Bundesliga This Week
The Bundesliga this week has many crucial fixtures on match day 8 including the battle of the giants between first-placed Bayern and second-placed Dortmund, a vital Baden-Wurttemburg derby and Stuttgart face a third consecutive relegation six-pointer against Hoffenheim.
Xhaka pivotal to Gladbach’s revival
Gladbach failed to win any of their first five games and boss Lucien Favre paid the price. Since then interim manager Andre Schubert has won two out of two and has seen his side score seven times – this in stark comparison to the two scored in five games under Favre. Midfielder Granit Xhaka has been amongst the action and a main influence behind the recent turn of form for the Foals. The Swiss who signed for Gladbach in 2012 from Basel made his bow as team captain at home against Augsburg and then again away at Stuttgart, where he has managed to score a goal in each game- a decision which has paid dividends for Schubert. The 23-year-old will be very grateful for the return of reliable Patrick Herrman from injury to help bolster the revival. Gladbach face Wolfsburg at Borussia Park on Saturday looking to make it three straight wins for Schubert’s side. A timely fixture as Wolfsburg could be distracted by the emissions scandal that has cropped up in the news this week.
Wolfsburg could falter after VW emission scandal
It’s a rather concerning time at the helm of Wolfsburg in the midst of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Worringly for Wolfsburg, Volkswagen solely own the club and reports in the news this week has stated that the Wolves could be subject to huge cuts in budget as VW prepare to be sued for nearly £12 billion by the US after the revelations emerged that the company found a way around testing emissions on their cars. Not only is it a concern for Wolfsburg, but also it could potentially affect the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga as the German manufacturing giants sponsor half of the teams in the top two tiers.. The Lower Saxony side travel west to face an improving Gladbach and on the back of this major possible demise with the VW scandal, it will be a game Dieter Hecking would rather not face. This aside, the Wolves have more than enough talent at their disposal with the summer additions of Julian Draxler, Dante and Max Kruse, the latter being a former Foals player. It is worth mentioning that after an impressive second place finish last season, many-tipped Wolfsburg to have a genuine chance of challenging Bayern for the title. However, the Wolves have failed to win away from the Volkswagen Arena so far this season, so they sit in 4th, nine points behind the champions Bayern.
Battle of the hitmen: Lewandowski vs Aubameyang
Both Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have smashed records in the Bundesliga for Bayern and Dortmund respectively and now the top two come face to face at the Allianz Arena on Sunday in what could be a title-decider. Gabonese international Aubameyang has scored seven goals, in the opening seven games making him the first player in the Bundesliga to achieve this. The 26-year-old has netted 14 times this season already, including nine in the league. While Lewandowski, who moved from Dortmund in 2014, became the first player to come on as a substitute and score five goals in one game at home to Wolfsburg last week completing this feat in a record time of nine minutes. In addition to his unbelievable finishing, the Pole has added a further two goals last time out at Mainz to record his 100th Bundesliga goal and his tenth this season. Both prolific strikers have stolen many headlines this season already and look set to continue their fine individual form. Dortmund, under new management and philosophy of Thomas Tuchel started the season in flying fashion winning 11 games in a row in all competitions before drawing to Hoffenheim eight days ago and since then Dortmund haven’t been so rampant, with two draws in league and Europa League to leave Tuchel’s men four points behind the Bavarian Bayern. If Bayern make it eight straight wins, they could be well on their way to winning their unprecedented fourth consecutive Bundesliga Championship.
