Bundesliga picks

Thanks to a disastrous set of predictions from guest picker Jason LeBlanc (don't worry Jason, we all have those days), DW's soccer pundits were able to cut their deficit against the guests to just one point in match day 6. Our blushes are not yet saved, but at least temporarily averted.

This week's sparring partner is Tobi P. (@redrobbery) of Germany

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Friday, September 23

Stuttgart - Hamburg

This is probably not the fixture that HSV would have wished for straight after shedding their unfortunate coach Michael Oenning. Interim man Rodolfo Cardoso has a job on his hands to find a way to subdue an in-form Stuttgart at home, who have just collected two good wins on the spin - over Hanover and then away to local rivals Freiburg last week. Accordingly, Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia was at pains to warn his team against complacency on Thursday. "This is no last-place team," he said of HSV. "This is a squad that can be between fifth and tenth place." We know what you mean, Bruno, but we'll believe it when we see it.

DW prediction: Stuttgart 2-1
Guest prediction: Stuttgart 2-0

Saturday, September 24

Schalke - Freiburg

Schalke will still be getting over the shock of coach Ralf Rangnick's resignation because of stress-induced fatigue, but given the car-crash of last season, they look in decent shape six games in. All things considered, you'd think most Schalke fans would take ninth place at this point. There wasn't much shame in losing last week to a fiery Bayern, so despite the loss of their coaching mastermind, they will expect to have the measure of lowly Freiburg, who are struggling badly at the moment. But the Breisgauers do have first-choice defenders Pavel Krmas and Heiko Butscher back from injury, which will hopefully shore up a leaky defense.

DW prediction: Schalke 2-0
Guest prediction: Draw 1-1

Mainz - Dortmund

This is the clash of the chastened high-flyers. Icarus-like Mainz were brought back to earth by Kaiserslautern and Hoffenheim in the past two weeks, and have contrived to concede eight goals in their last two home games. Dortmund's trigger-happy attackers will be the last people they want to see coming over the horizon this weekend. But then, as we know, the tottering champions have their own problems. Dortmund's residence in 11th place might well be the result of bad luck more than systemic crisis, but they desperately need to stop letting in those demoralizing late goals. This has the makings of a pacey, open contest.

DW prediction: Dortmund 3-2
Guest prediction: Dortmund 1-0

Wolfsburg - Kaiserslautern

Whisper the question: is Felix Magath possibly past it, do you think? The bespectacled, taciturn disciplinarian is still revered, and it might seem a little soon after the 2009 title he won with Wolfsburg to write him off, but he certainly hasn't been able to recreate any of his trademark consistency since then - either with Schalke last season or Wolfsburg in this. Those three-goal-margin losses to Mönchengladbach and Freiburg make a particularly ugly mark on Wolfsburg's form record. He will be relieved to have his goalkeeper Diego Benaglio back from injury for this showdown. Kaiserslautern, meanwhile, are probably still giddy from their first league win of the season last week (against Mainz). There's a frisson of personal history to this match: Lautern are facing their former striker Srdjan Lakic, who scored a goal four months ago that secured Lautern's place in the top-flight - against Wolfsburg.

DW prediction: Wolfsburg 1-0
Guest prediction: Wolfsburg 3-0

Mönchengladbach - Nuremberg

Gladbach's "surprise-package" status in the current table is belied a little by the wins they have notched up so far - three gritty, unglamorous 1-0 over Hamburg, Kaiserslautern and that sleepy Bayern side on the first day of the season, as well as a 4-1 tonking of an abject Wolfsburg. But third place is third place, and they look increasingly like a side who will give you nothing unless you fight your heart out for it - only Bayern have conceded fewer goals. Nuremberg, meanwhile, are similarly ready for defensive toil, though not quite as potent up front. This looks set to be a tight, defensive struggle in the mud.

DW prediction: Draw 0-0
Guest prediction: Draw 1-1

Augsburg - Hanover

Augsburg's draw away at Hertha last week will have done them some good, though they still don't seem to be a team that can actually hack it in the top-flight. The start of the season is meant to be the best time for promoted teams, when they ride a wind of euphoria to catch complacent rivals shaking off summer slackness. But the best that can be said of Augsburg so far is that they can hold their own against other teams in the nether regions of the table, and may potentially embarrass a mid-table team having a bad day. Well-drilled Hanover are neither of those things, though they are planning to do without striker Mohammed Abdellaoue and winger Moritz Stoppelkamp ahead of a Europa League clash next week.

DW prediction: Hanover 3-1
Guest prediction: Hanover 3-1

Bayern Munich - Leverkusen

Bayern are apparently in a hurry to get the season sewn up by Christmas. It's not just that they keep indulging in obscene goal-orgies up front, their defense is snuffing out any sniff of a chance with chilling calm. They still haven't conceded a Bundesliga goal since that comedy Manuel Neuer/Jerome Boateng mix-up against Gladbach on the opening day, and have thwacked in 18 at the other end. That makes a goal difference of +17 (you mathematicians out there will confirm), 10 more than anyone else. Leverkusen, meanwhile, utterly stuffed up a nice run of three wins and a draw last week by folding at home to local rivals Cologne. But there's one powerful unknown quantity for this week's match - Arjen Robben may be in the squad, back from injury. If Bayern should falter, those who think they work better as a team without his individual brilliance confusing everyone will be looking very smug for at least a week.

DW prediction: Bayern 3-1
Guest prediction: Bayern 3-1

Sunday, September 25

Cologne - Hoffenheim

Cologne are a footballing enigma. A hair-raising win against Hamburg one week is followed by a stodgy loss to Nuremberg, only for the billy goats to complete a storming victory over Leverkusen a week later. In their topsy-turvy world, away games are much easier than home ones - they have scored an average of three goals a game away from the RheinEnergie Stadion, as against 0.7 goals per game in it. And they still haven't won there. Hoffenheim don't mind either way, having scored seven in the last two games, and are looking quietly confident at the moment.

DW prediction: Hoffenheim 2-1
Guest prediction: Draw 2-2

Bremen - Hertha Berlin

Bremen seem to be the only team with any hope of rivaling Bayern this season, and have notched up four solid victories so far. Last week's draw away at Nuremberg will probably be regarded as a good result rather than a blip, and unlike Cologne, they like playing at home - where Werder still hold a 100 percent record. But there are factors in Hertha's favor - key Bremen attackers Marko Marin and Claudio Pizarro are a doubt for the match, their goalkeeper Tim Wiese is suspended, and the Berliners are adept at spoiling the home party for top teams, as their victory over the title-holders Dortmund showed.

DW prediction: Draw 1-1
Guest prediction: Bremen 2-1

Last week's results:

DW: 7 points

Guest Jason LeBlanc (@OutsideMid) of the United States: 3 points

DW total for the season: 36 points

Guest total for the season: 37 points

Three points for a correct score prediction

Two points for a correct winning margin prediction

One point for a correct winner prediction

Author: Ben Knight
Editor: Matt Hermann