What to watch out for on Matchday 18 in the Bundesliga
Rob Turner
January 26, 2017
The second-half of the season officially gets underway with a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash. And there are a couple of big-name strikers with a point to prove.
Image: Reuters/R. Orlowski
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Sub-plots aplenty at the top
Unlikely as it may have seemed when they met on the opening day, RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim now face-off in second and third-place respectively. But it is not just the fact that these two teams are Bayern Munich's closest challengers at the top that makes this fixture so intriguing. These two are clubs loathed by traditionalists, yet admired in equal measure by football purists. Both reached the top-flight thanks to lavish funding by billionaire backers, but both play an exhilarating brand of football that is very easy on the eye. With 39 points from 17 games, Leipzig are the best promoted side in Bundesliga history. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, are the only side in Europe's top leagues yet to taste defeat. Throw in the fact that Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick oversaw Hoffenheim's meteroric rise from village club to the top of the Bundesliga, and you have all the ingredients necessary for an absorbing 90 minutes. It promises to have plenty of goalmouth action too. In Timo Werner and Sandro Wagner, the match also sees the highest-scoring German players in the league go head-to-head…
The two teams shared a 2-2 draw on the opening day of the seasonImage: Reuters/R. Orlowski
A tale of two strikers
…whilst up in Bremen, the two most successful foreign strikers in Bundesliga history prepare to do battle. Werder Bremen veteran Claudio Pizarro has scored 190 times in the German top-flight in three spells at Bremen and two at Bayern. One of his successors in Munich,Robert Lewandowski, moved onto 135 following his brace in Freiburg last week. With 14 goals last season, Pizarro was Bremen's life insurance policy as they battled the drop. He is yet to score this time round, but is looking to end the drought against his former club. "I hope I can score," the 38-year-old said. "Goals are important for strikers for self-confidence. I'm working on scoring against Bayern." It won't be easy, however. Bremen have not scored in any of their last four home games against Bayern and have lost the previous seven.
Claudio Pizarro is relishing the clash with his former clubImage: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Hangst
Once upon a time in the West
Another sharpshooter aiming to finally hit the target once more is Chicharito. After grabbing five goals in his first five appearances of the season, the Bayer Leverkusen striker has now gone 11 games and 749 minutes without scoring. If rumors surrounding the Mexican superstar's private life are to be believed, Chicharito is now free to focus solely on his football. He did find the net in friendly matches during the winter break and will fancy his chances against a Borussia Mönchengladbach side that has failed to live up to growing expectations so far this season. And Chicharito certainly has happy memories of Leverkusen's Rhineland rivals. In the corresponding fixture last year, he scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing.
Chicharito is on a frustrating run of form in front of goalImage: picture-alliance/augenklick/firo
Happy Homecoming?
Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel can also look back fondly on time spent with his next opponent. During his six-year tenure with Mainz, Tuchel led the club to Europe for the first time in its history. A key member of that squad was Andre Schürrle, slowly hitting his top form again at Dortmund. Since taking charge over from Jürgen Klopp last season, Tuchel has faced his former club three times in the Bundesliga, and won every time. Victory in Bremen last week liftedDortmund back up to fourth and within touching distance of automatic Champions League qualification. But they have flattered to deceive so often this season and if they fail to win in Mainz, the pressure will be back on.
The mid-season transfer window has slamed shut after Bundesliga clubs scrambled to bring in reinforcements. Who has done the best business? Judge for yourself with a closer look at the top deals.
Image: picture alliance/Offside/S. Stacpoole
Bojan (Mainz)
Bojan Krkic has moved to Mainz on loan from Premier League side Stoke City for the rest of the season. The 26-year-old Spanish attacker is a product of Barcelona's youth academy and when he made his debut in the first team at the age of 17, was seen as the next Lionel Messi. Since then he has become something of a journeyman, spending spells at Roma, AC Milan and Ajax.
Image: picture alliance/Offside/S. Stacpoole
Alexander Isak (Borussia Dortmund)
Billed as the "new Ibrahimovic," the young striker was on the verge of signing for Real Madrid before opting for Dortmund at the last minute. Just 17 years old, he recently became the youngest-ever player to score for the Swedish national side. Big things are expected of him in Dortmund but he has the small matter of competing for a place with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to deal with.
