Berlin (dpa) – A week before the international break, the Bundesliga clubs want to set standards and score points again – and they also trust their veterans.
The Hoffenheim Torgarant Andrej Kramaric could break two records today. And Leipzig’s coach Jesse Marsch takes on himself after the bumpy start of the season and the 1: 2 against Bruges before the 7th matchday of the Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund – FC Augsburg
Mats Hummels: He’s still an indispensable factor at BVB, but not the first choice in the national team at the moment. The 32-year-old veteran is not part of the DFB squad for the international matches in Hamburg against Romania (October 8) and in North Macedonia (October 11). This is certainly not entirely inconvenient for BVB. Ultimately, this reduces the risk that the defensive chief’s knee, which was last painful, will cause new worries. The patellar tendon had already hurt at the European Championships. Therefore, Hummels missed the complete preparation under coach Marco Rose and the first competitive games.
Hertha BSC – SC Freiburg
Dedryck Boyata: For Hertha’s Dedryck Boyata, international breaks seem like completely legal stimulants. The injury-prone Belgian, who has only played 51 Bundesliga games for Berlin in just under two and a half years since moving from Celtic Glasgow to the Spree in 2019, often comes back from an injury break when national coach Roberto Martinez invites him to an international match. In the second half of last season, the Berlin captain made his competitive debut on March 30th after a three-month injury break, not for the club, but for the neighboring country. Coach Pal Dardai, who was not happy about this process, advised his 30-year-old defense organizer to return home healthy, which did not work out and put a strain on the relationship between the two. Now the national team is calling again for the Final Four in the Nations League – and Boyata is fit again. Dardai needs the Belgian to stabilize the defense, which has already conceded 18 goals, at least in the home game against SC Freiburg.
VfB Stuttgart – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Andrej Kramaric: The 30-year-old is Hoffenheim’s club record scorer in the Bundesliga with 83 goals. The Croatian runner-up world champion also has 98 goals for TSG – so he could crack the 100 mark on Saturday. And another record of Kramaric in the league could fall after “kicker” data against VfB: With 38 assists, he shares first place in this category with Kevin Volland (now AS Monaco).
VfL Wolfsburg – Bor. Mönchengladbach
Denis Zakaria: The two previous Gladbach successes were closely related to him. The defensive midfielder, who was used for the first time on matchday three, scored two of the six goals this season. The Swiss is now flourishing again and is one of the key players in coach Adi Hütter’s team. He recently scored the winning goal against Borussia Dortmund and is said to have sparked BVB’s interest in a commitment, according to “Sport Bild”. With Marco Rose, he would meet his former coach there, who had, however, assured after his move that he would not take any player with him. In Gladbach, they would not like to lose the 24-year-old. So far, Zakaria has not extended its contract, which will expire in summer 2022.
RB Leipzig – VfL Bochum
Jesse Marsch: The good mood coach suddenly backed down after the threatened consequences in view of the 1: 2 against Bruges. He prefers to make himself responsible and wants to continue to convey his style to his professionals. “It is the coach’s job to find solutions and to be a leader,” said the American. The first Bundesliga duel with newly promoted Bochum comes just as requested. Marsch knows: his team needs victories, like the last time they beat Hertha 6-0. Striker André Silva, who will probably get a new chance in the starting line-up, should also take care of that.
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