What to watch for on Matchday 24
March 9, 2017
Hertha try to contain red-hot Aubameyang
With his hattrick against Benfica on Wednesday, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has now scored seven goals in his last three games. Hertha Berlin will have their work cut out on Saturday afternoon, with Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembele also impressing in the Champions League.
Hertha's defense has remained strong during their midseason struggles, and they have shown an ability to limit Dortmund's attack this season - they held Thomas Tuchel's side to a 1-1 draw in October before forcing a penalty shootout in the last 16 of the German Cup. But behind the contributions of their star striker, Dortmund have been on a scoring run of late, which will make it tough for any team to stop them.
Frankfurt hobble to Munich on the back of four straight losses
Their trip to Munich comes at a very bad time for Eintracht Frankfurt. Once third in the table, Frankfurt have spiraled out of control in 2017. The loss to Freiburg was their fourth in a row in the league and they have scored just twice in seven league games this year.
Squad depth has been the main issue for coach Niko Kovac. Six of his players have had to serve suspensions in 2017, and Alexander Meier has still not bounced back from his illness. "If I have 18 healthy players on the team sheet, I am happy," Kovac told a press conference on Thursday.
Bayern appear to have kicked into gear after scoring 19 goals in their last four games in all competitions, which does not give Frankfurt the best chance of avoiding their fifth-straight loss.
Have Hamburg moved past their woes in Munich?
Hamburg have bounced back well since the demoralizing 8-0 loss to Bayern. They forced extra time with Gladbach in the German Cup before conceding two penalties in the extra period, and they defeated Hertha for their third league win in five games.
They get another crack at Gladbach on Sunday as they try to climb out of the relegation zone. But the Foals are no strangers to total domination, having trounced Schalke 4-2 on Matchday 23.
If Hamburg manage to get a result against them, it could mean that their troubles against Bayern were just an anomaly rather than the beginning of a downward spiral.
Versatile attacks go head-to-head in Freiburg
Why only have one guy score when you can share the attacking wealth? Freiburg and Hoffenheim are the only two teams in the Bundesliga to have four players with five or more goals this season, and the versatility has helped both clubs rise to the top half of the table.
The glaring difference between these two teams has been in defence - Freiburg have conceded 15 more goals than Hoffenheim this season. But Julian Nagelsmann's side have been letting in goals at a higher rate recently, conceding five in their last four games. The scoreline of this game could be as big as some of the ones we saw on Matchday 23.
Bundesliga Matchday 24
Friday
Leverkusen vs. Bremen (20:30 CET)
Saturday
Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (15:30 CET)
Hertha Berlin vs. Dortmund
Darmstadt vs. Mainz
Freiburg vs. Hoffenheim
Leipzig vs. Wolfsburg
Ingolstadt vs. Cologne (18:30 CET)
Sunday
Schalke vs. Augsburg (15:30 CET)
Hamburg vs. Gladbach (17:30 CET)