Bundesliga matchday 9: Three things to watch out for

In a week of trick and treats we’ve seen upsets in the DFB Pokal, horror challenges, and wonderful goals. Looking ahead to matchday 9 in the Bundesliga, here are three things to watch out for this footballing weekend.

Friday Night Fright
The opening game of matchday 9 will almost certainly be a treat rather than a trick with Bayer Leverkusen hosting VfB Stuttgart.

For Leverkusen, this is about keeping pace with both Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig who currently occupy the top two spots on 20 points. Should B04 falter at home, they could be seven points adrift from the top two and possibly already out of a title race.

Xabi Alonso’s side have only won two out of their last five Bundesliga matches having dropped points against Bayern, Holstein Kiel, and Werder Bremen.

Another worrying element to B04’s game so far this season is their leaky defence. They have by far the worst defensive record in the top four and are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Bundesliga this season.

From a Stuttgart perspective, a win would see them get back into the top six before the rest of the weekend’s matches. Again, similar to B04, Stuttgart will know that should they not get something out of this game they could be further cut off from the European places and forced to play catch up.

Stuttgart look like they’re just coming out of a tricky patch having drawn three games 1-1 in all competitions before losing to Bayern 4-0. However, having won their last three in all competitions, Stuttgart will be coming into this with high hopes and belief. They’ve displayed some outstanding performances this season, particular in Europe. If they could do that again on Friday and get at a ropy B04 defence, they may just get something from the fixture.

Şahin’s Saturday Scare
One of the big talking points from matchday 9 is the topspiel on Saturday night as Borussia Dortmund host RB Leipzig.

There are many underlying stories at play other than two big German clubs battling it out in one of the world’s most iconic venues.

From a Dortmund point-of-view, this is a must not lose rather than a must win. Of course the three points will do wonders for them but they’re coming off the back of three losses in all competitions. Additionally, Leipzig still remain unbeaten so a draw here would be seen as a good result for the home side.

Then of course there is head coach Nuri Şahin, who after those three losses, is under incredible pressure to perform. He may know the club inside and out but it’s clear that he currently lacks the experience other top managers possess.

If BVB get humiliated by Leipzig on Saturday, this could well be Şahin’s last game in charge of the club. One possible replacement should Şahin be sacked is recently departed Benfica coach, Roger Schmidt, though he is not yet speaking with BVB representatives.

Now let’s talk about the other elephant in the room: Jürgen Klopp.

This will be the first time BVB have played Leipzig since the news broke that the once beloved manager of Dortmund would be joining the Red Bull Group as head of global soccer in January.

It’s anticipated that the home crowd will let their thoughts known as to what they think of the move. Overall, it’s been seen as a massive kick in the teeth to Dortmund fans as they saw Klopp as someone who understood the traditions of the game (something which plays a massive role in German football culture). Seeing him go to the complete antithesis of such beliefs will only add to a more fiery atmosphere on Saturday night.

A Nightmare on Hopp Straße
You’ll have to excuse the poor attempt to link a horror movie with Dietmar-Hopp Straße. However, another key talking point this weekend could come from the match between TSG Hoffenheim and St. Pauli.

Hoffenheim sit just outside the relegation play-off, three points ahead of their guests. This feels like an early relegation six-pointer as Hoffenheim could either put breathing space between themselves and the bottom three or St. Pauli can keep themselves close to safety.

Hoffenheim come into this fixture with the better form having drawn two and won one from their last three Bundesliga matches.

However, if there is one thing St. Pauli know how to do, it’s to stay in games and keep teams out for large periods. The three fixtures they’ve got points from this season were a 3-0 and two 0-0s.

Granted, St. Paui are the league’s lowest scorers but they also have the best defence from the bottom eight clubs.

It may not be the prettiest watch but in the overall story of relegation, this will be an early indication as to how close the drop is going to be this season.