Another exciting weekend of Bundesliga football is ahead of us. Dortmund host Gladbach in a clash of chaos, whilst the immovable object of a home side Mainz faces the unstoppable force of Bayer Leverkusen’s attack. Erling Haaland is still out injured and picking Robert Lewandowski, especially at home to Greuther Fürth, is boring, so he’s out.
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GOALKEEPERS
SVEN ULREICH (1.0m), STEFAN ORTEGA (8.3m)
Julian Nagelsmann seems set on using an uber-attacking 4-1-4-1 or 3-2-4-1 system, which is leaving Bayern Munich exposed at the back, as shown against both Bochum and Salzburg in the last week. Yet ahead of hosting a Greuther Fürth side who still haven’t won a game on the road all season, Sven Ulreich is a great pick for just 1.0m. Fürth are a much weaker side than Bochum and shouldn’t massively trouble Bayern at the back.
Stefan Ortega has not been the Bundesliga Fantasy staple that he was last season but Arminia Bielefeld have been in solid form as of late. They host Union Berlin – a team without a goal from their last two games. Ortega got nine save points in the Matchday 22 (MD22) loss to Hoffenheim and 15 points from the earlier win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Low-scoring Union are in poor form and Bielefeld could shock them on Matchday 23 (MD23).
DEFENDERS
DANILO SOARES (7.2m), JOSKO GVARDIOL (10.9m), RAMY BENSEBAINI (11.1m), JEROME ROUSSILLON (6.7m), BENJAMIN PAVARD (12.2m)
Danilo Soares’ 290 duels won are the highest amongst all defenders this season. The left-back has been quietly consistent, with his last four Fantasy scores alternating between seven and nine. Although Bochum’s away form has been poor, Stuttgart’s home form has been worse. The hosts are now seven games without a win and Bochum are high in confidence after that win over Bayern and a great start to 2022.
The highest-scoring defender over the last five games – who has also won the most duels – Josko Gvardiol is really coming into his own under Domenico Tedesco. Although Leipzig’s away form has been dire this season, they’re much improved across the pitch. Hertha lost to Greuther Fürth last week, showcasing where they currently are under Tayfun Korkut. Alongside Angelino, Gvardiol is a great choice for MD23.
Despite being part of Gladbach’s terrible defence, Ramy Bensebaini looks brilliant after his return to the line-up as a left wing-back. He has 32 points from his last two games and got both a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win over Augsburg. Gladbach visit a terrible Dortmund defence containing two full-backs that tend to go on a walkabout, which should leave plenty of space for Bensebaini to rack up some points.
The tide looks like it’s turning for Wolfsburg after a truly terrible season for Florian Kohfeldt’s men. They’ve won their last two games and have only conceded four goals in 2022, the fewest in the league. Jerome Roussillon has cemented the left wing-back spot as his own and has 32 points from his last four outings, including 14 on Matchday 19. Wolfsburg host Hoffenheim – a team struggling to get it right at the moment, with just one win from five in all competitions.
Bayern’s defence has been poor of late but a home banker against Greuther Fürth is too good to pass up on. Benjamin Pavard has 59 points from his last seven, including double-digit hauls in Matchdays 15 and 19. Within Nagelsmann’s all-out attack system, anyone can get points, especially in a game like this.
MIDFIELDERS
GERRIT HOLTMANN (5.8m), JONAS HOFMANN (15.3m), FILIP KOSTIC (17.5m), PATRICK WIMMER (6.1m), CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU (18.2m)
I watched every minute Gerrit Holtmann played for Bochum in the 2. Bundesliga, and the overarching takeaway was that he couldn’t finish. Or play a final pass. As he showed against Bayern – and throughout this season – that is no longer the case. Holtmann now has three double-digit hauls from his last six starts, including 20 points against Augsburg on Matchday 14 and, of course, the 25 against Bayern. This speedster is in the form of his life ahead of a visit to the very out-of-form Stuttgart.
Like Bensebaini, Jonas Hofmann is back in the Gladbach side and bang in form. He’s got 45 points from his three starts back from injury and will visit the poor Dortmund defence who have just shipped four to Rangers in the Europa League. Hofmann averages 11 points per game when fit and should continue that here.
Filip Kostic is back fit and a fit Kostic almost invariable finds his way into this team. Frankfurt have the fourth-best away form in the league, heading into their trip to Köln and Kostic can get points from anywhere. The Serbian averages ten points per game when available and has double-digit hauls in seven of his last eight league starts.
Patrick Wimmer has gone from a Bundesliga Fantasy secret to a staple almost overnight. 57 points from his last four starts is extraordinary for someone of his price. Bielefeld host an out-of-form Union Berlin who were turned over by Dortmund last weekend. Wimmer can get points from goals or assists and has become the key figure in this Bielefeld team.
The second-highest scoring player in the game, Christopher Nkunku is almost alongside Robert Lewandowski in being an essential asset. The Frenchman hasn’t broken stride since Tedesco was appointed and should have a field day against the second-worst defence in the league of Hertha.
FORWARDS
LEROY SANE (17.1m), THOMAS MULLER (20.1m), MARCO REUS (16.6m)
The second and third-highest scoring forwards respectively, Thomas Müller and Leroy Sane have a home clash against bottom side Greuther Fürth. Fürth have conceded 57 goals in just 22 games. A full Bayern front three would not be out of place for this encounter.
This Dortmund vs Gladbach game looks set to be absolute chaos. Dortmund are fresh from a 4-2 loss to Rangers and Gladbach seem to be a different side every week at the moment. Marco Reus got a brace in MD22 and averages nine points per game throughout the season. With Haaland still out injured, Reus will continue to be the main man against a Gladbach side without a clean sheet in ten league games.
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