Another Exciting Week Ahead For The Bundesliga ‘Big Five’

With just three points between the highest five ranked teams in the Bundesliga, all having played the same number of games, things are looking to heat up in German football! But who will end up on top of the table come Monday morning? Only time will tell…

All eyes on Wolfsburg and Union Berlin to start the weekend

The weekend’s clashes are set to kick off with FC Union Berlin at home to VFL Wolfsburg at 2:30 pm on Saturday 16th October. Placed at seventh and fifth in the league, respectively, there’s all to play for between this pair.

Wolfsburg may be currently higher up the ranking, but all eyes will be on Union Berlin as the former is down by so many players. Line-ups have yet to be announced, but with five players ruled out of the squad and one looking doubtful, Coach Oliver Glasner has a difficult job ahead.

FSV Mainz looking to dominate over Borussia Dortmund

Another similarly hyped match will see Borussia Dortmund face FSV Mainz. Again, the higher-ranked team are down several players to maintain the form that has seen them this far, but Mainz looks strong and will do whatever it takes to gain points and take the lead above RB Leipzig. They, too, face a tough game the same day, against Sport-Club Freiburg.

Why are so many Bundesliga players currently injured?

It’s been a tough few weeks for the Bundesliga teams, and we’ve all enjoyed watching the action play out! The answer is simply that this season all of the involved teams are playing as hard and as much as they can — working toward the fantastic football we’ve become accustomed to watching week in, week out. And long may it continue… safely, of course.

Has the international break contributed to injury levels?

The international break in the Bundesliga and other European leagues took place last week. Its positioning has certainly contributed toward some of the injuries we’re seeing Bundesliga players battle with but by no means all of them. However, we can all understand playing hard for your country and not just your club.

Lucas Hradecky Bayer Leverkusen’s greatest hope against Bayern Munich

The odds are certainly not in Bayer Leverkusen’s favour on Sunday when they face down at home with current champions Bayern Munich… but goalkeeper Lucas Hradecky remains a firm fan favourite. The Bayern defence has only conceded seven goals all season, and he’s saved a whopping 31 goals so far, but can he continue to impress against arguably the greatest team this league has seen?

Those who played fantasy football along with the league certainly think so. Hradecky is currently by far the highest-ranked goalkeeper in the league (but to be fair, Manuel Neuer, despite being Bayern captain, has had to face little in comparison). All eyes will be on the Leverkusen goalposts this Sunday, and fingers firmly crossed by the Werkself fans.

For those not in the know (because let’s be honest here, why would you know much about Leverkusen’s goalie if you weren’t Werkself?), Lukas Hradecky is a Finnish-Slovak goalkeeper who joined Bayer in 2018. He’s played in Finland, Denmark, and Germany and continues to inspire the next generation of goalkeepers representing Finland internationally.

Bottom of the table clash will see Greuther Fürth spar Bochum on Sunday

Of course, not every team can play in the higher echelons of the league. Another Saturday match to watch is Greuther Fürth taking on VFL Bochum: seeing the Bundesliga’s two lowest-ranked teams go head to head.

Greuther Furth, currently last in the table, has only a single point despite having played seven matches. Just promoted from the Bundesliga 2 lower league, Stefan Leitl’s team will be desperately looking for any opportunity to score, and we’re set to see some hard-fought gameplay as a result.

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