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Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski and Simon Terodde tease more than just goals in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 this weekend.
Haaland marked his injury comeback with a brace in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win over 1. FSV Mainz 05 last time out. The 21-year-old is now on nine goals for the season and 49 in 49 Bundesliga appearances all told. If he delivers away to relegation-threatened DSC Arminia Bielefeld, the prolific Norwegian will become the youngest player in history to reach 50 Bundesliga goals.
Not to be outdone, Lewandowski scored two of his own as FC Bayern München thrashed Bayer 04 Leverkusen 5-1 at the BayArena. The Poland international had gone two games without firing, but heads into Matchday 9 level with Haaland at the top of the scoring charts. With more goals, past TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann than any other goalkeeper he’s faced (17), don’t be surprised if he takes another significant step towards landing a record-extending fifth successive Torjägerkanone at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Terodde is Bundesliga 2’s answer to Lewandowski. The second-tier specialist pulled level with former Hannover 96 striker Dieter Schatzschneider on 153 Bundesliga 2 goals prior to the October international break, and needs just one more to claim the record outright. He’s struck a league-leading 11 times in 10 outings in 2021/22, which is only two fewer than SG Dynamo Dresden – visitors to FC Schalke 04’s Veltins-Arena on Saturday – combined.
Up to third on the back of a four-game winning run without conceding, Schalke are going great guns in their bid to secure an immediate return to the Bundesliga. The same cannot be said of relegated SV Werder Bremen – 10th after as many games – and the two clubs that went up at their expense in May. VfL Bochum 1848 shaded their relegation six-pointer with rock-bottom SpVgg Greuther Fürth on Matchday 8, but are still only a point above the drop zone. They host Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, with winless Fürth in action away to RB Leipzig 24 hours earlier.
Bielefeld are four points better off than Fürth, despite being the only other team in the division still to win this season. Jacob Laursen’s sensational volley rescued a point for Frank Kramer’s side against 16th-placed Augsburg a week ago, but Dortmund are an altogether different animal. BVB have only been outscored by
Bayern in 2021/21; Arminia and Augsburg are the division’s lowest scorers. Much like Dortmund in Bielefeld, Mainz will be confident of getting the job done at home to Augsburg, even if they have lost three on the spin.
VfL Wolfsburg also have a three-game losing slide to arrest in their home meeting with fourth-in-the-table SC Freiburg – the Bundesliga’s last remaining unbeaten team this season. Improving VfB Stuttgart host fifth-placed 1. FC Union Berlin, while Hertha BSC Berlin entertain a Borussia Mönchengladbach ensemble chasing a fourth straight victory. Whatever happens in the German capital, Gladbach will return to a party atmosphere along the Rhine.
FC Köln host Leverkusen in the Rhine Derby on Sunday, with local bragging rights at stake. Both teams shipped five goals in defeat on Matchday 8 – getting one over on their neighbours would be the perfect tonic. It’ll be a doubly special occasion for Florian Wirtz. The 18-year-old came through the Köln youth ranks, before switching to Leverkusen in January 2020. The Germany international has scored, assisted or both in all seven of his Bundesliga appearances in 2021/22.
