Bundesliga Matchday 2 Preview

The Bundesliga’s second matchday is just around the corner with nine exciting matches coming our way, so here’s all that you need to be looking forward to before the action kicks off:

Hertha Berlin vs Eintracht Frankfurt

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The matchday kicks off with early runners-up Hertha facing 9th-placed Frankfurt.

Last Results:

Hertha travelled to Bremen on matchday 1, and they came away with a  1-4 victory thanks to goals from Peter Pekarík, Dodi Lukebakio, Matheus Cunha and debutante Jhon Córdoba.

Frankfurt‘s first match didn’t exactly go to plan, as André Silva’s goal meant that they came back from behind to settle for a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Arminia Bielefeld.

Head-to-Head:

Hertha have a solid 30-19 advantage in this category, while 16 other matches have been drawn. The Eagles comprehensively won the last match, however – 1-4 away from home.

What This Could Mean:

Hertha can reach the top of the table if they win and Bayern drop points, but that’s unlikely, So, they should focus on defending their current position.

Frankfurt also have a mathematical chance of reaching first place, but they will need a lot of results to go their way. Realistically, they should settle for a Europa League spot.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Hertha: N/A

Frankfurt: Evan N’Dicka

Player to Watch:

Matheus Cunha – Hertha’s Brazilian midfielder announced his arrival in style last season, and this time, he’ll be looking to add a little more consistency to his game. In the 2020/21 campaign, he has scored two goals in as many competitive outings for Hertha – one against Eintracht Braunschweig in the DFB Pokal and the other against Bremen last weekend. He should look to make that three out of three against Frankfurt.

1. FSV Mainz 05 vs VfB Stuttgart

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15th-placed Mainz and 13th-placed Stuttgart will battle it out in what could prove to be an early relegation six-pointer.

Last Results:

Mainz had the tough task of travelling to Leipzig to start their season, and their clash ended in a 3-1 defeat as Jean-Phillippe Mateta’s goal proved to be mere consolation.

Stuttgart gave Freiburg a real run for their money on matchday 1, but their efforts fell short in a 2-3 defeat as a late push saw Saša Kalajdžić and Silas Wamangituka get on the scoresheet.

Head-to-Head:

Mainz have a slender 10-9 lead in this regard, with six other matches being drawn. The Carnival club won the last match too – 2-3 in January of 2019.

What This Could Mean:

Mainz cannot go higher than 3rd no matter what happens, but that too is extremely improbable. Their realistic target should be a top-half finish.

Stuttgart are in a similar position to that of their rivals, so they too will have the same targets.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Mainz: Dong-won Ji

Stuttgart: Clinton Mola, Philipp Förster, Erik Thommy, Nicolás González, Maxime Awoudja

Player to Watch:

Wataru Endo – Although Stuttgart lost their last match after conceding three goals, Wataru Endo was absolutely dominant in holding midfield, as he made 3 tackles, as many interceptions and won 7/10 aerial duels. That was certainly a solid Bundesliga debut for the Japanese international, and he’ll look to keep those numbers up against Mainz in a match that is set to be a physical battle.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig

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Meanwhile, 5th-placed Leipzig travel to face 10th-placed Leverkusen at the BayArena in an early battle in the top-four race.

Last Results:

Leverkusen kicked off their new campaign with a rather-disappointing 0-0 draw against Wolfsburg.

Leipzig‘s season started just as they would have liked it to – with a 3-1 win over Mainz thanks to Emil Forsberg, Yussuf Poulsen and Amadou Haidara’s goals.

Head-to-Head:

Leipzig have won half of the eight matches played between these two teams, with three others ending without a winner. Leverkusen have never beaten Die Rotten Bullen in the BayArena, so this is their chance to do that for the first time ever. Both of last season’s clashes ended in 1-1 draws.

What This Could Mean:

Leverkusen still have a mathematical possibility of topping the table, but for now, they should be looking at a Europa League position.

Leipzig have a slightly better chance of reaching first place, but they will certainly be happy with a top-four spot.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Leverkusen: Paulinho

Leipzig: Konrad Laimer, Ibrahima Konaté, Fabrice Hartmann,

Player to Watch:

Alexander Sørloth – The King of the North has arrived in Leipzig, and he is ready to take the German top-flight by storm under the stewardship of Julian Nagelsmann. Although the Norwegian international is not expected to get a full debut against Leverkusen, he should be named on the bench and could be sent on as a substitute. The last Norwegian striker to get his debut off the bench scored a hat-trick in 20 minutes, so the expectations are certainly high for Sørloth.

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs 1. FC Union Berlin

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17th-placed Gladbach host 14th-placed Union at the same time.

