of those higher up, yet its ok in his eyes to continue as a board member sitting alongside those very people? How can Preetz justifiably discuss anything with a board member who just blindsided him at a crucial moment in the season? Ludicrous doesn’t do justice to the situation at Hertha. As for Klinsmann, I am desperately trying to remember him only for his playing days, but boy has he made it tough with his managerial gaffes.

Sunday's biggest games deliver

I thoroughly enjoyed all the football I watched on Sunday. The Milan derby was the most exciting, closely followed by a superb game between Barcelona and Betis, and the top of the table clash in the Bundesliga delivered as well. For those interested, my player ratings for Inter vs Milan and Bayern vs Leipzig are up on the Through Ball.

Bundesliga Picks Round 21

After a coruscating round of 16 in the DFB Pokal, we now have a great weekend of Bundesliga football to look forward to. Its clear where the stakes are in this round. Leaders Bayern host second place Leipzig, and third place Dortmund visit Leverkusen in fifth. What was for 20 rounds shaping to be a most unpredictable race for the tile, could see Bayern pull away at the conclusion of round 21. To reiterate a refrain of mine, the cup doesn’t matter in the bigger picture, but the way Dortmund and Leipzig got eliminated is bound to weigh on them. Messrs Nagelsmann and Favre have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to get their teams back on track this weekend. It appears too daunting a task. Time for my picks.

Round 21 Picks

Frankfurt 2 Augsburg 0

Schalke 2 Paderborn 0

Freiburg 1 Hoffenheim 3

Hertha 2 Mainz 0

Bremen 1 Union 0

Wolfsburg 1 Fortuna 1

Leverkusen 2 Dortmund 2

Gladbach 3 Cologne 2

Bayern 3 Leipzig 1

Last Round Score - 3/9

Season Score - 15/27

Ascacibar, Piatek and Cunha to Hertha

By now, most people have heard about the ambitions of Lars Windhorst to make Hertha Berlin a serious contender. With new investment into the club thanks to his 49% stake, Windhorst believes Hertha should be regulars in European football. It is clear to see that manager Jurgen Klinsmann buys into the ambition as well. Hertha won’t be dining at the top table of transfers anytime soon, possibly never, but for a Bundesliga club that is in the bottom half of the table, spending £64.2 million in January is significant. I won’t talk about the £20.3 million spent on Lucas Tousart for now, since the Frenchman has been loaned back to Lyon. The other three signings are excellent additions considering where Hertha are at this stage of their evolution.

While Hertha’s bravado has been rightly laughed at in some cases, there is no denying the upturn in form since Klinsmann has been in the dugout. They’ve lost only two games out of eight, to Dortmund and Bayern. Take away those two defeats, and Hertha have conceded only three goals in six games. While the defence has improved, the signing of Santiago Ascacibar adds some much needed steel at the base of midfield. The Argentinean terrier has already made an impact in his three games, providing bite to stop the opposition, while also maintaining good possession and taking up smart positions to relieve pressure on the defence. At his age, Ascacibar can end up being Hertha’s midfield totem for years to come.

Then there’s the two signings further up the pitch. First, Krzysztof Piatek. The Polish hotshot was seemingly on the radar of every big club last winter after a fantastic first half of the season with Genoa. After moving to Milan, he hit the ground running with goals in his first six games and then…AC Milan happened. As the Rossoneri struggled to develop any discernible pattern of play, many started to see Piatek’s limitations. Maybe it was just a case of leaving a mid table team that he was perfect for, too soon. Now that he’s back at a club that’s not going to be too fussed about style of play, Piatek could conceivably replicate his form for Genoa without worrying about how he links up with midfielders. And finally, the joker in the pack, Matheus Cunha. The young Brazilian winger showed fleeting glimpses of outrageous talent at Leipzig, but such a free spirit was unlikely to be a fundamental part of a system manager like Julian Nagelsmann. If Klinsmann’s greatest strength lies in motivating players, then Cunha may just be the ideal breaker of games for Hertha when they are chasing a result. As things stand, all three winter signings serve a purpose and there is no reason for pessimism amongst fans of the capital side.

Julian Weigl to Benfica

One of the earliest moves of the winter transfer window saw Weigl move from Dortmund to Benfica. I still remember Euro 2016, when observers and fans were perplexed that Weigl wasn’t starting for Germany following an excellent debut season under Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund. Weigl looked set to be one of the finest central midfielders of the next generation thanks to his ability to orchestrate play with his meticulous passing. But the constant managerial upheaval at BVB hasn’t been kind to Weigl’s development, culminating with Lucien Favre using him as a centre back in the last season and a half. Considering Dortmund’s defensive shambles under Favre, we all know how that has turned out.

