Author Archives: GFBAuthor

Matchday 8

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Featured Game – Bayer Leverkusen 1-5 Bayern München

After two weeks without Bundesliga action due to the international break, fans of the German game were ready for the return of top flight football. What an encounter there was to enjoy as well on matchday eight, with the top two facing off in a mouth-watering showdown. Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern München are two of the country’s most historic clubs and sat level on points after seven rounds of fixtures. They had lost just the once each and, although Bayern undoubtedly have the stronger squad, the fact that the game was being played at the BayArena and with the hosts’ more than handy set of attacking players of their own, there was every chance this one was going to be tight. On paper then, it seemed as if this match could have gone either way, but, in truth, every spectator quickly realised that was not going to be the case.

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Matchday 7

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Featured Game – Mainz 1-2 Union Berlin

Although the big names in the Bundesliga were in action on matchday seven, possibly the most interesting affair could have played out in Mainz. These two sides are on the up. The hosts Mainz turned around an abysmal first half of last campaign, bringing in Danish coach Bo Svensson when in the relegation zone, only for the new manager to steer them well clear of the drop zone come the end of the season. Their form has continued into 2021/22, and Mainz are showing they type of consistency needed to fight for a top half finish, potentially even to snatch European football via seventh spot and hence an entry into the UEFA Europa Conference League. That is something the visitors to the MEWA Arena know all about, after claiming a place in the inaugural Conference League on the final day last term. They came into the clash against Mainz off the back of a resounding Thursday night 3-0 victory over Israeli side Maccabi Haifa and hoped to proceed in that vein back in domestic league action. It was sure to be a tight contest.

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Matchday 6

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Featured Game – Freiburg 3-0 Augsburg

It was an emotional night in the Black Forest when Freiburg entertained Augsburg on matchday six in the Bundesliga, as it was to be the hosts’ final game at their home stadium of 67 years. That is a long time to be in one place, and there are bundles of history attached to the Dreisamstadion for Freiburg. However, a testament to the vast expanse of time they been there is the fact that the ground no longer met modern standards: the pitch is too small, and the goal at one end is nearly a metre higher than the one at the other. This issue has been at the forefront of the minds of the club hierarchy for some time now, but renovating the Dreisamstadion to bring it up to modern requirements would have been a lengthy process and almost just as expensive as building a new stadium entirely. So that is what they did. The team plan to move into their new home, the SC-Stadion, in the near future. It can hold an increased number of supporters – 34,700 up from 24,000 – and should give an exciting new era feel for all those inside. The end of the old one was not quite over yet when Augsburg came to town though, and the Freiburg players were keen to make sure that it was a send-off to remember.

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Matchday 5

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Featured Game – Wolfsburg 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

It was not just the Frankfurt fans rooting for an away win in Wolfsburg on Matchday five, with the other title challengers hoping that the so-far faultless hosts would drop their first points of the new campaign. The Wolves had been typically dogged in defence in the opening games, conceding only once in four. They had done just enough going the other way to create goals of their own, despite not being absolutely prolific. However, a mix of the two had found the vital winning formula up to this point and it would take a particularly well-prepared side to be able to land a blow on the early league leaders.

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Matchday 4

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Featured Game – RB Leipzig 1-4 Bayern München

It may still be early in the season, but a clash between the top two from the last Bundesliga campaign was never going to be uneventful. There was much riding on the contest: for RB Leipzig a chance to get one over the side they are hunting down in the pursuit of their first ever German title, while visitors Bayern would have wanted to simply keep their challengers at arm’s length. Past meetings between the two have often gone the way of the Rekordmeister. However, that is not saying much considering the case is the same for every other German side Bayern München have faced. Nevertheless, this match at home in front of the Red Bulls’ fans was a great opportunity to try and turn the tide for Leipzig.

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Matchday 3

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Featured Game – Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Hoffenheim

Three games down, only 31 left to play. The 2021/22 Bundesliga is very much still in its early stages, but that does not mean there is a lack of entertainment. The goals flowed on Matchday three – 32 across nine games – and it all began with a cracker under the Friday night floodlights at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund. Hoffenheim were in town and, rather peculiarly, sat above their hosts in the table. Although, trying to read anything into the league standings at this stage would be a task almost certainly in vain, and Borussia did not lack incentive to take care of their visitors after defeat last time out away to Freiburg. Nevertheless, this game was never going to be one-sided. Hoffenheim are a team capable of giving anyone a run for their money on their day, as they proved last year at the same ground, demolishing their Black and Yellow opponents 4-0. Andrej Kramaric netted all four that day, but the Hoffenheim talisman is yet to get off the mark this campaign. No better time to do it than against Dortmund again.

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Matchday 2

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Featured Game – Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Although it is very much still early doors, the second round of fixtures in the Bundesliga can start to give an impression of how certain teams will perform in the season ahead. No side wants to fall behind, even at this stage, and it is easy to forget that three points are just as valuable in August as they are in May. It all counts the same in the final tally. However, for Leverkusen and Gladbach on Matchday 2, more than the victory was at stake, as a North-Western derby meant that local pride was also on the line for the clubs separated by fewer than 60 kilometres. For two of the Bundesliga’s biggest names, facing each other was not unfamiliar and they had served up a cracker of a game when they met in the previous campaign. This time around though, the contest was only ever going one way.

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Matchday 1

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Featured Game – Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Bayern München

The 2020/21 Bundesliga season was certainly an entertaining one. Some teams excelled, reaching heights they had never before imagined. Others faltered, only dreaming of getting back to more successful times. However, a new campaign brings a fresh start with new possibilities for every team; although, the most pleasing thing to see in the first match-up of 2021/22 was the return of fans to Borussia-Park. Grounds may still be able to hold full capacity, but new rules mean that stands can be half-full for the return of German top-flight football and that means the return of the fantastic atmosphere of German supporters. They were sorely missed last season and the fact that goals will be cheered by real life people is one that will be appreciated by all followers of the Bundesliga.

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2020/21 Bundesliga End of Season Review

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End of Season Review

The 2020/21 Bundesliga season was another full of drama and entertainment. The final league standings were anyone’s guess at the start of the campaign (perhaps except for top spot), and there were a number of teams who excelled well beyond their predicted finish, however at the same time a handful dropped below previous standards and reaped the consequences of this. This review will look back across the season from the perspective of each team, recounting top performances and best players, while also looking at what to expect when the league gets back up and running in August. Although, it is often hard to know what to expect in the Bundesliga.

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Relegation Play-Off

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1st Leg – Köln 0-1 Holstein Kiel

As the final whistle blew on Matchday 34 in the top two divisions in Germany, it meant the end of an especially tiring season for most teams. However, for a couple of the sides, their most important fixture was still to come – the relegation play-off, to be played across two legs. The tie combines the clubs that finished third from bottom in the top tier and third from top in the second, to play 180 minutes to determine the success of the respective teams’ entire seasons. For the Bundesliga side, a win means pure relief and a chance to build for the next campaign knowing that their top-flight status remains. For the 2. Bundesliga outfit, the pressure is arguably more on their opponents to perform, but with promotion on the line, the incentive for victory is no less. However, history does not look kindly on the second-tier side, and only on six occasions in the past have the promotion-seekers achieved their goal, although the most recent example came just two years ago, when Union Berlin toppled Stuttgart to reach the top league for the first time. Holstein Kiel did not feature in the play-off too long ago themselves, having been beaten by Wolfsburg in the 2017/18 season’s edition of the fixture. This time around though they sought a different outcome.

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