Bundesliga Match To Watch This Week

Each week I want to inform my readers of an interesting match to watch in the Bundesliga.  I realize people have jobs and can’t watch five matches every weekend, so I want to highlight the one to watch outside of Borussia Dortmund.

This week the choice was obvious and the match to watch has to be RB Leipzig against Hoffenheim.

With the top of the table tightly packed outside of the top two of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, every point might matter.  Hoffenheim was jumped today in the table by a victorious Eintracht Frankfurt side who beat Schalke (YAY).

Borussia Dortmund fans should certainly be familiar with Hoffenheim as they played in the lead up to the winter break.  They are a dangerous club that has yet to lose this season and sport one of my favorite players in Count Dracula also known as Sandro Wagner.

Wagner is an, at time audacious striker who scored 14 goals a year ago for Darmstadt, a remarkable feat for a club that is lower on the table.  Wagner’s highlight both on the field and in the interview room never fail to spice things up:

Hoffenheim is not all about Wagner though as they have an extremely talented squad.  Mark Uth, as some would remember caused BVB some trouble in their match and a terrific central defender in Benjamin Hubner.

The aspect of Hoffenheim’s game that is the most interesting and sets them apart is their dedication to a very attacking philosophy.  The 3-1-4-2 is their most common formation, meaning Hoffenheim flood the midfield far up the field while still employing a strike partner with Wagner, most commonly Uth.

Their success under manager Julian Nagelsmann has turned heads, certainly Bayern Munich who snatched up their 21-year-old central defender Niklas Sule.  It will be interesting to see how Hoffenheim compensate for the emerging hole in the lineup.

On the flip side, RB Leipzig has really done a number on the Bundesliga this season.  I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but to this point, it hasn’t.  A week ago, RB Leipzig were the beneficiaries of an early red card to Eintracht Frankfurt’s goal keeper in the third minute.  That moment spoiled what should have been a terrific game.

All that needs to be said for RB Leipzig is they have the second best attack and third best defense in the Bundesliga.  The most impressive part of that equation is that nearly every player that plays on the squad is still young.  With only a few exceptions, RB plays youngsters who are either just reaching their prime or are low 20 somethings.

The smart thing that RB Leipzig did was install a few seasoned veterans into their squad to provide guidance at every level.  Central defender Marvin Crompper is a perfect example of this as he has been playing at this level for a decade, including winning promotion to the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim back in the 2007/08 season.

That blend has led to unprecedented success for a newly promoted side in the Bundesliga.  It remains to be seen how long this can continue because outside the starting eleven, there is very little rotation or squad depth.  If an injury or two were to pop up, RB Leipzig might have a very different look.

For not though we should watch this match because it is a real title contender and perhaps the more improbable one since Leicester City (only a year ago I know) against the only undefeated club still in the Bundesliga.  The match is scheduled for Saturday morning so it doesn’t interfere with Borussia Dortmund’s match Sunday.  Enjoy