Weigl clearly needed a change of scenery. Back playing in the deep midfield position he so loves, Weigl has started the last four league games for Benfica and already feels like a crucial player for the Portuguese champions. While it's still early days in Lisbon, Weigl is already averaging a 90% pass success rate, enabling his new team to control games better. 

There is a bigger picture to this transfer that I really like. Over the course of his nascent career, Weigl had been linked to many big clubs. When he was playing really well, even Pep’s City were interested in him, while Tuchel fancied a reunion with him just last summer. The fact that he chose to move to Portugal instead, tells me that Weigl thought a lot about this decision. While playing for Benfica has its own set of pressures, Weigl has joined a team where he will play consistently and where the manager Bruno Lage already considers him an integral part of the team. Pertinently, it's also a reminder that there is plenty of opportunity outside Europe’s top five leagues. After all, Liga NOS has been the breeding ground for many players that have gone on to great things elsewhere. It sure is nice to see a transfer happening the other way round for once.

Bundesliga Picks Round 20

No time for a big preface this weekend. The big game is Leipzig vs Gladbach, with both teams in with a chance of being on top of the table at the end of the match day. Here are my picks.

Round 20 Picks

Hertha 2 Schalke 1

Mainz 0 Bayern 2

Dortmund 3 Union 1

Hoffenheim 2 Leverkusen 1

Fortuna 0 Frankfurt 2

Augsburg 1 Bremen 2

Leipzig 3 Gladbach 1

Cologne 1 Freiburg 1

Paderborn 2 Wolfsburg 0

Last Round Score - 6/9

Season Score - 12/18

Bundesliga Picks Round 19

All eyes in Germany are now going to be trained on Erling Braut Haaland after his sensational debut hat trick against Augsburg last time out. Cologne’s defence will have a lot on their hands at Signal Iduna Park, though Markus Gisdol’s men have won four on the bounce. The big game sees Bayern hosting Schalke, with Hansi Flick and David Wagner both earning plaudits for improving their teams. Whether the Royal Blues can repeat last weekend’s heroics against Gladbach at the home of the champions is another matter altogether. League leaders Leipzig visit Eintracht Frankfurt in what looks like a tricky game. Adi Hutter and Julien Nagelsmann preach from the same gospel, but can the hosts defence really stall the firepower in the visitors side? Time to make some picks.

Round 19 Picks

Dortmund 4 Cologne 2

Freiburg 2 Paderborn 0

Union 2 Augsburg 0

Gladbach 2 Mainz 1

Wolfsburg 0 Hertha 1

Frankfurt 2 Leipzig 3

Bayern 3 Schalke 1

Bremen 2 Hoffenheim 1

Leverkusen 3 Fortuna 0

Last Round Score - 6/9

Haaland's debut

A hat trick within twenty minutes of coming on as a substitute when your team is 3-1 down in a new league. Debuts can’t possibly better. Let me be clear, Dortmund were already a crazy team before Erling Haaland signed for them. Now it’s another level altogether. Conceding easy goals is never a guarantee of success, Lucien Favre seems clueless when it comes to stopping the opposition. But which defences, especially in the Bundesliga, will now be able to stop Dortmund from scoring? I had written earlier about how Dortmund missing chances is as big a problem as their defence. You never want to get carried away after just one match, but one can’t help but wonder if BVB may just have found the solution.

Gregoritsch provides Schalke the x-factor

The eagerly anticipated opener to the second half of the Bundesliga season lived up to expectations as Schalke deservedly beat Borussia Monchengladbach in front of a crowd that generated a truly electric atmosphere at the Veltins Arena. On the pitch however, one man stole the show — Michael Gregoritsch. The Austrian forward got a goal and an assist on his debut for the Royal Blues, in addition to being the fulcrum for all of Schalke’s most dangerous moments. On his best days Gregoritsch serves two purposes. First, he makes his fellow attackers look better with his inventive passing. Second, he becomes an absolute nightmare for defences as he moves between and across lines. Gregoritsch was clearly the best player at Hamburg when he was there for two years. And he has clearly been the best player for Augsburg in the last two years as well. Whether the Austrian can be more than the biggest fish in a small pond is the key question. At 25, Gregoritsch still has a lot of time to prove that he is more than just a maverick, albeit a delightful one at that. David Wagner’s managerial success has been based on getting players to improve and perform to their highest abilities. If Wagner can coax the same level of dedication from Gregoritsch, then Schalke may just unlock the keys to Champions League qualification.

