BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 11 – SPNAfrica PERSPECTIVE

As FC Bayern München, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and TSG Hoffenheim return to Bundesliga action on Matchday 11, what will African fans be looking for? Well, first let’s just acknowledge the clean sweep that Bundesliga teams achieved for German football on the European stage this week.

UEFA Champions League defending champions FC Bayern ploughed through Group A, advancing to the knockout stage as unbeaten winners. Hansi Flick’s side also lead the way in pursuit of a ninth successive Bundesliga title, after battling back to draw 3-3 with RB Leipzig in a top-of-the-table tussle for the ages last time out.

The record champions face Union Berlin in Saturday’s late game. While Robert Lewandowski is set to make his 200th Bundesliga appearance for the club and needs to score just twice to break the 250 Bundesliga goals barrier – a feat only two Bundesliga players have achieved: Klaus Fischer and Gerd Müller – he will be looking to support from Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry (see the Gnabry video, here, on SPNAfrica).

Second-placed Leipzig are in action earlier in the day, after having flexed their “fear-no-one” mentality on the European stage. After fighting fire with fire at Bayern’s Allianz Arena, Julian Nagelsmann’s side went one better back on home soil, beating Manchester United 3-2 to secure their passage to the Champions League last 16 at the English Premier League giants’ expense. Victory over SV Werder Bremen would cap a sensational week in the club’s short history and take them top of the Bundesliga ladder – for a couple of hours at least.

Dortmund join Bayern and Leipzig in the hat, after topping Group F ahead of Lazio. BVB currently sit in fourth in the Bundesliga standings, albeit within four points of first place. In the absence of injured striker Erling Haaland, American Gio Reyna scored one of the goals of Matchday 10 in the 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt. Sixteen-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko played the entire second half at the Deutsche Bank Arena, before making history as the youngest player in Champions League history on Wednesday. Given his current trajectory, it is only a matter of time before he becomes the Bundesliga’s youngest goalscorer. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s VfB Stuttgart – visitors to the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday – have been warned.

Gladbach face hot-and-cold Hertha Berlin, after emerging from the Champions League ‘group of death’ with their vital signs very much intact. The Foals lost at Real Madrid in their final Group B encounter, but advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in the Champions League era, as runners-up – ahead of Shakhtar Donestk and Inter Milan. A return to winning ways against Hertha would put them firmly back in the frame for a second successive top-four finish.

Like Bayern and Dortmund, the Bundesliga’s UEFA Europa League representatives qualified from their respective groups with room to spare. Leverkusen’s domestic form has been even more impressive, with Peter Bosz’s team second in the current standings, and one of only two teams still unbeaten this season. Visiting Hoffenheim promise to provide a thorough examination of Leverkusen’s title credentials on Sunday evening. TSG Hoffenheim finished top of their Europa League group and are the only team in 2020 to inflict defeat on Bayern.

Elsewhere, VfL Wolfsburg will seek to extend their 10-game undefeated streak when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Volkswagen Arena in Matchday 11’s opening fixture. SC Freiburg play host to promoted DSC Arminia Bielefeld, while lowly duo 1. FSV Mainz and 1. FC Köln lock horns in a battle of the Bundesliga’s Carnival clubs. Bottom placed FC Schalke 04 will be keeping a keen eye on the result, ahead of their trip to FC Augsburg’s WWK Arena on Sunday.

Content from Bundesliga (Tom Julian), updated by SPNAfrica staff