Fantasy Bundesliga: Must-haves and differentials for Matchday 6
Ahead of Matchday 6, we have highlighted a must-have player (M) and a differential pick (D) that you should consider for your fantasy Bundesliga team.
VFB Stuttgart vs. FC Schalke 04:
M: Nicolas Gonzalez, Forward (VFB) - It's all but certain that the 22-year-old Argentine will be inserted back into the Stuttgart starting XI. Moreover, the Swabians will rely heavily upon him with wingers Roberto Massimo and Silas Wamangituka having missed this week's training with injury. It's unclear on which flank Gonzalez will start, but head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has publicly stated that he is pleased with his progress and has worked this week to build him into the match-plan.
D: Sasa Kalajdzic , Forward (VFB) - As we noted in the tips column, Schalke serve as a splendid opponent for the Austrian striker to get his season back on track against. Kaladzic tallied in the opening three fixtures of the season and should be on the prowl here.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. SV Werder Bremen:
M: Daichi Kamada, Midfielder (SGE) - Frankfurt's new regular no.10 will have two very hungry strikers to feed and should get plenty of upfield balls from fellow countryman and vertical axis partner Makoto Hasebe. Thus far its been a stellar campaign for the 24-year-old in his new role as the focal point of the rebuilt Adler attack. Three assists and one tally preceded last week's off-match against the mighty Bayern München. Kamada will be looking for a huge response here.
D: Josh Sargent , Forward (BRE) - A huge opportunity for the young American. The Missouri native should get the chance to spearhead the attack himself with Niclas Füllkrug and Davie Selke both ruled out. One tends to forget that, in the midst of his mercurial form last season, he did score four times in the 2019/20 campaign. Thus far this year, the 20-year-old has looked very good in the pre-season and friendlies during the international break, but been lackluster in the league. Head coach Florian Kohfeldt repeatedly states that he still believes in him. The youngster is well overdue for a big match.
FC Bayern München vs. 1. FC Köln:
M: Leroy Sane, Forward (FCB) - Never exactly the easiest thing to anticipate Hansi Flick's rotations, but starts for both Sané and Serge Gnabry on the wings seem reasonable. Both constitute fresher legs after returning from injury and a false-positive COVID test respectively. Flick has little to worry about in his UCL group midweek and can focus on getting both of these top players fit.
D: David Alaba, Defender (FCB) - Flick might shuffle up his defensive ranks a bit, giving Lucas Hernandez a break after five straight starts and swinging Alaba out to the left to see if he can still work in the position in Alphonso Davies' absence. It could be a big game for him. As we've remarked so many times in this column, any Fantasy manager with Bayern players in the team needn't overthink matters much. Just count the blessings.
FC Augsburg vs. 1. FSV Mainz 05:
M: Daniel Caligiuri, Forward (FCA) - The 32-year-old Italian's renaissance continues with another goal against Leverkusen last week. With the exception of the Leipzig match, he's exhibited fine form in four of the five fixtures in this young campaign. This week he should be able to switch over to his preferred right side while the returning Ruben Vargas takes over on the left. Definitely a player worth tapping against a soft opponent.
D: Jean-Philippe Mateta, Forward (FSV) - Last week's brace proved that the 23-year-old lead striker remains capable of pulling off the sensational. The second finish in particular was filthy slick. A lot more is possible for the Nullfünfter's leading scorer has more support in the form of the returning Robin Quaison. His swedish teammate works so very hard to sling efforts goal-ward that Mateta should be gifted several rebounds to finish off.
Arminia Bielefeld vs. Borussia Dortmund:
M: Julian Brandt, Midfielder (BVB) - All signs point to a revival for the 24-year-old German international. Trainer Lucien Favre retains many diverse options for one of his streaking players. He can use him as a ten as he did last weekend against Schalke. He can also pair him with Marco Reus should he wish to maximize distributive potential on the second midfield axis. A player in such confident form also works as an outstanding late weapon off the bench.
