Bundesliga 2022-23: Matchday 10 preview

The top four of the league face each other in 'Super Sunday’

Union moved two points clear at the top of the table after bouncing back from their only defeat of the league campaign (to Eintracht Frankfurt) by grinding out a 1-0 win over second-bottom VfB Stuttgart. They’ve now led the standings since Matchday 6, haven’t placed lower than fifth all season and are the first team other than Bayern to spend four consecutive matchdays at the summit since RB Leipzig in 2019-20. Twenty points after nine rounds of fixtures is also a club record.

Dortmund are four points back in fourth, in their pursuit of a first Bundesliga title for 11 years. BVB have lost more times (three) than any of the current top four, but showed tremendous determination to fight back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Bayern in an absorbing Klassiker. Jude Bellingham spoke of the “vibe and energy that the draw gives off” before warning - perhaps with defeats from winning positions to 1. FC Köln and SV Werder Bremen in mind - “it’s up to us to take it into the next games.”

Die Schwarzgelben haven’t climbed higher than second so far in 2022-23, and last headed the table after Matchday 2 of 2019-20. Second-placed Freiburg, on the other hand, are one of three different league leaders already this term. That’s as many at this juncture as last season in its entirety. Die Breisgauer were held to a draw by Hertha Berlin on Matchday 9, but remain the division’s form team. Seven matches without loss (W4, D3) is currently the longest unbeaten run among all Bundesliga clubs.

A trip to Bayern’s Allianz Arena will provide a thorough examination of Freiburg’s top-four - and dare we say, title - credentials. The 10-in-a-row defending champions made a record-breaking start to the season with three wins by an aggregate score of 15-1, but have won only one of six since. Sixteen points marks their worst return at this stage since 2010-11 - when Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund won the title - and puts them down in fourth. However, they’ve only lost one of their last 24 meetings with Freiburg, and four of 44 all told.

Bayern and Dortmund could have fallen out of the top four altogether by the time Sunday rolls round. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are among the clutch of sides knocking at the door, ahead of their trip to struggling FC Schalke 04 on Friday. Frankfurt lock

Union moved two points clear at the top of the table after bouncing back from their only defeat of the league campaign (to Eintracht Frankfurt) by grinding out a 1-0 win over second-bottom VfB Stuttgart. They’ve now led the standings since Matchday 6, haven’t placed lower than fifth all season and are the first team other than Bayern to spend four consecutive matchdays at the summit since RB Leipzig in 2019-20. Twenty points after nine rounds of fixtures is also a club record.

Dortmund are four points back in fourth, in their pursuit of a first Bundesliga title for 11 years. BVB have lost more times (three) than any of the current top four, but showed tremendous determination to fight back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Bayern in an absorbing Klassiker. Jude Bellingham spoke of the “vibe and energy that the draw gives off” before warning - perhaps with defeats from winning positions to 1. FC Köln and SV Werder Bremen in mind - “it’s up to us to take it into the next games.”

Die Schwarzgelben haven’t climbed higher than second so far in 2022-23, and last headed the table after Matchday 2 of 2019-20. Second-placed Freiburg, on the other hand, are one of three different league leaders already this term. That’s as many at this juncture as last season in its entirety. Die Breisgauer were held to a draw by Hertha Berlin on Matchday 9, but remain the division’s form team. Seven matches without loss (W4, D3) is currently the longest unbeaten run among all Bundesliga clubs.

A trip to Bayern’s Allianz Arena will provide a thorough examination of Freiburg’s top-four - and dare we say, title - credentials. The 10-in-a-row defending champions made a record-breaking start to the season with three wins by an aggregate score of 15-1, but have won only one of six since. Sixteen points marks their worst return at this stage since 2010/11 - when Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund won the title - and puts them down in fourth. However, they’ve only lost one of their last 24 meetings with Freiburg, and four of 44 all told.

Bayern and Dortmund could have fallen out of the top four altogether by the time Sunday rolls round. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are among the clutch of sides knocking at the door, ahead of their trip to struggling FC Schalke 04 on Friday. Frankfurt lock

Union moved two points clear at the top of the table after bouncing back from their only defeat of the league campaign (to Eintracht Frankfurt) by grinding out a 1-0 win over second-bottom VfB Stuttgart. They’ve now led the standings since Matchday 6, haven’t placed lower than fifth all season and are the first team other than Bayern to spend four consecutive matchdays at the summit since RB Leipzig in 2019-20. Twenty points after nine rounds of fixtures is also a club record.

Dortmund are four points back in fourth, in their pursuit of a first Bundesliga title for 11 years. BVB have lost more times (three) than any of the current top four, but showed tremendous determination to fight back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Bayern in an absorbing Klassiker. Jude Bellingham spoke of the “vibe and energy that the draw gives off” before warning - perhaps with defeats from winning positions to 1. FC Köln and SV Werder Bremen in mind - “it’s up to us to take it into the next games.”

Die Schwarzgelben haven’t climbed higher than second so far in 2022-23, and last headed the table after Matchday 2 of 2019-20. Second-placed Freiburg, on the other hand, are one of three different league leaders already this term. That’s as many at this juncture as last season in its entirety. Die Breisgauer were held to a draw by Hertha Berlin on Matchday 9, but remain the division’s form team. Seven matches without loss (W4, D3) is currently the longest unbeaten run among all Bundesliga clubs.

A trip to Bayern’s Allianz Arena will provide a thorough examination of Freiburg’s top-four - and dare we say, title - credentials. The 10-in-a-row defending champions made a record-breaking start to the season with three wins by an aggregate score of 15-1. But have won only one of six since. Sixteen points marks their worst return at this stage since 2010-11. When Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund won the title - and puts them down in fourth. However, they’ve only lost one of their last 24 meetings with Freiburg, and four of 44 all told.

Bayern and Dortmund could have fallen out of the top four altogether by the time Sunday rolls round. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are among the clutch of sides knocking at the door, ahead of their trip to struggling FC Schalke 04 on Friday. Frankfurt lock horns with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the pick of the Saturday fixtures. While Borussia Mönchengladbach go to VfL Wolfsburg, fresh off a Rhine derby win over Köln.

Surprise package Bremen - fuelled by the apex-predator instincts of this season’s eight-goal top scorer Niclas Füllkrug - entertain 1. FSV Mainz 05. Leipzig have become accustomed to being part of the top-four equation down the years, but host Hertha from a starting position of mid-table.

Elsewhere on Saturday, there’s an early relegation six-pointer between Stuttgart and rock-bottom VfL Bochum 1848. VfB haven’t won since securing their top- flight status on the final day of last season and have subsequently dismissed head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. While Bochum served up the shock result of Matchday 9 by beating UEFA Europa League holders Frankfurt 3-0, ending their winless start to 2022/23 in the process.

Kicking off Super Sunday, meanwhile, Köln host FC Augsburg, who have already accounted for Bayern, Bremen and Leverkusen in the early part of a Bundesliga campaign with more twists and turns than the Kingda Ka rollercoaster.

There’s also a huge fixture in Bundesliga 2 to jumpstart the weekend’s action as FC St. Pauli host city rivals and division leaders Hamburger SV at the Millerntor on Friday evening.