Bayern Munich have finally built up a lead in the Bundesliga title race, but they will be hoping to extend their advantage this weekend when they travel to Union Berlin. Borussia Dortmund will also be hoping to close the gap when they host Schalke.
FC Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich
Many had been hoping for a tight Bundesliga title fight this season, but it would seem that the dominant Bayern Munich are now in a strong position to pull away from the chasing pack. They extended their lead at the top of the table to four points last time out after they won and RB Leipzig dropped points. Bayern have been in excellent form over the past five games, as they have won on four occasions.
No side in the Bundesliga has scored more goals than Bayern, while they also have the joint-best defensive record. Bayern were in dominant form in their last outing as they brushed aside Augsburg to win 2-0. Thomas Muller and Leon Goretzka scored the goals in the win. The result never looked in question as Bayern had 75% of the possession, and allowed Augsburg to have just two shots on target. It could be the same pattern in the game this weekend.
Union Berlin were predicted to struggle this season, but instead, they may be hoping that they could finish the season in the top half. They are currently sitting in eleventh place and have won two of their past five fixtures in the league. However, during this run, they have also lost twice; including their last league game against Freiburg. They lost that fixture 3-1, with their consolation goal being scored by Sebastian Andersson.
This shouldn’t be a particularly hard fixture for Bayern, and they will take the three points with a dominant win.
Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke
Leipzig’s slip-up means that Borussia Dortmund were able to leapfrog them into second place. Dortmund will now be considered the leading challengers to Bayern, but they will need to win this home fixture if they have any hopes of challenging the current champions until the end of the season.
Dortmund have been in brilliant form over recent weeks as they have won their last four. However, defensively there are still questions surrounding this Dortmund side, as they have conceded 33 goals this season. Their last win came against Borussia Monchengladbach, as they won 2-1. Thorgen Hazard scored the opener for Dortmund before Achraf Hakimi scored the second. Their home form will be crucial if they are to sustain their title challenge.
Schalke have European hopes of their own this season, as they are currently in sixth place in the Bundesliga. However, they are nine points behind fifth place, which means that they have an outside chance of achieving that goal. Their form over the last five games has been terrible, as they are yet to win. During that run, Schalke have lost twice and have drawn on three occasions. Their last fixture ended in a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim. Weston McKennie gave Schalke the lead before Christoph Baumgartner equalised for the visitors.
Schalke’s inconsistent run of form means that it would be hard to see them winning. Therefore, the preference would be for Borussia Dortmund to get the win in this fixture.