Last Results:

Gladbach faced Dortmund in the Borussia derby on matchday 1, and that match ended in a thorough 3-0 defeat for them.

Union started their second-ever Bundesliga campaign just like the first – with a defeat. This time, it Augsburg beat them 1-3 after Marius Bülter’s equaliser was quickly responded to.

Head-to-Head:

Gladbach and Union have only faced each other twice in the past, with both of those fixtures taking place in last season’s Bundesliga. The home side won on each occasion – first Union triumphed 2-0 before Gladbach got their revenge with a 4-1 victory.

What This Could Mean:

Gladbach cannot go higher than 3rd in any case, but their realistic goal should be something around 8th-position.

Union have the same points tally as their rivals (zero), but they would be happy to merely stay where they are in the table.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Gladbach: Denis Zakaria, Valentino Lazaro

Union: Anthony Ujah, Christian Gentner

Player to Watch:

Hannes Wolf – Although Gladbach’s summer signing didn’t exactly impress in the 57 minutes he spent on the pitch during his debut (making just 2 key passes), he should look to show his class against weaker opposition. He certainly made an impression on Marco Rose during their days together at RB Salzburg, so his manager undoubtedly trusts him.

Arminia Bielefeld vs 1. FC Köln

Arminia Bielefeld’s first home match of the new campaign sees them play 12th-placed Köln in an early relegation six-pointer.

Last Results:

Arminia played out a 1-1 draw against Frankfurt in their first Bundesliga match in over a decade after Cebio Soukou’s goal gave them the lead.

Köln faced Hoffenheim for their season-opener, and even though they equalised twice through Sebastian Andersson and Dominick Drexler, their efforts fell short in a 2-3 defeat.

Head-to-Head:

Köln have a 16-12 lead in the head-to-head charts, while only three other matches have been drawn. The Billygoats won the most recent fixture as well – 5-1 in the 2018/19 season of the 2. Bundesliga.

What This Could Mean:

Arminia still have the slenderest of chances of topping the Bundesliga charts for the first time in their history, but they would need six other results to go their way. Since that’s highly unrealistic, they’ll settle for anything in the fringes of the European spots.

Köln cannot go higher than 3rd in any case, but they should be quite pleased if they manage to break into the top half of the table.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Arminia: Sebastian Müller, Andreas Vogslammer, Nathan de Medina

Köln: Anthony Modeste, Benno Schmitz, Florian Kainz

Player to Watch:

Sebastian Andersson – Köln lost Jhon Córdoba in the summer transfer window, and they went and replaced him with an even more aerially dominant centre-forward – Sebastian Andersson. The Swedish international scored on debut, but his goal was not enough to save his side from defeat. He will look to continue impressing up front though, especially while Anthony Modeste is out injured.

FC Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund

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4th-placed Augsburg have the stern task of welcoming Borussia Dortmund, who are just a spot above them, for their first home match.

Last Results:

Augsburg got off to an ideal start last weekend with a comprehensive1-3 victory over Union, with Ruben Vargas, Michael Gregoritsch and André Hahn getting the goals.

Dortmund‘s season-opener was a success as well because they dispatched Gladbach 3-0 thanks to Giovanni Reyna’s goal and Erling Håland’s brace.

Head-to-Head:

Dortmund have a thorough 12-2 lead, while five other clashes have ended with equal scores. BVB triumphed most recently too – 3-5 away from home last season when a certain Erling Braut Håland came off the bench to score a hat-trick on debut.

What This Could Mean:

Augsburg can reach first place if things go to plan for them, but since they are facing Dortmund, they should focus on simply defending their current position.

Dortmund are in a similar situation, but their eyes should be set on their beloved runners-up spot since they can’t expect themselves to outscore Bayern by five or more goals.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Augsburg: Jan Morávek

Dortmund: Dan-Axel Zagadou, Mateu Morey, Marcel Schmelzer, Thorgan Hazard

Player to Watch:

Giovanni Reyna – The 17-year-old ‘American Dream’ has started the 2020/21 campaign perfectly – with two goals in as many outings – one against Duisburg in the DFB Pokal and the other being last weekend’s opener against Gladbach. The teenage sensation will surely want to continue his dreamy run of form, and he has a great chance to find the net against an Augsburg defence which conceded 63 goals last season.

FC Schalke 04 vs Werder Bremen

Bottom-club Schalke face 16th-placed Werder Bremen, who will be keen to earn some points and distance themselves from the relegation play-off spot.

Last Results:

Schalke played in the season-opener last Friday, and it ended quite badly for them because they ended up losing 8-0 to Bayern.

Bremen were easily defeated in their first match of the 2020/21 campaign as Hertha won 1-4.  Davie Selke did get on the scoresheet, but his goal counted for nothing but consolation.