The Bundesliga new boys took advantage of their connections and swooped in for French teenager Dayot Upamecano from Red Bull Salzburg. The much-coveted French teenager follows the path trodden by Naby Keita to great effect. Pacy and powerful in the air, he has the potential to become one of the best center backs in the world.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Revierfoto
Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich)
The record champions bolstered an already world-class defense further still with the signing of Niklas Süle from Hoffenheim. The 21-year-old is already a full international and will link up with his Germany teammates Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels at the heart of Bayern's backline when he moves at the end of the season.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich)
Süle will be followed to the Allianz Arena in the summer by teammate Sebastian Rudy. In six-and-a-half years at Hoffenheim, Rudy made almost 200 appearances and caught the eye of national-team coach Joachim Löw. Comfortable in the center or right of midfield, he can also play right back.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotostand
Holger Badstuber (Schalke)
After a raft of crippling injuries over the past few seasons, central defender Holger Badstuber is approaching the last-chance saloon in the Bundesliga. The move to Schalke on loan until the end of the season looks like a sensible one as parent club Bayern Munich have moved for Niklas Süle in his position. But he will have to prove his body can still withstand top-flight football.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/T. Eisenh
Daniel Caligiuri (Schalke)
Joining Badstuber in Gelsenkirchen is Wolfsburg winger Daniel Caligiuri. An integral part of the Wolves side that won the German Cup in 2015, Caligiuri is not the only Wolfsburg player to have struggled this season. The versatile Caligiuri will fill the hole left by a long-term injury to Abdul Rahman Baba.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/A. Weigel
Guido Burgstaller (Schalke)
With Klaas-Jan Huntelaar out injured for much of this season, Schalke have been lacking firepower up front. Guido Burgstaller could not have gotten off to a better start following his move from second-division side Nuremberg. The Austrian striker grabbed a last-minute winner at home to Ingolstadt on his debut.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Meissner
Mergim Mavraj (Hamburg)
No-nonsense central defender Mergim Mavraj has never been one to shy away from a scrap. And those battling qualities are exactly what Hamburg need as they face another season mired in the relegation dogfight. The Albanian central defender came from high-flying Cologne.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Hitij
Yunus Malli (Wolfsburg)
Wolfsburg moved for the German-born Turkey international following the departure of Julian Draxler to Paris St-Germain. In five seasons at Mainz, Malli developed into one of the Bundesliga's most potent attacking midfielders. Creative, tricky and with a keen eye for goal, he could prove to be the signing that turns Wolfsburg's fortunes around.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Paul-Georges Ntep (Wolfsburg)
Joining Malli in the forward line at the Volkswagen Arena is French winger Ntep. The pacy winger (pictured here with Hamburg's new loan signing Kyriakos Papadopoulus) made an instant impression on his debut, setting up the winning goal against northern rivals Hamburg.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Rose
Riechedly Bazoer (Wolfsburg)
One of the busiest Bundesliga clubs this transfer window, Wolfsburg also secured the services of Dutch midfielder Riechedly Bazoer. A product of the famous Ajax academy, the 20-year-old was chased by a host of top clubs and is tipped for greatness.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Kose
Timothee Kolodziejczak (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
With a tongue-twisting name like that, it's a good job the French defender is happy to go by 'Kolo.' Although he played for France at every youth level, he has yet to receive full international honors. But he does arrive in Germeany with a Europa League winner's medal to his name. A left-footed central defender, he can also play at fullback.
Image: Getty Images/M. Steele
Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen)
It's not often you travel south to get Bremen, but Danish midfielder Thomas Delaney did just that when he swapped FC Copenhagen for the Bundesliga. As captain of his home-town club, he won several titles, appeared in the Champions League and went on to represent his country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Wagner
Terrence Boyd (Darmstadt)
The USA international swapped life at the top with RB Leipzig for the mother of all relegation battles with bottom-side Darmstadt. The powerful striker never really made the breakthrough at Leipzig and will be keen to add his muscle to the fight at the wrong end of the table.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
Neven Subotic
Serbian international Neven Subotic has joined Cologne on a six-month loan from Borussia Dortmund. Where his future will lie after that is anybody's guess. The 28-year-old will bring some added experience to Cologne's central defense.