Bundesliga Picks Round 18

The Bundesliga is back for the second half of the season and I can’t wait for the action to get underway. Time to have some fun with my picks for the weekend.

Round 18 Picks

Schalke 2 Gladbach 1

Augsburg 1 Dortmund 3

Cologne 2 Wolfsburg 1

Hoffenheim 1 Frankfurt 1

Fortuna 1 Bremen 2

Mainz 2 Freiburg 2

Leipzig 3 Union 0

Hertha 0 Bayern 0

Paderborn 0 Leverkusen 2

Klinsmann and Bayern

Some people thrive off a hero complex regardless of success or failure in life. Jurgen Klinsmann is one of them. Klinsmann has always wanted to be portrayed as a hero and he genuinely believed he would take Bayern Munich to glory when he became their manager in 2008. In what would turn out to be somewhat of a theme in his career since then, there was a clear disconnect between reality and fantasy. Klinsmann was unceremoniously dumped after a thrashing at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and the World Cup winner is now remembered as the last manager of a jaded era before Bayern underwent a reset to become a dominant force on two fronts. This doesn’t necessarily mean Klinsmann can’t be a decent manager for newly rich Hertha Berlin. To give him his due, his new side have got eight points in their last four games, with three consecutive clean sheets going into the winter break. It's also worth noting, that even before these changes at Hertha, this has become a bit of a grudge match, with Bayern winning only one of their last five league matches against the side from the capital. The visits to the Olympiastadion have turned out to be frosty and acrimonious in particular, so expect a tense battle again.

Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Werder Bremen

That Fortuna are in a relegation battle in their second season back in the Bundesliga is no surprise. Not only did Freidhelm Funkel’s men overachieve by surviving last season, they did so playing thrilling football while delivering some memorable results against the big hitters of the league. After losing Benito Raman and Dodi Lukebakio in the summer, Dusseldorf have naturally regressed. That they are in a relegation six-pointer against Bremen is altogher more surprising. Florian Kohfeldt’s men were tipped as outsiders for the Europa League but have fallen miserably short of expectations. Kohfeldt’s body of work has resulted in the board being loyal to him. The hope is that Bremen have worked on their defence during the winter break, with their defending at set pieces especially atrocious in the first half of the season. Bremen should know history is no guarantee agaisnt relegation. They only need to look at the example of their great rivals, Hamburg.

The overachievers

Schalke hosting Borussia Monchengladbach is a fantastic way to welcome back the Bundesliga for its second half of the season. Not many would have predicted that these teams would have reached the halfway point in the top five. But Marco Rose and David Wagner have done such a phenomenal job with their teams in their first campaign, that both teams are legitimate contenders for Champions League qualification. The second part of the Bundesliga campaign is usually when pressure ratchets up, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that even if either club finishes fifth this season, it counts as success.

Why Leipzig are so hated in the Bundesliga?

A simply fantastic essay by Bruce Schoenfeld on what Leipzig means to the rest of the Bundesliga. Long-form writing is increasingly difficult to find in sports, but I for one, absolutely love the format and this piece is worth ten minutes of anyone’s time.

On Haaland

Erling Braut Haaland’s move to Borussia Dortmund thankfully saves us from what was likely to be the most tedious story of the winter transfer window. There’s plenty to read and consume on why the Norwegian chose BVB over United and Juve. To me it seems obvious that Haaland has made the most pragmatic and sensible choice.

I am now interested in how he fits into Dortmund’s system and Lucien Favre’s tactical framework. The conventional wisdom is that Dortmund are such a good attacking team that they will always score goals. Dig a little deeper into their results however, and there have been a lot of games in the Favre era that have been decisive because his men have missed chance after chance. Their last game before the winter break was a perfect illustration. After dominating Hoffenheim for 80 minutes but scoring only once, BVB contrived to lose 2-1 in the last ten minutes of the game.

Favre has always preferred a false nine instead of a conventional striker. It’s one of the reasons why, even when he’s fit, Paco Alcacer hasn’t started many games despite his fantastic goals to minutes ratio. Irrespective of this signing, Favre is unlikely to shift away from his preferred 4-2-3-1. If Haaland is to be a regular starter, Favre is going to have to compromise on Marco Reus playing as the false nine, instead moving the captain to the hole. Considering the fact that Jadon Sancho is an undroppable, how Favre deals with Julian Brandt, Thorgan Hazard and Mario Gotze fighting for one position is anyone’s guess. It would be safe to assume that there will be at least one attacker outgoing in January to alleviate the increased competition in the final third.

