Matchday nine of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season kicks off tomorrow with an enticing encounter between Champions League-hunting TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and promoted outfit SV Werder Bremen, but this weekend is all about the Der Klassiker between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich on Saturday evening at the Westfalenstadion.
Both clubs come into the weekend clash after impressive Champions League wins in midweek while the Bayern juggernaut is hoping to get back on track and push for their “rightful” place at the top of the Bundesliga table after going on a four-match winless run which had many beginning to question the managerial tenure of Julian Nagelsmann.
As for Dortmund, inconsistency continues to run rampant in the Ruhr Valley with the German giants trading results across their last four domestic fixtures and having once again failed to capitalize on the poor form of their biggest league rival.
In what is customarily a high-scoring affair that has seen Bayern win the last seven in succession, it should once again prove top-billing by comparison to the rest of the weekend fixtures, many of which still have big implications of their own, including Xabi Alonso making his managerial debut (and becoming just the second Spanish manager in league history after Pep Guardiola) with Bayer Leverkusen after the sacking of Gerardo Seoane due to the club’s worst start to a domestic season in over 40-years.
Here now, in full, are the weekend previews of the entire Bundesliga fixture list for matchday nine.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (T-5th) - SV Werder Bremen (T-8th)
Form: Hoffenheim (3-2-1) - Bremen (1-2-3)
Key personnel missing:
Hoffenheim - Benjamin Hübner, Philipp Pentke (doubt), Ihlas Bebou (doubt), Ermin Bicakcic (fitness)
Bremen - Jean-Manuel Mbom
Match-up preview:
Hoffenheim plays host to promoted outfit Werder Bremen in Sinsheim to kick off matchday 9 in the Bundesliga, with Die Kraichgauer able to only secure a draw in their last two league fixtures while Die Werderaner come into the weekend after thrashing Gladbach 5-1. Werder has a habit of scoring chunks of goals this term, so there is no telling how they will perform against a credible side with home support. A draw seems fair.
Prediction: Hoffenheim 1-1 Bremen
Bayer Leverkusen (T-16th) - FC Schalke 04 (15th)
Form: Leverkusen (1-2-3) - Schalke (1-2-3)
Key personnel missing:
Leverkusen - Florian Wirtz, Karim Bellarabi, Exequiel Palacios (doubt), Sardar Azmoun (doubt)
Schalke - Marcin Kaminski, Sepp van den Berg, Rodrigo Zalazar
Match-up preview:
Leverkusen is under new management after Xabi Alonso has taken the reigns at the BayArena after the club sacked former boss Gerardo Seoane in the wake of the club enduring its worst start to a domestic campaign in forty years, but have been blessed with a great chance to get back to winning ways under Alonso who is sure to bring in fresh ideas against a Schalke outfit who are struggling in all departments themselves.
Prediction: Leverkusen 2-0 Schalke
1. FSV Mainz 05 (T-11th) - RB Leipzig (T-11th)
Form: Mainz (2-1-3) - RBL (3-0-3)
Key personnel missing:
Mainz - Marlon Mustapha
RBL - Konrad Laimer, Lukas Klostermann, Péter Gulácsi, Dani Olmo (doubt), Yussuf Poulsen (fitness)
Match-up preview:
RB Leipzig travels to the historic city of Mainz on Saturday on the back of a credible Champions League midweek win against Scottish giants Celtic after a 4-0 thrashing of Bochum last time out in the Bundesliga and could target patchy Mainz for a similar result. The home side performed above expectations last term but is winless in three and has not secured a home win all season. RBL could string together wins on the back of current evidence.
Prediction: Mainz 1-2 RBL
VfL Bochum (18th) - Eintracht Frankfurt (T-5th)
Form: Bochum (0-1-5) - Frankfurt (4-1-1)
Key personnel missing:
Bochum - Takuma Asano, Paul Grave, Jannes Horn (doubt), Konstantinos Stafylidis (doubt), Dominique Heintz (doubt), Lys Mousset (illness)
Frankfurt - Almamy Touré, Jérôme Onguéné, Aurélio Buta, Randal Kolo Muani (red card)
Match-up preview:
Eintracht Frankfurt has finally hit form commensurate with performances last season that saw them lift the Europa League trophy as they are currently one of the in-form sides in the Bundesliga and look to pile on a hapless VfL Bochum who have managed just one point all season thus far. Frankfurt put in a credible performance against Tottenham in Champions League in midweek and though Bochum could pounce on tired legs, Frankfurt’s overall form and Bochum’s struggles in front of goal should still make them favorites here.