D: Mahmoud Dahoud, Midfielder (BVB) - Another Schwarzgelb professional evincing a significant form uptick. Full of a spritely newfound confidence after his national team call-up, the 24 year-old has been demonstrating an appetite for goal with several long-range thunderbolts in his most recent matches. Favre clearly favors his form. He's started him three consecutive times on the trot. It might not be long until this talent finds the back of the net.
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. RB Leipzig:
M: Marcus Thuram, Forward (BMG) - So much talent to choose from in the weekend's marquee match-up. For those with the capability, latching onto the scorer of a brace in this week's Champions League encounter counts as an absolute must. It's a really tough road ahead for Marco Rose's foals this week with Leipzig, Shakhtar, and Leverkusen all over the next eight days. Rose's clicking 4-2-3-1 still shows every indication of being able to rise to the occasion. As last weekend's action demonstrates, the BMG trainer doesn't even need to begin with the constellation to be successful. He simply needs to get it on the field at some point.
D: Marcel Sabitzer, Midfielder (RBL) - Assuming the captain is once again fully fit, one can reasonably expect that more "howitzers from Sabitzer" are one the way. Julian Nagelsmann desperately needs stability from his sixes. His coaching style suggests that he'll build around them, possibly in a 3-4-3 or even, if he can move a healthy Tyler Adams back, his preferred 4-2-2-2. Much will be asked of his midfield general in this fixture.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. SC Freiburg:
M: Lukas Hradecky, Keeper (LEV) - The Finnish national team backstop remains one of the Bundesliga's most underrated properties. Should one care to observe him more closely, one will find that he rarely makes errors. Another solid performance against Augsburg this round earns him team-of-the week honors. It could be a good day for him against a Freiburg team Christian Streich has been uncommonly critical of recently.
D: Philipp Lienhart, Defender (SCF) - The 24-year-old Austrian already has three top-rate defensive performances and a goal under his belt in this young season. He's exhibited the signs of a breakout campaign and, assuming one tips Freiburg to win this one, will have to have a monster match against Leverkusen's wide attacking-threats.
Hertha BSC vs. VfL Wolfsburg:
M: Matheus Cunha, Forward (HER) - After struggling somewhat with his form in the last two fixtures, Cunha should finally get some help this week if Bruno Labbadia selects the available Matteo Guendouzi for his midfield start. Much of Cunha's form dip has to do with the amount of extra ground he's been asked to cover. Ever the type to take on too much responsibility, the Brazilian seems to have had too much on his plate since the international break. A boosting personnel shift may be just what's needed to get him rolling again.
D: John Anthony Brooks, Defender (WOB) - Some inherent bias may be at work here. A defender that finds himself so dominant on air and ground challenges at the moment simply cannot be ignored. The American racks up more touches with every match and increasingly looks like the perfect partner for the highly skilled young Maxence Lacroix in central defense. The pair may have a very successful day if Oliver Glasner's Wolves can establish their play-out-of-the back system established early.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim vs. 1. FC Union Berlin:
M: Munus Dabbur, Forward (TSG) - With Andrej Kramaric still showing COVID symptoms, it's up to the Israeli to keep supplying offensive sparks for the Sinsheimers. Trainer Sebastian Hoeneß maintains many options at striker in Kramaric's absence, but the 28-year-old has consistently been his best option in the last four fixtures. The scorer of two goals in the last two Europa league fixtures appears to be heating up.
D: Christopher Lenz, Defender (FCU) - Urs Fischers' set-piece delivery specialist almost always factors in. Surely there have been some nice designs drawn up on the training pitch this week. Lenz's paltry total of only one assist this season stands absurdly low. One can assume that plans are in the works to help get on the scoresheet.
Looking for other fantasy articles ahead of matchday 6? Check out our predicted lineups here and our general fantasy tips here.