Head-to-Head:

Bremen have a narrow 45-40 lead in this old rivalry, with 19 of the 104 clashes ending without a winner. Bremen won the first match in 1963 with a score of 2-3, and they won the most recent one in 2020 by the same margin, but with a clean sheet to go with that.

What This Could Mean:

Schalke‘s very best-case scenario sees them reach the final podium spot, but that’s highly impractical. In truth, they should be happy to get out of the drop zone. If they win, David Wagner’s men will end a 17-match long winless streak in the Bundesliga.

Bremen are in a very similar situation to their opponents, so their expectations should be aligned.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Schalke: Salif Sané, Matija Nastasić

Bremen: Ömer Toprak, Oscar Schönfelder

Player to Watch:

Tahith Chong – After an impressive pre-season and competitive debut against Carl Zeiss Jena in the DFB Pokal where he scored a goal, Tahith Chong rather underwhelmed in his Bundesliga debut against Hertha. Schalke have already conceded eight goals (in just one match) this season, so the Dutchman will be smelling blood and aiming to open his goalscoring account in the German top-flight.

TSG 1889 Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich

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7th-placed Hoffenheim host the predictable league-leaders Bayern Munich for Sebastian Hoeneß’s first home game as a head coach.

Last Results:

Hoffenheim were involved in the most exciting clash of matchday 1 against Köln. Andrej Kramarić gave them an early lead, but they soon conceded an equaliser. The Croatian international scored from the spot thereafter, but yet again his strike responded to in kind. Finally, the 29-year-old striker netted an injury-time winner to earn three points for his side.

Bayern lifted the curtain on the 2020/21 Bundesliga campaign by hosting Schalke, and they sent out a clear warning with an 8-0 victory. Serge Gnabry scored a hat-trick, while Leon Goretzka, Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, Leroy Sanén and Jamal Musiala came away with a goal each. Before they face Hoffenheim, however, they have a UEFA Super Cup match against Sevilla on Thursday night.

Head-to-Head:

Bayern have an unsurprisingly large 17-3 lead in this regard, while five other matches have ended with equal scores. The defending champions recorded a comprehensive 0-6 away victory in the most recent meeting between these two sides.

What This Could Mean:

Hoffenheim can climb all the way up to first place if they manage to win, but that would be considered a shock. Realistically, they should be happy to hold position in the table.

Bayern have already made first position their own, so their target will be to quite simply stay where they are.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Hoffenheim: Håvard Nordtveit, Benjamin Hübner, Konstantinos Stafylidis, Stefan Posch

Bayern: Kingsley Coman, Tanguy Nianzou

Player to Watch:

Andrej Kramarić – Two players scored hat-tricks on matchday 1 – Andrej Kramarić and Serge Gnabry. They will now face each other in this round of fixtures, and the spotlight will be shining on both of them. Kramarić’s hat-trick certainly had more value, because it saved his side and won the match for them, so Hoffenheim will be looking towards him for yet more goals. In fact, the Croatian forward has scored each of his side’s last seven Bundesliga goals in two matches, so much is expected of him.

SC Freiburg vs VfL Wolfsburg

The final match of this round of fixtures sees 6th-placed Freiburg take on 11th-placed Wolfsburg.

Last Results:

Freiburg carved out a 2-3 away win over newly-promoted Stuttgart, as goals from Nils Petersen, Rolland Sallai and Vincenzo Grifo sealed the three points.

Wolfsburg faced Leverkusen on matchday 1, and they had to settle for the first goalless draw of the season after looking like the better side early on.

Head-to-Head:

Wolfsburg just edge the head-to-head battle with a 13-12 lead, as nine other matches have been drawn. Most recently, these two sides took part in an exciting 2-2 draw.

What This Could Mean:

Freiburg could yet reach the top of the table, but their short-term target should be a Champions League spot.

Wolfsburg also have a very very minuscule chance of dislodging Bayern from the summit of the Bundesliga, but they should be to reach the Europa League positions.

Injuries and Suspensions:

Freiburg: Janik Haberer, Mark Flekken

Wolfsburg: William, Marin Pongračić, Kevin Mbabu

Player to Watch:

Wout Weghorst – While all the other players mentioned above will surely be key to their team’s success this season, Wout Weghorst may well be playing his last game for Wolfsburg. Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be interested in signing the Dutch striker who scored 16 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances last season, so this match could be a farewell.

Stats courtesy int.soccerway.com, transfermarkt.com and whoscored.com

About Neel Shelat 1 Article
I'm a long-time football fanatic and have been following the Bundesliga for over 6 years now. I have a keen eye for the tactical side of the sport and love to analyse and absorb all such content. Follow at @ShelatNeel