The Bundesliga is almost halfway through. This week sees teams play their second to last matches this year. Dortmund host leaders Leipzig, Monchengladbach look to bounce back, while the race for the Golden Boot is heating up. Here are Things to look out for in Matchweek 16. Bet on the Bundesliga here.
Battle for the top: Borussia Dortmund v RB Leipzig
Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig go toe-to-toe at the Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday looking to fight for the top spot which Leipzig currently occupies. Dortmund have recovered following a stuttering period in November to win their last four matches in all competitions. Meanwhile, Leipzig continued their red-hot streak by recording a sixth successive Bundesliga victory in a 3-0 win at Fortuna Düsseldorf over the weekend. Leipzig are four points ahead of their hosts and, if Dortmund win, they’ll cut the lead to just a point. Still, that is easier said than done. Leipzig have been terrific this season. They have the best attack and second-best defence in the league. Therefore, the hosts will need to be at their best to topple the league leaders.
Borussia Monchengladbach to bounce back?
Gladbach are looking to bounce back following 2-1 defeats at the hands of Istanbul Basaksehir and Wolfsburg last week. The loss against Wolfsburg saw them knocked off the top of the Bundesliga. The good news is Leipzig have a tough game away to Dortmund and given they’re just two points behind in second, a win could take them back on top if Leipzig fails to get a result. They have also won their last six games in a row at home. Visiting team Paderborn are rock-bottom of the table and will be looking for only their third win this season.
Battle for the Golden Boot
The race for the Bundesliga Golden Boot is heating up halfway through the season. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Leipzig’s Timo Werner are in an intense battle for the Golden Boot. Lewandowski has scored 18 goals after 15 games while Werner has scored 16. The Poland striker became not only the first player in Bundesliga history to score a goal on each of the first 11 games of a season but also the first to find the net in 11 successive top-flight matches. With Werner hitting top form in the last few weeks and Lewandowski showing no signs of slowing down, this season’s race for the Golden Boot is going to be intriguing as the season goes on.
More misery for relegation candidates
Fortuna Dusseldorf, Cologne and Paderborn have won just two matches in the last 15 between them in the Bundesliga. Dusseldorf face an in-form Augsburg side this week and a winless run in their last five games makes for grim reading. Cologne registered a huge win over Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend to end their six-game winless run and move them out of the bottom. However, another tough away game at Eintracht Frankfurt awaits. Bottom team Paderborn drew 1-1 against Union Berlin over the weekend but face a hungry Borussia Monchengladbach side this week. Although they won their last away game, beating Monchengladbach is an uphill task.