The Matchday Preview

Another exciting Bundesliga weekend awaits. RB Leipzig is back for another prime-time fixture, Bayern travels to newly promoted St. Pauli, and Stuttgart vs. Frankfurt promises fireworks on Sunday

Another exciting Bundesliga weekend awaits. RB Leipzig is back for another prime-time fixture on Saturday, Bayern travels to newly promoted St. Pauli, and Stuttgart vs. Frankfurt promises fireworks on Sunday.

Season Prediction Accuracy: 43/81 (53.1%)

Union Berlin v SC Freiburg

Union Berlin’s impressive start to the season hit a rough patch last week, marking their first truly discouraging spell since Bo Svensson took over this summer. A midweek DFB Pokal clash saw Union suffer a humbling 2-0 loss to 3. Liga side Arminia Bielefeld, where Svensson’s decision to rotate five players from the lineup that had drawn 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt backfired. The reshuffled Union squad looked disjointed, failing to match the intensity and cohesion of a spirited Bielefeld team.

Hoping to rebound, Union then traveled to Munich on Saturday, aiming for an upset at the Allianz Arena. Those ambitions were quickly dashed as Bayern opened the scoring within 15 minutes and cruised to a 3-0 victory. With 15 points from nine matches, Union’s impressive campaign will keep any criticism at bay, but this past week underscored the need for improvement. While Svensson has particularly strengthened the defense, Union still lacks the fluidity in the final third needed to consistently challenge for a top-half finish.

Their next opponents, SC Freiburg, struggled with similar attacking issues last weekend. Sunday’s goalless draw against Mainz 05 offered few highlights, with neither team generating sustained offensive momentum in a match bogged down by frequent fouls and sloppy midfield play.

One player emblematic of Freiburg’s challenges is summer signing Eren Dinkci. The 22-year-old has started the past six Bundesliga matches, yet he has yet to recapture the scoring touch that made him a star at Heidenheim, where he registered 10 goals and 5 assists last season to help propel the Bundesliga rookies into Europe. Despite his smart link-up play and defensive efforts, Dinkci is still searching for his first goal after nearly 500 minutes in Freiburg colors, leaving the club hoping for a spark from their marquee addition.

Prediction: SC Freiburg Win

Mainz 05 v Borussia Dortmund

After a humiliating DFB Pokal exit in which Mainz 05 conceded four goals in the first half, Bo Henriksen shifted his focus to defensive stability, resulting in a lackluster 0-0 draw against SC Freiburg over the weekend.

Mainz didn’t entirely abandon attacking intent, however, as the surprise inclusion of Jonathan Burkardt in the starting lineup raised eyebrows. Just nine days earlier, Burkardt had limped off with a suspected hamstring strain, but the captain and top scorer was determined to return for this crucial fixture in Mainz’s battle to secure Bundesliga survival.