Prediction: Bochum 2-0 Frankfurt
FC Augsburg (T-8th) - VfL Wolfsburg (13th)
Form: Augsburg (3-0-3) - Wolfsburg (2-1-3)
Key personnel missing:
Augsburg - Felix Uduokhai, Tobias Strobl, Noah Sarenren Bazee, André Hahn, Reece Oxford (doubt), Niklas Dorsch (fitness), Mërgim Berisha (red card)
Wolfsburg - Max Kruse, Lukas Nmecha (doubt), Jonas Wind (doubt)
Match-up preview:
Bavarian outfit FC Augsburg have won three on the spin in the Bundesliga and should be classed as serious contenders to make it four in a row on Saturday in what would be the league’s longest current winning run when they clash with Wolfsburg at WWK Arena. A 1-0 win against Bayern Munich highlights recent performances from Augsburg, with Wolfsburg inconsistency rearing its ugly head once again this season. There are quite a few selection issues for the Bavarians, however, which could come back to play a key role against a nearly fully-fit Wolfsburg who are capable on their day. A draw would be entirely fair here.
Prediction: Augsburg 1-1 Wolfsburg
Borussia Dortmund (T-3rd) - Bayern Munich (T-3rd)
Form: Dortmund (3-0-3) - Bayern (2-3-1)
Key personnel missing:
Dortmund - Sébastien Haller (out indefinitely), Mahmoud Dahoud, Giovanni Reyna, Mateu Morey, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Bayern - Lucas Hernández, Bouna Sarr, Kingsley Coman (fitness)
Match-up preview:
Both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have already endured frustrating campaigns through different avenues of analysis in 2022-23, with the Bavarian giants slipping to a four-match unbeaten run while looking not as dominant as seasons past, while Dortmund once again failed to capitalize sufficiently enough on any moment where Bayern have struggled. Both come into the weekend Der Klassiker clash with a point to prove on the domestic front after strong midweek outings in the Champions League, but Bayern’s historic dominance should come out on top despite their recent blip as Dortmund hardly know if they are coming or going this term.
Prediction: Dortmund 1-2 Bayern
Borussia Mönchengladbach (T-8th) - 1. FC Köln (7th)
Form: Gladbach (2-2-2) - Köln (2-3-1)
Key personnel missing:
Gladbach - Florian Neuhaus, Hannes Wolf, Ko Itakura, Alassane Plea (fitness), Ramy Bensebaïni (fitness)
Köln - Sebastian Andersson, Mathias Olesen, Julian Chabot, Dimitris Limnios, Mark Uth (fitness)
Match-up preview:
Gladbach hosts visiting Köln on Sunday in a clash of two sides on the periphery of the European conversation in the Bundesliga table that presents an intriguing clash of a pair of outfits whose strengths come under the microscope. Gladbach has been in good form at home this season and boasts the fourth-best home record, while Köln has yet to lose on their travels away from the RheinEnergieStadion. Köln is also marginally better in the form table, but a midweek Europa Conference League clash does have to be taken into account. A draw is a fair bet but a narrow Gladbach win would not be a shock either.
Prediction: Gladbach 1-1 Köln
Hertha BSC (14th) - SC Freiburg (T-1st)
Form: Hertha (1-3-2) - Freiburg (4-2-0)
Key personnel missing:
Hertha - Jean-Paul Boëtius (out indefinitely), Filip Uremovic (doubt), Kelian Nsona (doubt), Rune Jarstein (disciplinary)
Freiburg - Roland Sallai, Kimberly Ezekwem, Michael Gregoritsch (doubt), Lucas Höler (fitness)
Match-up preview:
The German capital hosts an intriguing matchup when joint-Bundesliga leaders Freiburg travel to Berlin to clash with a Hertha side who are performing better than their position in the table suggests. Hertha has not tasted defeat in their last four fixtures while Freiburg is in hot form and undefeated in six as the neutral fan favorite continues their recent rise into the upper echelons of German football. Freiburg did have Europe in midweek in the Europa League but they remain consistent despite continental commitments while also boasting one of the league’s top defensive records. A narrow Freiburg win seems a fair call but a draw would hardly seem unreasonable.
Prediction: Hertha 1-2 Freiburg
VfB Stuttgart (T-16th) - Union Berlin (T-1st)
Form: Stuttgart (0-3-3) - Union (4-1-1)
Key personnel missing:
Stuttgart - Josha Vagnoman, Nikolas Nartey (doubt)
Union - Timo Baumgartl (Covid-19), Tim Maciejewski (Covid-19)
Match-up preview:
Joint-Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin come into the final fixture of matchday nine on the heels of a win away from home in the Europa League against Malmö and will look to get back on track domestically after their 15-match unbeaten run came to an end against Frankfurt last weekend. On paper, they should be beating a struggling Stuttgart outfit that has shipped eight goals in their last three fixtures but has also scored five of their own. They will be tricky customers at home despite not yet securing a win this season, but Union should be winning this - although narrowly - if they have any aspirations on an unexpected push for Champions League or more.
Prediction: Stuttgart 1-2 Union
