The Bundesliga is back after an international break, so here is our selection of the best Matchday 13 (MD13) options.
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GOALKEEPERS
MARVIN SCHWABE (1.0m), JOSEP MARTINEZ (1.0m)
Koln’s Marvin Schwäbe and RB Leipzig’s Josep Martinez both make this side on value. They are two of potentially four starting 1.0m goalkeepers during MD13, alongside Pavao Pervan and Marius Funk. Schwäbe is a better long-term option, with Timo Horn out injured until 2022. Neither keeper has a particularly easy game, with Köln hosting Gladbach and RBL hosting Leverkusen, but there will be plenty of room for save points – and potentially clean sheets – from this 2.0m goalkeeper pairing.
DEFENDERS
MAXIMILIAN MITTELSTADT (7.1m), ALPHONSO DAVIES (14.6m), NIKO GIESSELMANN (5.1m), KEVIN AKPOGUMA (5.8m), SILVAN WIDMER (7.7m)
Hertha’s Maximilian Mittelstädt should line up on the left wing for their game against Augsburg. He has three assists from five starts this season and Augsburg are without a win in their last twelve away league games (two draws, ten losses). Despite their shock win over Bayern last Friday, Hertha will be encouraged to hear that the last six sides to do so then lost their next league game.
Alphonso Davies is one of Bayern’s best players at the moment and he transformed Julian Nagelsmann’s side after coming off the bench in that Augsburg defeat, before being awarded Player of the Match against Dynamo Kyiv in midweek. Davies is averaging more than ten points per game this season, tallying 104 from nine starts and one cameo appearance. He should have plenty of space high up the pitch against defensive Arminia Bielefeld, who have the second-worst attacking record this season.
Nico Giesselmann is a Fantasy Bundesliga hero. Come rain or shine, this budget gem continues to provide us with points, registering an assist, a clean sheet and 16 points during the Matchday 12 (MD12) Berlin derby win. Three goals and three assists from 12 league appearances is a brilliant return, especially when combined with four shut-outs. Union visit Eintracht Frankfurt, which should give Giesselmann plenty of opportunities to add to his 110 points, the highest amongst all defenders.
Centre-back turned wing-back Kevin Akpoguma is quickly becoming a key player for Hoffenheim, bagging 45 points from his last three home games. The 25 points of MD12 was highest amongst all players. Although Hoffenheim’s record on the road is very poor, Greuther Fürth can’t seem to buy a win regardless of being home or away and they have injuries across the pitch. Akpoguma could score big yet again in MD13.
Although Silvan Widmer was quiet in the draw with Köln, he has a goal and an assist in his last four league games and faces a Stuttgart side who can’t seem to get it right at either end. He’s a nice option for the Friday night fixture with a high ceiling if Mainz – currently on the longest unbeaten streak in the league (four games) – continue their good vein of form.
MIDFIELDERS
CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU (16.2m), JONAS HOFMANN (14.1m), FILIP KOSTIC (16.0m), LEON GORETZKA (15.4m), FLORIAN WIRTZ (12.8m)
Jonas Hofmann continues to be a revelation for Gladbach this season. Averaging over 11 points per game, the German has five double-digit hauls from his last seven matches, capped off by his brace and 23 points against Fürth on MD12. Hofmann is now against Köln, who have the joint-fourth worst defensive record and are without a win in five league games. Despite only starting nine times, Hofmann is the second-highest scoring midfielder.
After two goals and an assist against Club Brugge in midweek, Christopher Nkunku seems to have blown away the cobwebs after last weekend’s disappointing two points away to Hoffenheim. Leipzig have been a much better team at home than away this season, winning five of their six, and face a Bayer Leverkusen side who at times can be very poor defensively. Nkunku should have plenty of chances to add to his position-high 137 points, as he continues to secure his place as Leipzig’s talisman.
Despite Frankfurt’s terrible season so far, Filip Kostic still ranks fourth amongst midfielders. Another player averaging over ten points per game, Kostic doesn’t need a goal or assist to score big, thanks to his creative and attacking role in Oliver Glasner’s side. Union Berlin will be tough opposition for Frankfurt but their form is looking up, with two wins and a draw from their last three games, including an impressive 2-0 victory over Freiburg in MD12.
Leon Goretzka clearly missed Joshua Kimmich against Augsburg, but was better against Kyiv in midweek and will look to continue his form from before the international break. Despite only scoring once so far this season, Goretzka has taken the joint-eighth most shots of any Bundesliga player, showcasing his potential. Bayern could rout Arminia and, if they do, Goretzka will likely be involved.
Many will prefer Vicenzo Grifo to Florian Wirtz in this spot, but Freiburg have hit a rough patch and Bochum’s defensive record at home is impeccable. Wirtz now has his partner-in-crime Patrik Schick back to full fitness, which should help him return to his world-beating from the start of the season. Leipzig are shaky at the back against good teams and we know what Wirtz and Schick can do together.
FORWARDS
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI (19.6m), ANDREJ KRAMARIC (15.8m), JONATHAN BURKARDT (7.5m)
14 goals from 12 Bundesliga games is just one off Robert Lewandowski’s tally at this stage during his record-breaking 2020-21 season. Bayern host 17th-placed Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday evening. Although their 18 goals conceded is only the joint-11th best in the league, Bayern will want to get straight back on track in the league after MD12’s poor loss to Augsburg by making an example of Frank Kramer’s side.
Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric is back to full fitness in time for the visit to bottom-placed Greuther Fürth. As mentioned with Akpoguma, although Hoffenheim’s away form is pretty dire – winless in their last five – Fürth have had the worst start of any side in Bundesliga history and have lost ten matches on the trot. Kramaric has four double-digit hauls against bottom-half sides this season and this explosive potential makes him a great differential option for this clash.
Jonathan Burkardt is one of the Bundesliga’s most in-form players, with five goals during his last five games coming second only to Lewandowski. Mainz have a trip to 16th-placed Stuttgart – the team with the league’s third-worst defensive record and key injuries across the pitch. Considering his form and value, Burkardt is a brilliant option for MD13.