Luka Jovic, Marco Reus, Paco Alcacer and Sebastian Haller will all have one eye on the Bundesliga golden boot when Eintracht Frankfurt host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon.
Two games into the Second round, Frankfurt’s 20-year-old Serbian Jovic, who is on loan from Portuguese giants Benfica, leads the scoring charts with thirteen goals, one ahead of Dortmund pair Reus and Alcacer, as well as Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
Frankfurt boast the German top flight’s third most efficient striking line with thirty nine goals, eleven fewer than table topping Dortmund. The difference between the two sides, is that over sixty percent of Frankfurt’s goals have been scored by striking triumvirate Jovic, Sebastian Haller and Ante Rebic whereas Dortmund’s goals are coming from all over the pitch.
Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is sweating over the fitness of crocked pair Manuel Akanji and Dan Axle Zagado. The Black and Yellows makeshift central defensive partnership of Abdou Diallo and Julian Wiegl did wonders by thwarting Hannover in last week’s 5-1 victory, but Frankfurt are bound to be a different kettle of fish.
At the BayArena, reigning champions Bayern Munich will be pushed to the limit by resurgent Bayer Leverkusen. The return to form of German internationals Julian Brandt, Karim Bellarabi and Kai Havertz guarantees a close encounter. National team coach Joachim Loew should be an interested spectator as six Bayern Munich stars – Leon Grotezka, Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Nicklas Sule, Matt Hummels and Joshua Kimmich are all likely to feature.
Robert Kovac’s Bavarian juggernaut are in red-hot form, having registered six victories on the bounce but they still find themselves six points behind Dortmund. Despite the star-studded German cast, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski will once more be Bayern’s man to watch.
An avalanche of goals is expected in Hoffenheim where Julian Nagelsmann’s free scoring stylists welcome newcomers Fortuna Dusseldorf. Matters won’t get easier for ambitious visitors Dusseldorf who experienced a reality check last weekend when they were pummelled 4-0 by Ralf Ragnick’s Red Bull Leipzig.
The rest of the weekend matches see bottom club Nuremberg test their survival instincts against Werder Bremen; second from bottom Hannover confront dangerous RB Leipzig, Augsburg host Mainz and Stuttgart go head to head with Freiburg.
FRIDAY:
-Hannover v Red Bull Leipzig @10:30pm
SATURDAY:
-Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich @5:30pm
-Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund @5:30pm
-Nuremberg v Werder Bremen @5:30pm
-Hertha Berlin v Wolfsburg @5:30pm
-Hoffenheim v Fortuna Dusseldorf @5:30pm
-Schalke v Gladbach @8:30pm
SUNDAY:
-Augsburg v Mainz @5:30pm
-Stuttgart v Freiburg @8pm
