Matchday 21: Fixtures
Mainz - Hannover
Hoffenheim - Stuttgart
Bayern Munich - Freiburg
Dortmund - Frankfurt
Werder Bremen - Monchengladbach
Braunschweig - Hamburg
Leverkusen - Schalke
Augsburg - Nuremberg
Hertha Berlin - Wolfsburg
Hoffenheim - Stuttgart (Saturday)
This Baden-Wurttemberg derby sees two teams still nowhere near safety. Hoffenheim picked up a late point at Freiburg on Matchday 20, and that could prove pivotal come the end of the campaign. They're five points above the bottom-three, but having had to go through the relegation play-off last season, Markus Gisdol and his players won't be fully satisfied until their Bundesliga status is maintained. Stuttgart are on a rotten run of form, losing six of their last seven league matches. 10 of their 19 points have come on the road this campaign, and they'll want to be adding to that on Saturday afternoon, to give themselves a little bit of breathing space.
Prediction: It's a big game in Sinsheim, with both needing to add points to their tally. I'm going to go for a narrow home win. Hoffenheim 2-1 Stuttgart.
Bayern Munich - Freiburg (Saturday)
The champions keep ticking along at their crushing pace. They're into the Pokal semi-finals after thumping Hamburg and maintained their 13-point advantage at the top with a 2-0 success in the derby - Nuremberg a week ago. Freiburg head to the Allianz Arena not expecting to get anything, but they, alongside Leverkusen, are the only two sides to take anything off of Pep Guardiola's men in the Bundesliga this season. Bayern of course have the return of the Champions League next week, so with the hosts expected to field a weaker (if you can call it that) side, could that give Christian Streich's outfit the slightest of hopes in Bavaria?
Prediction: This is a battle of the Bundesliga's two most southern sides, yet their will be quite a gap between these two on Saturday. Bayern Munich 4-0 Freiburg.
Dortmund - Frankfurt (Saturday)
The Dortmund which the neutral has come to love has slowly been starting to return since the Winter break. Having breezed past Bremen last weekend, Jurgen Klopp's men booked their place in the last-four of the cup, having defeated this weekend's opponents late on this past Tuesday. Yet Frankfurt will be buoyed for revenge by the fact that Dortmund haven't won at the Signal-Iduna Park since the opening night of November. Armin Veh's men have also gotten back on track in the opening three weeks of the Ruckrunde, having moved up to 12th with their first two home victories of the campaign against Hertha and Braunschweig respectively.
Prediction: The two sides' second meeting in five days. Sadly for Frankfurt, I believe it will be the same outcome as Tuesday night. Dortmund 3-0 Frankfurt.
Werder Bremen - Monchengladbach (Saturday)
Now with the second worst defence in the division, Bremen look extremely vulnerable, especially after their thumping at the hands of Dortmund a week ago. With a goal-difference of minus 21, the second worst in the division, points are becoming more essential as the Matchdays go by. They welcome Lucien Favre and Gladbach to the Weserstadion this weekend, who themselves haven't had the best starts to the Ruckrunde. For the first time in the Favre era, the Foals have lost three consecutive games, following their narrow home loss to Leverkusen. Having had Champions League qualification in their own hands, Gladbach are now having to pay catch-up.
Prediction: Both teams have different targets, but their aim is the same come 2:30pm on Saturday. A tight encounter won by the visitors. Werder Bremen 0-1 Monchengladbach.
Braunschweig - Hamburg (Saturday)
Is this the biggest game in Hamburg's ever-present Bundesliga history? Most likely. The Northerners were comprehensively defeated by Hertha last week, condemning them to their 6th consecutive league defeat, something that hasn't happened in their 51-year Bundesliga history. The only team directly below them are Saturday's opponents, who like Hamburg, were defeated 3-0 on Matchday 20. Time for them is also running out, yet with a four-point disadvantage to the team right above them, this could possibly be a bigger game for them, as they have home advantage. Whatever happens, the final result is going to be huge for both teams.
Prediction: Do both sides go for it? Do they sit back and let the game unfold in the latter stages? I think the points will be shared; not helping either team. Braunschweig 1-1 Hamburg.
Leverkusen - Schalke (Saturday)
2nd meets 4th in Saturday's late encounter. Sami Hyypia's men consolidated the runners-up spot, with that solitary Heung-Min Son strike giving them the points in Gladbach. Sidney Sam WON'T be involved against his future employers, yet if Leverkusen can take the spoils, then returning to the Champions League next season will nearly be certain. Schalke have taken maximum points since the Winter break, and suddenly have a four-point advantage in the final Champions League spot. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is already back, and Julian Draxler is close to a return, suggesting that the side from Gelsenkirchen will only get stronger as the season develops.
Prediction: Hyypia and Keller will both want the victory, yet each side would settle for a point here. Leverkusen 1-1 Schalke.
Augsburg - Nuremberg (Sunday)
Bayern are of course in a league of their own, but if you forget them, Augsburg are the in-form team in the Bundesliga. They're unbeaten in eight, following their stunning 4-1 victory in Stuttgart. Markus Weinzierl is emerging as the manager of the season in Germany, whilst Andre Hahn is becoming one of the stars of the division. Nuremberg are involved in their 2nd Bavarian derby in as many Matchdays, and put in a battling performance in a spirited defeat to Bayern. They did return to the relegation play-off spot following that loss, yet based on their opening three performances of the Ruckrunde, they look equipped to survive in the German top-flight.
Prediction: This match could well steal the show this weekend. Augsburg to extend their unbeaten run to nine in a five-goal thriller. Augsburg 3-2 Nuremberg.
Hertha Berlin - Wolfsburg (Sunday)
The last match of Matchday 21 takes place in the capital as two European rivals go head-to-head. Adrian Ramos, many people's prediction to be Robert Lewandowski's replacement in Dortmund, went top of the goalscoring charts (14 goals) after he was at times unplayable in completing a brace in Hamburg last weekend. But Wolfsburg will be confident of stopping the Colombian, with themselves having an excellent week, defeating Mainz and booking their place in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal. The pressure will be on for Dieter Hecking's men if Schalke and Gladbach get points earlier in the weekend, and they could lose more ground if they drop points to the team directly below them.
Prediction: Two evenly-matched teams this season, and I think that'll be showcased on late Sunday afternoon. The points to be shared. Hertha Berlin 1-1 Wolfsburg.