The 20th matchday in Telegram

The 20th match day of the Bundesliga begins on Friday evening with FC Schalke 04’s game against VfL Wolfsburg (8.30 p.m. / DAZN). The other games at a glance:

FC Bayern Munich – VfL Bochum (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.)

Situation: Before the Champions League hit in Paris, Bayern have to do their homework in the league to stay top of the table. In the first half of the season, Bochum weren’t competitive when they lost 7-0 to Munich.

Stats: Bayern have lost just one of their 35 home games against Bochum, in August 1991 2-0.

Personnel: National player Kimmich is absent from Bayern because of a yellow card suspension. Upamecano and Choupo-Moting are fit again. At Bochum, Gamboa is the only outfield player.

Special: FC Bayern has always scored at least one goal in the past 49 home games. Will game number 50 follow against Bochum?

SC Freiburg – VfB Stuttgart (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.)

Situation: SC Freiburg has already lost twice in the league in the new year and has fallen back to sixth place. Stuttgart is still waiting for a win in the league under coach returnee Labbadia and is on the relegation place.

Statistics: VfB Stuttgart has not won any of their last 19 away games. Since the 2-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg on December 11, 2021, there have been nine draws and ten defeats abroad.

Personnel: The Breisgauers go into the Baden-Württemberg state duel without their suspended coach Streich. Defender Sildillia is also out through suspension. VfB will have to do without their top scorer, Guirassy. Tiago Tomás is not back yet either.

Special: Should Gregoritsch lose with the Sport-Club, it would be his 100th defeat in the 208th Bundesliga game. Only the former professional Paßlack cracked the mark even faster.

FSV Mainz 05 – FC Augsburg (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.)

Situation: 12th against 13th – for Mainz and Augsburg there shouldn’t be much more to go up. Both collect points against relegation.

Statistics: None of the 14 past duels between the two clubs ended in a draw – Augsburg won eight games, Mainz six games.

Personnel: Mainz can fall back on captain Widmer. Goalkeeper Zentner and Burkardt should still be missing. Augsburg’s offensive player Demirovic is available again after a yellow card suspension.

Special: Since the summer of 2011, both teams have been playing in the Bundesliga without interruption – since then Schalke, Bremen, Hamburg, Hertha and Stuttgart, among others, have been relegated to the 2nd division.

TSG Hoffenheim – Bayer Leverkusen (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.)

Situation: Hoffenheim has fallen to 14th place in the table and is surprisingly in the relegation battle. Leverkusen doesn’t want to lose touch with the European ranks any more.

Statistics: TSG has been without a win in nine league games and most recently conceded a 1:4 against Mönchengladbach and a 2:5 in Bochum. Ex-Hoffenheimer Demirbay is facing his 100th Bundesliga game for Leverkusen.

Personnel: In addition to the long-term injured Prömel and Bruun Larsen, Skov and Kaderabek are absent, Vogt is questionable. At Bayer, striker Schick’s comeback is canceled again, this time due to illness. Wirtz and Azmoun are there, Aranguiz is still missing.

Special: Four months after leaving VfB Stuttgart, Matarazzo is making his debut as head coach at Hoffenheim. The American was once an assistant coach at TSG under Nagelsmann.

Werder Bremen – Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, 3.30 p.m.)

Situation: Dortmund have won all five competitive games this year and have worked their way up to third place in the league. League leaders Bayern Munich are just three points away. But Werder is also in a good mood, recently winning against Wolfsburg and in Stuttgart.

Statistics: Werder’s last home win against Dortmund was a long time ago. On December 20, 2014, the Green-Whites won 2-1.

Personnel: Werder have to do without the suspended Friedl, but Weiser, Schmid and Winter newcomer Philipp are returning to the squad. Adeyemi is missing at BVB because of his fifth yellow card, Wolf’s use is still questionable. Otherwise, Borussia can draw on plenty.

Special: In the first leg, Dortmund gave up a secure win in the closing minutes. The Bremen team turned a 0-2 lead into a 3-2, with two goals only coming in added time.

RB Leipzig – 1. FC Union Berlin (Saturday, 6.30 p.m.)

Situation: Union Berlin is just one point behind leaders Munich and three ahead of Leipzig. With a success with the cup winner, the Saxons would be out of the championship race for the time being, Union would be more than fully in.

Statistics: Leipzig has lost all of the last four league duels with Union. RB has not had such a negative series against any other club.

Personnel: Leipzig may have to do without Orban, Nkunku is not yet a squad candidate. Only Schäfer is missing from the Berliners.

Special: As in every direct duel, the Union Berlin fans want to remain silent in protest against the RB Leipzig model. There should be calm in the first 15 minutes after kick-off.

Hertha BSC – Borussia Mönchengladbach (Sunday, 3.30 p.m.)

Situation: Hertha is second to last in the table with 14 points. With 26 points, Gladbach is in ninth place in no man’s land in the table.

Stats: Hertha are still without a point this year and celebrated their last win in the last game before the winter break with a 2-0 win over 1. FC Köln. The team from the Lower Rhine has only recorded one win in the first four games of the new year.

Personnel: At Hertha, the defenders Pekarik and Rogel are out, as are the attacking Ejuke and Jovetic and the long-term injured Nsona. Gladbach coach Farke has to do without Weigl, who is serving a yellow card suspension.

Special: Schwarz has never been able to win against Gladbach as a coach. In the Bundesliga, the two clubs meet for the 70th time.

1. FC Cologne – Eintracht Frankfurt (Sunday, 5.30 p.m.)

Situation: The Cologne team are still undefeated after four games in 2023 and are currently in eleventh place beyond good and evil. The Frankfurters have been unbeaten in seven league games and are fifth within striking distance of the Champions League places.

Statistics: The balance of the two traditional clubs is almost balanced. Cologne leads narrowly with 33:31 Bundesliga victories. In the all-time table, however, Eintracht has a 35-point lead. Twelve were added this season.

Personnel: In addition to Kilian and Uth, Cologne also have to do without Ljubicic and Selke. All the players at Frankfurt are fit – including Lindstrom, who was out against Darmstadt with a hard thigh

Special: Although both teams are offensively oriented, there have never been more than two goals in the last six duels. Four of them ended 1-1. Cologne also played 0-0 twice in a row.