If Haaland maintains his exceptional scoring rate amidst the higher standards of the Bundesliga, then any tactical adjustments would be worth it for Dortmund. It doesn’t however negate the fact that this a very young player making a huge leap at a club that isn’t without its own set of high expectations. It may be prudent to expect a period of adjustment. Haaland’s signing is undoubtedly an exciting moment for the club. It will however still need good management to make it a success for both, individual and club.

On RB Leipzig

Raphael Honigstein writing on the Athletic:

RB Leipzig is indeed an artificial product, but spending money in a way that produces good football is also an art in itself. And in comparative terms, it can be enjoyed relatively guilt-free, too. Werner’s and Nagelsmann’s artistry is not founded by despotic kings who have squeezed every last drop out of their subjects to produce frescos, palaces or churches, nor by autocratic regimes keen to wash their image in the age of sport as global entertainment.

I think Raphael makes a very salient point. This has been a dilemma I have been grappling with since Leipzig’s remarkable first season in the Bundesliga and I am still not completely sure where I stand. For many fans who follow the Bundesliga as neutrals, the fact that there is a challenger to Bayern’s hegemony in Germany — be it Leipzig or Dortmund — is something to be celebrated. However, for those in Germany that are ingrained in their unique fan culture, Leipzig are considered the bigger evil, regardless of how tiresome Bayern’s continued success may be.

On a sporting level, I welcome Leipzig’s challenge. If Leipzig do end up winning the Bundesliga, I am not sure I will be happy for the entity that is RB Leipzig. Even if I confer to the logic that I want a new champion for the sake of it (I don’t!) Dortmund would be my choice. I will however celebrate the brilliant management of Julian Nagelsmann, the consistency of Timo Werner, a revitalized Patrick Schick, a classy ball-playing centre-back in Dayot Upamecano and most importantly a championship for a passionate fan base in football crazy East Germany. Even with principles challenged, one can find room to appreciate excellence in sport.

Englische Woche

Nothing quite explains the Bundesliga reaching its halfway point better than the Englische Woche (which literally means English week). It is the penultimate round of games before the league takes its annual winter break and the stakes are getting higher. After the excitement of the early weeks when the table had so many teams hunced close together, we are now getting a clearer picture of who the genuine contenders are.

It goes without saying that the biggest game this midweek is between Borussia Dortmund and RasenBallsport Leipzig. Just when it seemed like BVB’s season was going off the rails, they have had a fantastic last two weeks on both fronts. Leipzig are also going strong on both fronts and seem to be getting better with each passing week. Dortmund are four points behind their league leading visitors. A draw would suit both fine, but neither team is inclined to play that way which makes for a fascinating contest. There’s also the small matter of the Bundesliga’s most unique team — Freiburg, hosting Bayern, who sit only two points above them in fifth. Meanwhile Wolfsburg will look to follow up their win over former league leaders Gladbach by trying to bring down another high-flying team in Schalke. When all is said and done, we should have a pulsating midweek of league football in Germany. ⚽️

New Managers in Europe's Top 5 Leagues

Time has flown and the new European football season is almost upon us. It has been a relatively quiet transfer window this summer, but I for one, am looking forward to seeing new faces in the dugout and the impact they are going to have on their clubs. These are the new managers taking charge of their clubs for the upcoming season in Europe’s top five leagues.

England

Brighton - Graham Potter

Chelsea - Frank Lampard

Newcastle - Steve Bruce

France

Brest - Olivier Dall’Oglio

Lyon - Sylvinho

Saint-Etienne - Ghislain Printant

Marseille - Andre Villas-Boas

Amiens - Luka Elsner

Dijon - Stephane Jobard

Germany

Hoffenheim - Alfred Schreuder

RB Leipzig - Julian Nagelsmann

Wolfsburg - Oliver Glasner

Schalke - David Wagner

Borussia Monchengladbach - Marco Rose

Hertha Berlin - Ante Covic

Cologne - Achim Beierlorzer

Italy

Roma - Paulo Fonseca

Juventus - Maurizio Sarri

Milan - Marco Giampaolo

Inter - Antonio Conte

Sampdoria - Eusebio Di Franceso

Genoa - Aurelio Andreazzoli

Hellas Verona - Ivan Juric

Spain

Real Betis - Rubi

Alaves - Asier Garitano

Sevilla - Julen Lopetegui

Espanyol - David Gallego

Are Dortmund contenders this season?

Fans of German football are excited. There is anticipation for a long overdue Bundesliga title race. Borussia Dortmund’s four-point lead over Bayern Munich gives everyone a semblance of hope. The leaders are playing sumptuous football while the champions are in a rut. Looking at various aspects, Wasim assesses Dortmund’s title challenge this season.