7M - What to expect in the 2nd half of Bundesliga?

Posted Thursday, January 26, 2017 by 7M Sport

The 17th round of Bundesliga finally kicked off in the last weekend after one month's winter break. That marks the halfway of Bundesliga. Now Bayern Munich are 3 points clear at the top of the table. It seems that their 5th successive title is close at hand. Apart from that, what else to anticipate in the 2nd half of Bundesliga? 7M will bring you some top expectations for the rest of this season.

Will RB Leipzig work wonders?

7M - What to expect in the 2nd half of Bundesliga?

In the new system of Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern Munich are not so dominant and stable in the league as they were under Pep Guardiola. At the same time, the newly-promoted side RB Leipzig emerge as the dark horses this season. They even once climbed up to the Bundesliga summit. Ralph Hasenhuttl's young and talented men take the center stage in this term. They are now only 3 points adrift of Bayern, so we just cannot rule out their chance of lifting the Salad Bowl at the end of this season. And many people begin to compare them with Kaiserslautern who were crowned championship in 1997-98 season as a newly-promoted side.

However, they are lacking in stability and experience, as they have suffered 2 defeats in the last 4 rounds. In top-of-the-table clash with Bayern, they were 0-2 down at an early stage. Then Emil Forsberg's reckless challenge on Philipp Lahm cost him a red card. Bayern killed the game just before half time. Besides, Leipzig's next 2 opponents are unbeaten Hoffenheim and powerhouse Borussia Dortmund. If they drop too many points in these 2 matches, they will be further away from Bayern. Although it is still a long way for them to lift the title, they are at least very likely to secure a spot in Champions League next season.

Robert Lewandowski or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? Who will be the top scorer?

7M - What to expect in the 2nd half of Bundesliga?

Lewandowski and Aubameyang's fight for the top scorer began in the last season, when Lewandowski bagged 30 goals and beat Aubameyang. Their fight for Golden Boot continues in this term.

Lewandowski currently has 14 goals in the tally, and he scores his 60th Bundesliga goal for Bayern in his 80th game, which is faster than any other player for a club. Besides, he breaks the career goal record of Bayern legend Giovane Elber, only Claudio Pizarro has scored more goals as a foreign player.

However, Aubameyang's form is even better in this season. Due to his international duty in Africa Cup of Nations, he only earns 15 appearances in the league so far, but he has grabbed 16 goals, more than 1 goal scored per game on average.

Following Gabon's elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations, Aubameyang is able to return to Dortmund in advance. Can he be crowned the Bundesliga top scorer for the first time? Or Lewandowski receives the honor again? Let's wait and see.

Can Dortmund kick back into shape?

7M - What to expect in the 2nd half of Bundesliga?

In the recent seasons, Bayern and Dortmund always compete for the league title. But it is not the case for this term. Dortmund currently rank 4th in the table and they are 12 points adrift of Bayern. Their performance fails to match the expectations of their fans.

Dortmund's lackluster record partly results from their inconsistency in form. They can beat Bayern in the German Classico, and can also lose points against weaker sides. What's worse, their new signings last summer fail to put up ideal performance so far. Mario Gotze is totally lost in the front line, while Andre Schurrle is suffering from injury setback after joining the Bumblebees. Both of them have just scored 2 goals in total. In the back line, the former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra cannot find the rhythm of Bundesliga. Dortmund have only kept 1 clean sheet in their last 10 games, which exposes their defensive woe.

However, we should be aware that Dortmund are good at making 2nd-half comeback in the league. In 2011-12 season, Dortmund grabbed stunning 47 points from their last 17 rounds and overtook Bayern to clinch the Salad Bowl. So we believe that Dortmund are able to get back on track soon.

When will Hoffenheim's unbeaten run be ended?

7M - What to expect in the 2nd half of Bundesliga?

Following Real Madrid's loss to Sevilla in La Liga, Hoffenheim become the only team who are still unbeaten in top 5 European leagues. Even such strong side as Bayern can only share a draw with Hoffenheim at home. Hoffenheim's record in this season surprises many people, as they are barely safe from relegation in the last term.

In the last summer, Hoffenheim brought in 3 German players Sandro Wagner, Kerem Demirbay and Lukas Rupp, which greatly enhances their quality and squad depth. And the 29-year-old Julian Nagelsmann, who is the youngest manager in the history of Bundesliga, takes in charge of Hoffenheim in this campaign. Under his guidance, Hoffenheim are powerful in the attacking line and solid at the back.

Their next fixture against dark horses Leipzig is a challenge for them. If they are still undefeated after that clash, their unbeaten run is hopeful to be extended for a period since their following opponents are lower than them in ranking. Besides their unbeaten record, Hoffenheim's objective is to qualify into Champions League next season. Now they sit 3rd in the table, so it is quite possible they will appear in the stage of UCL for the first time in history.

(7M / Oliver)