The best and worst of the Matchday 14 Bundesliga schedule

Heading into the New Year, Bundesliga is back in action after taking last weekend off over the holiday. Bayern Munich still holds strong at the top of the table, just two points clear of both Leverkusen and Leipzig who are hot on their trail. Dortmund has fallen to fifth place and will hope to make up some ground this weekend. Let’s take a look at the best and worst of Week 14.

Best of Week 14

Borussia Dortmund v. Wolfsburg

Sunday, January 3, 9:30a.m. ET
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Watch on ESPN+

Fifth-place Dortmund will look to get back into the top four which they can do with a win over fourth-place Wolfsburg, who are only two points ahead of the black and yellow. Dortmund hasn’t played since December 22 when they logged a 2-0 win over Braunschweig in the second round of the DFB-Pokal, so they’ll be rested up and ready to go against a side who will also be rested. Wolfsburg won their DFB-Pokal second round contest against Sandhausen with a commanding 4-0 scoreline thanks to a brace from Wout Weghorst. In great news for Dortmund, they’ll finally see the return of Erling Haaland after he was sidelined for seven games with a hamstring injury. The side’s leading scorer will be a much-needed boost in the attack as they kick off 2021 with a tough match-up. A Wolfsburg win wouldn’t see them climb the standings at all, but it would see them a full five points clear of Dortmund, and potentially within just one point of both third and second place.

Worst of Week 14

Hertha Berlin v. FC Schalke

Saturday, January 2, 12:30p.m. ET
Olympiastadion, Berlin
Watch on ESPN+

Two sides who have had major struggles in this campaign will meet up as 14th-place Hertha Berlin plays host to 18th-place FC Schalke, who are still searching for their first win of the season. Schalke has pulled off four draws this campaign, but have been unable to secure a victory and remain the only team in the league to do so. They sit two points behind 17th-place Mainz (who face a very tough match-up against Bayern Munich this week), while sinking to a league-low minus-28 goal differential. Their play on the field has been absolutely horrid for the most part, but they’ll look to turn that around against Berlin this weekend. Hertha Berlin isn’t in the worst spot, as they only sit four points out of a top 10 spot, and chances are they’ll be three points closer by the time this weekend is done.

Week 14 Sleeper

Werder Bremen v. Union Berlin

Saturday, January 2, 9:30a.m. ET
Weser-Stadion, Bremen
Watch on ESPN+

13th-place Werder Bremen will hope to make a jump this weekend as they take on sixth-place Union Berlin, though only seven points separate the two sides. Werder have had a tough stretch of games — within the last five weeks they’ve had to take on Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, RB Leipzig, and Borussia Dortmund. They lost all those matches except for a big 1-1 draw against Bayern, and they’ve seen themselves slip further down the table. Their last league match was against Mainz, and even then they were only able to squeak out a 1-0 victory with a 90th-minute game winner. Werder took down Hannover 96 in their second round DFB-Pokal match with a 3-0 victory that saw young American Josh Sargent get on the score sheet. They’ll hope to take that momentum and earn a big three points against Berlin as they work to get back to their winning ways.

This Weekend’s Full Schedule

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

Saturday, January 2

9:30a.m.: Hoffenheim v. SC Freiburg
9:30a.m.: Eintracht Frankfurt v. Bayer Leverkusen
9:30a.m.: FC Cologne v. FC Augsburg
9:30a.m.: Werder Bremen v. FC Union Berlin
9:30a.m.: Arminia Bielefeld v. Borussia Mönchengladbach
12:30p.m.: Hertha Berlin v. FC Schalke
2:30p.m.: Stuttgart v. RB Leipzig

Sunday, January 3

9:30a.m.: Borussia Dortmund v. Wolfsburg
12:00p.m.: Bayern Munich v. Mainz