"Ones to watch" for Bundesliga Matchday 10
1. Mahmoud Dahoud (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Eintracht Frankfurt are one of the most entertaining sides in European football right now! Even though the biggest praise belongs to the incredible partnership in attack between Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitiké, Dino Toppmöller's whole team deserves more recognition.
One player who was able to really find his feet in Frankfurt is midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud. He might be “just” 28 years old, however Dahoud has already lived through many ups and downs in his career already: supertalent at Mönchengladbach, rising star and failed experiment at Dortmund, disappointing spells at Brighton and Stuttgart - and now a big comeback in Frankfurt?
Dahoud was one of the best players on matchday 9 in the Bundesliga when he helped his Frankfurt side to a staggering 7-2 victory over Bochum with a goal and an assist. With his recent performances he was even able to take Ellyes Skhiri's spot in the starting eleven!
On matchday 10, Frankfurt will face Stuttgart - the team Dahoud played for last season… and also the team which decided against buying Dahoud permanently. He will be eager to show his old employer what they have missed out on! And Frankfurt will be eager to cement themselves as the biggest surprise team in the Bundesliga this season - taking over from Stuttgart in 2023/24.
2. Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund)
Many people thought the Beier's transfer from Hoffenheim to Dortmund came to early - he had barely proved himself in the Bundesliga. But after a slow start to life in Dortmund, Beier is finally able to show his class for one of Germany's best clubs in national and international competition.
Beier finally “broke through” thanks to a small injury crisis for Borussia Dortmund; he got his chance to start against Leipzig on Bundesliga matchday 9 and left the pitch as one of the men of the match! He was directly involved in both goals in Dortmund's 2-1 victory over RB.
This can be seen as a turning point in Dortmund's season so far: they were on the back of a 3 games losing streak, but thanks to Beier, Dortmund are now back to their winning ways. His performance in the Champions League game against Sturm Graz during the week also left many impressed.
Dortmund's opponent on matchday 10 is Mainz, who were only able to win 3 games this season (including cup competition) so far. With the momentum swinging Dortmund's way at the moment, this could be another game in which Beier can gain confidence and trust in order to secure his starting spot in Dortmund.
3. Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
Kane breaks new records, Musiala transforms into Bayern's new superstar and Olise might be the signing of the season: there is not much room to shine in Bayern Munich's offense, or even in their team. But recently one player was able to gain some attention in Germany's busiest club: Kingsley Coman.
Being one of Bayern's more experienced players, many thought Coman could leave the Bavarians in the summer of 2024, even the Bayern bosses were not opposed to the idea of Coman leaving; however, all the specualtion and rumours seem to have given the French winger new motivation and energy to perform!
Barely any players have a guaranteed starting spot for Bayern Munich, which means that every player has to make the most out of their minutes on the pitch. Coman has seemingly understood this fact and shined with beautiful goals (especially with his goal against Bochum on Bundesliga matchday 8!).
He followed that up with a goal and an assist in Munich's 3-0 victory over Union Berlin on matchday 9. Can his goal streak now continue against St. Pauli on matchday 10? Based on the clubs' previous matchups, the chances are high: Bayern won the last game against St. Pauli (May 7th 2011) 8-1! Let's see how Kompany's side will fare 13 years later.
4.Dieter Hecking (VfL Bochum)
Only Bundesliga experts remember this name: Dieter Hecking is back in Germany's highest division! In case you don't know or remember, Hecking has coached many teams in the Bundesliga: Aachen, Hannover, Nürnberg, Wolfsburg, Gladbach - and now Bochum. In a list in which normally only active players will find their spots, this coach deserves you special attention this weekend.
Hecking has been brought in after Bochum's worst Bundesliga start in their history: 1 point and 9 goals after 9 games. “After Frankfurt scored their 7th, I had to think twice if I really want to give it a shot”, said Hecking in an interview after his appointment as the new Bochum headcoach. The last result and Hecking's statement show the clear direction and goal of Bochum for the 2024/25 season: survival.
As if the situation is not bad enough already for Bochum, they will have to face the current Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 10. But there is light at the end of the tunnel: Bochum won 1 of their last 3 matchups with Leverkusen - and Hecking won his last game against Leverkusen, too. Maybe this story can be a replica of the infamous “David vs Goliath” tale.
5.Franck Honorat (Borussia M'Gladbach)
Finishing up this week's list is Borussia Mönchengladbach's Franck Honorat. The French forward is in his 2nd season with Gladbach and his stats so far have been solid: 8 games, 3 goals and 3 assists. What makes him a player to watch this weekend?
It's the constellation of the matchup. Gladbach will meet Leipzig in a game that's been quite onesided over the last year (in favour of Leipzig). However, Gladbach seem to have finally found their form under Gerardo Seoane: 7 out of a possible 9 points from their last 3 Bundesliga games, including last week's great 4-1 victory over Werder Bremen.
On the opposite side, Leipzig, even though they're 2nd in the Bundesliga, are currently on a small losing streak: a 1-2 loss against Dortmund and a 1-3 loss against Celtic have disappointed the Leipzig fans over the last week - and Gladbach will be looking to take their chance!
Honorat himself has 4 goal involvements in his last 5 league games and seemingly get along very well with Gladbach's dream duo Kleindienst and Stöger. If they keep growing together, they might just cause an upset on matchday 10 against the clear favourite RB Leipzig.