The best and worst of the Matchday 8 weekend Bundesliga schedule

The international break is over and Bundesliga returns to its normal scheduling with another jam-packed slate over the weekend in Week 8. Bayern Munich remain atop the table with RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund hot on their trail. With a lot of games left to play, there’s no telling how this season could turn out.

Best of Week 8

Hertha Berlin v. Borussia Dortmund

Saturday, November 21, 2:30PM ET
Olympiastadion, Berlin
Stream on ESPN+

While there aren’t any giants going head-to-head this week since most of the matchups include a bottom-half team going up against a top-half team, Dortmund has a chance to jump into second place this weekend with a win over Berlin and a Leipzig loss or draw with Frankfurt. They even have a slight chance of overtaking Bayern Munich at the top of the table, though that’s highly unlikely, considering they would be tied on points and Bayern currently has a hefty goal differential lead. Fresh off signing 18-year-old American Gio Reyna to a new contract that keeps him with Dortmund until 2025, they’ll look to bounce back from their 3-2 loss to Bayern just a couple weeks ago. Erling Haaland scored in the 83rd minute to bring the black-and-yellow within one, but they couldn’t find an equalizer and dropped all three points. Berlin are coming off a big 3-0 win over FC Augsburg in their last outing as Matheus Cunha scored a PK in the 44th minute that would prove to be the game winner. Piatek had a hand in the other two goals, scoring one and assisting on the other, ending their five-match winless streak. They’ll have a tough task against Dortmund this weekend, but they’ll look to keep that momentum going even after the international break.

Worst of Week 8

SC Freiburg v. FSV Mainz 05

Sunday, November 22, 9:30AM ET
Schwarzwald-Stadion, Freiburg
Stream on ESPN+

Mainz, at the absolute bottom of the table, are still searching for their first win of the season as they’ve only earned one point through their first seven outings, though that one draw came in their last game with a 2-2 result against Schalke. They’ve only managed to score seven goals while allowing 20, making them one of the worst offenses and defenses in the league. Even then, four of their seven goals have come from Mateta alone. They’ll hope to get another result as they take on 14th-place SC Freiburg, who have only scored eight goals this season themselves. With both teams in poor form, expect a low-scoring affair from the two sides as they are both in dire need of points.

Week 8 Sleeper

TSG Hoffenheim v. VfB Stuttgart

Saturday, November 21, 9:30AM ET
PreZero Arena, Sinsheim
Stream on ESPN+

Hoffenheim, while sitting in 13th place, are only three points behind 8th-place Stuttgart as they host the Reds this weekend. Hoffenheim, struggling without Andrej Kramaric, are now winless in their last five league matches. Four of those have been losses, and they haven’t won a Bundesliga game since their 4-1 victory over Bayern Munich on September 27th. They’ve been faring better in Europa League play, winning their first three matches and leading group L with nine points. For whatever reason, they can’t translate that same level of play into Bundesliga matches, but will look to bounce back against Stuttgart this weekend. Kramaric has been in isolation since October’s international break, but could make his return this weekend after working on getting back to match fitness. That would be a huge boost for Hoffenheim especially with both Ishak Belfodil and Munas Dabbur out of action. Stuttgart will look to potentially make the leap into the top six with a win this weekend. It promises to be an exciting one as there is plenty on the line for both clubs.

This Weekend’s Full Schedule

All times listed are Eastern. All matches streaming on ESPN+ in the United States.

Saturday, November 21

9:30 a.m.: Arminia Bielefeld v. Bayer Leverkusen
9:30 a.m.: Bayern Munich v. Werder Bremen
9:30 a.m.: Borussia Monchengladbach v. FC Augsburg
9:30 a.m.: Schalke 04 v. VfL Wolfsburg
9:30 a.m.: TSG Hoffenheim v. VfB Stuttgart
12:30 p.m.: Eintracht Frankfurt v. RB Leipzig
2:30 p.m.: Hertha Berlin v. Borussia Dortmund

Sunday, November 22

9:30 a.m.: SC Freiburg v. Mainz
12 p.m.: FC Cologne v. FC Union Berlin