Freiburg vs. Augsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm)
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The return of the Bundesliga continues on Saturday as Freiburg are set to host Augsburg in a highly-anticipated clash at the Europa-Park Stadium.
Freiburg come off the back of a 1-1 draw against fellow Champions League-place competitors Eintracht Frankfurt, while Augsburg head into this affair in good spirits after securing a 1-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.
We say: Freiburg 2-0 Augsburg
We believe that Freiburg will control this matchup and will have too much attacking quality for Augsburg to deal with.
Augsburg will be aggressive and direct in their approach to this game away from home, but will be unable to cause a threat to Freiburg defensively and will be picked off by the hosts.
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Mainz vs. VfL Bochum (Saturday, 2.30pm)
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Mainz 05 will be aiming to end a winless run of six successive league games when they host VfL Bochum on Saturday.
The visitors, meanwhile, fell back inside the bottom three positions after suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.
We say: Mainz 05 1-1 VfL Bochum
With both teams defeated in midweek, we can envisage each manager aiming to keep things tight at the MEWA Arena on Saturday, especially given their lowly positions in the league table.
As such, it would be little surprise to see Mainz draw 1-1 for the fifth time already this season, which would represent a decent result for both teams in their current situations.
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Hoffenheim vs. Borussia M'bach (Saturday, 2.30pm)
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Hoffenheim will be aiming to end a winless run of seven league games when they host Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.
Gladbach, meanwhile, have returned from the World Cup with two successive defeats, so they will be hoping to put a stop to that streak at the weekend.
We say: Hoffenheim 2-2 Borussia Monchengladbach
Both teams are more proficient offensively than they are defensively, with the two sides involved in 110 goals in just 34 games between them so far this season.
As such, it should be an entertaining encounter, and we can envisage a share of the spoils as both teams look to rebuild confidence across the coming weeks.
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Hertha Berlin vs. Union Berlin (Saturday, 2.30pm)
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Hertha Berlin face Union Berlin in a huge derby clash in Germany's capital on Saturday.
The hosts head into the match inside the automatic relegation places, while Union moved back up to second in the table after winning in midweek.
We say: Hertha Berlin 1-3 Union Berlin
Hertha's relative solidity under Schwarz prior to the World Cup appears to have gone out of the window since returning to action last weekend, with disappointing defeats to VfL Bochum and Wolfsburg seeing them drop into the automatic relegation places .
As such, we are struggling to see beyond a fifth consecutive victory for Union in the Berlin derby, with Fischer's side looking well set to challenge for a Champions League qualification position once again this season.
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Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm)
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Werder Bremen will be aiming to put an end to a losing streak of four league games when they host Wolfsburg on Saturday.
The Wolves, meanwhile, have won six straight matches to put themselves firmly in contention for the European qualification places.
We say: Werder Bremen 1-3 Wolfsburg
Both side possess plenty of firepower within their ranks, so it should be an entertaining encounter at Weserstadion on Saturday.
However, the two teams' form could hardly be more contrasting in recent matches, and we expect Wolfsburg to have a little more bite to continue their phenomenal winning streak.
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Bayern vs. Frankfurt (Saturday, 5.30pm)
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Bayern Munich will be aiming to win their first competitive match of 2023 when they host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga's Saturday night game.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, would move two points behind the league leaders with an away victory.
We say: Bayern Munich 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern will require a much better performance than the one that they delivered on home turf when drawing against Koln on Tuesday if they are to beat Frankfurt, with the visitors unbeaten in their last five league matches and aiming to qualify for the Champions League once again.
However, Nagelsmann's side should be fired up after a couple of disappointing results, as they look to win their first match of the calendar year. We expect them to just about get over the line on Saturday.
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Barney Corkhill
