By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
With the Oktoberfest in full swing, log leaders FC Bayern München and champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen meet in a huge fixture on Saturday evening.
Oktoberfest! Each year, more than six million people flock to Munich in the south of Germany for the “Wiesn”, which has been running since the early 1800’s.
Bayern continued their formidable form with a 5-0 win at SV Werder Bremen that took them to a staggering 20 goals in three competitive matches in the space of a week, with star new signing Michael Olise stealing the show with two goals and two assists. Leverkusen meanwhile showed that the never-say-die attitude that took them to the Bundesliga crown last season is very much alive, after Victor Boniface’s 93rd-minute winner sealed a thrilling
4-3 success over VfL Wolfsburg.
At the other end of the table, VfL Bochum 1848, Holstein Kiel and FC St. Pauli all have something to build on after taking their first point of the campaign in the past matchday – yet all face difficult tests on Matchday 5 against sides looking to keep pace with Bayern and Leverkusen.
In the weekend’s opening tie on Friday evening, Bochum make the short trip to Borussia Dortmund, who will be smarting from their 5-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart. Peter Zeidler therefore faces a tall order in claiming his first win as Bochum coach at his side’s local rivals.
Kiel, who drew 2-2 at Bochum last weekend, are at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, who are currently looking good in fourth, on Sunday afternoon. Omar Marmoush’s late second strike in Frankfurt’s 2-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach has moved him into a quartet of players on four goals so far this season, who are just behind Bayern’s Harry Kane (five) in the top scorers’ race.
Ahead of Frankfurt on goal difference presently are SC Freiburg, whose impressive start under new coach Julian Schuster continued with a commanding 3-0 win at 1. FC Heidenheim 1846. They host St. Pauli, who battled RB Leipzig to a goalless draw to claim their first result of the season.
Leipzig will be determined to win again after two goalless encounters in a row, which have nonetheless extended their undefeated Bundesliga streak to a division-best 15 matches going back to last season. A new club record unbeaten run beckons if they avoid defeat at home to FC Augsburg on Saturday.
Two other sides in promising form face testing away trips on Saturday. Stuttgart’s win over Dortmund rekindled memories of the fine form that took them to a runners-up spot last season, but their trip to Wolfsburg is unlikely to be easy against hosts reeling from their last-gasp defeat against Leverkusen.
FC Union Berlin continued their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 2-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim but must now go away to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 5. During the same Saturday afternoon slot, Heidenheim – league leaders after two rounds of fixtures – will seek to respond to back-to-back defeats when they visit 1. FSV Mainz 05 fresh from their first victory of the campaign.
Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen are to contest the final encounter of the matchday on Sunday afternoon with both sides looking to bounce back after defeats last weekend.