The Matchday Preview

All season long premium subscribers will receive exclusive previews for the upcoming round of Bundesliga fixtures. Today, game week 27 kicks off!

All season-long premium subscribers will receive exclusive previews for the upcoming round of Bundesliga fixtures. Today, game week 27 kicks off! FC Bayern & Borussia battle it out in ‘Der Klassiker’, FC Augsburg hope to extend their historic winning streak, and there are many other enticing encounters to keep you entertained this weekend.

Bayer Leverkusen v TSG Hoffenheim 

Though the 3:2 scoreline spoke of a tight contest against SC Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen were generally in cruise control as Xabi Alonso’s side earned their 22nd win of the Bundesliga campaign. 

Florian Wirtz was, once again, the key figure in the victory. The 20-year-old opened the scoring after only 2 minutes, and he continued to impress as he went the full 90 minutes for the 4th league fixture in a row. 

Another early goal for the German national team against France on Saturday underpinned his recent run of form and opened an interesting debate surrounding his role in the 2024 Ballon d’Or. If Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and Europa League, and Florian Wirtz were to play a leading role in a deep run at the EUROS for Germany, it would be hard to look past the youngster for this prestigious individual reward.

Nevertheless, at least for the moment, such conversations remain fanciful. All Florian Wirtz and Bayer Leverkusen will care about is registering the next 3 points in the Bundesliga when they host TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday. 

After finding some semblance of form again in late February, TSG Hoffenheim have most recently fallen off the wagon with consecutive defeats to Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart. Hoffenheim’s defensive fragility was exploited on both occasions, with the 50 goals they have conceded this campaign being the leading cause of why they have struggled to remain in the race for European competition. Die Kraichgauer are one of only 4 sides who have conceded half a century of goals this campaign, and more will likely follow when they travel to Leverkusen on Saturday.

Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen Win

RB Leipzig v Mainz 05

After a turbulent start to the new year, RB Leipzig have found their rhythm again with 3 consecutive Bundesliga victories. Last matchday, Marco Rose’s side entered halftime drawing 1:1 with FC Köln, but die Rotten Bullen found their turbo in the second half with 3 goals in 7 minutes. The ultimate 5:1 scoreline almost didn’t do justice to the East German outfit’s unwavering dominance and 22 shots.