🌦 Freitag Forecast: Crisis clubs and disaster for Dortmund? | OneFootball

The Bundesliga title race is over, right?

But the league has been a great watch since it returned, so there’s no reason to stop tuning in now.

Here’s our rundown of this weekend’s fixtures.

Game of the weekend

SC Freiburg v Bayer Leverkusen

The weekend begins on Friday evening and this could be a corker.

Only one team has scored more than Leverkusen’s eight goals since the restart. Only five teams (all winless) have conceded more.

After dominant wins against Bremen (4-1) and Gladbach (3-1) it looked like Peter Bosz’s men were primed to sprint to the finish line, claiming a Champions League spot on the way. Then they met Wolfsburg in midweek, at home, and lost 4-1.

And Freiburg are no more predictable. Perennial overachievers under Christian Streich, their own return to action has been bizarre. A 1-1 draw at RB Leipzig was followed up by a 1-0 defeat at home to 17th-placed Bremen.

Then, on Tuesday, they conceded a whopping 34(!) shots to Eintracht Frankfurt but somehow left the game disappointed with a point after racing into a 3-1 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

Expect the unexpected.

Easiest three points

Bayern Munich v Düsseldorf

Bayern beat Dortmund, Leipzig drew with Hertha, Leverkusen lost to Wolfsburg, Gladbach drew at Bremen.

It was a dream midweek for Hansi Flick and his men as they won their biggest game of the season and saw all of their potential challengers drop points.

So here we are. Six games remaining and a seven point lead. An eighth consecutive title in sight.

They won’t blow it from here.

Potential upset

SC Paderborn v Borussia Dortmund

How will Dortmund respond to their defeat to Bayern?

Lucien Favre’s men didn’t play badly on Tuesday but the loss all but ended the title race. Will they find motivation hard to come by?

If nothing else, this could be a first start since the return for players like Emre Can, Jadon Sancho and Axel Witsel, who have all been eased back in after injuries.

Paderborn hurt Dortmund in the first half of the season, launching into a shock 3-0 lead before drawing 3-3.

They may not have won yet but they are unbeaten since the restart. Maybe they could even go one better this time around?

Keep an eye on

The crisis clubs

Schalke have not won in 10 Bundesliga games, the longest winless run of any team so far this season. They’ve scored just three in that time.

If all of that doesn’t change soon, David Wagner could be out of a job.

On Saturday they meet a Werder Bremen fighting for their lives.

Bremen have just gone two unbeaten (one win, one draw) for the first time since November and could close the gap to Düsseldorf in the relegation play-off spot to just two points with a win on Saturday, assuming Bayern Munich also do them a favour.

Schalke won’t be in for an easy ride.

And Labbadia

A word for Bruno Labbadia’s Hertha BSC. The head coach was installed during the enforced break and has now lead Hertha to seven points from three games, including a 4-0 derby win and a draw away at Leipzig.

They’re the Bundesliga’s form team and you can expect them to impress again when they host Augsburg on Saturday.