The German Bundesliga is nearing the final stage of the 2023/24 season, as we have just enjoyed an action-packed matchday 17 of action and excitement from start to finish. We had a few surprises, but, most importantly of all, Bayer Leverkusen won again and remained top of the standings.
Bayern follows Leverkusen by 4 points, but let’s remember that they have one game less played. So, the difference could be only 1 point. On the other hand, Stuttgart and Leipzig deflated and made a surprise loss on matchday 17, while Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt took a step forward and came dangerously close to the top four of the standings.
At the bottom of the table, there is no movement as Mainz, Köln, and Darmstadt remain in the relegation zone as they fail to win consecutive matches.
Below, we bring you a summary of what happened in the most important matches of the 17th round of the Bundesliga.
Bundesliga Matchday 17 Roundup – Augsburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen – Info
When and Where?
Saturday, January 13, 09:30 am ET at the WWK Arena
Moneyline odds:
Augsburg 5.75
Bayer Leverkusen 1.51
Draw Offs:
4.60
Where can I watch it?
Bayer Leverkusen struggled on matchday 17 but took the three points in their visit to Augsburg. Although the team had total control of the match, the home defense could repel many attacks effectively.
The match was extremely intense from start to finish, as Leverkusen were determined to annihilate their opponents. So much so, that they had as many as 24 chances on goal, with six direct shots on target. Meanwhile, Augsburg showed that they intended to draw on this matchday, as they only generated four scoring chances, and none ended with shots on goal.
In both the first and second half, Bayer Leverkusen had plenty of chances to take the lead. However, they could not overcome the defensive bus set up by the home team. Finally, when we all thought that Augsburg had done their job and that the match would end 0-0 on the scoreboard, Exequiel Palacios gave the Bundesliga leaders the victory with a goal in extremis in the 90+4th minute.
Result: Augsburg (0) – (1) Bayer Leverkusen
Bundesliga Matchday 17 Roundup – RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt – Info
When and Where?
Saturday, January 13th, 09:30 am ET at the Red Bull Arena
Moneyline odds:
RB Leipzig 1.44
Eintracht Frankfurt 6.45
Draw Offs:
4.94
Where can I watch it?
The most interesting game of this 17th Bundesliga matchday was even, just as we had predicted. However, what nobody expected was that Frankfurt would step up as visitors and beat RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena.
Leipzig started the match dominating the ball, but, in a defensive lapse in the 7th minute, they witnessed the only goal of the game by Eintracht Frankfurt, thanks to Ansgar Knauff.
From that moment on, the visitors closed down in defense and were simply waiting for another opportunity to do some damage on a counterattack. On the other hand, Leipzig insisted on many opportunities, to the point of generating 31 scoring chances, with eight shots on target. However, none of these shots were able to beat Kevin Trapp in the Frankfurt goal.
In the end, Eintracht took the 1-0 victory in this great game and thus moved much closer to the Champions League places.
Result: RB Leipzig (0) – (1) Eintracht Frankfurt
Bundesliga Matchday 17 Roundup – SV Darmstadt vs. Borussia Dortmund – Info
When and Where?
Saturday, January 13, 12:30 pm ET at the Stadion am Böllenfalltor
Moneyline odds:
SV Darmstadt 5.40
Borussia Dortmund 1.53
Draw Offs:
4.70
Where can I watch it?
Finally, Borussia Dortmund gave a footballing lesson against the bottom of the Bundesliga standings, SV Darmstadt, with an exemplary 3-0 victory.
It was an expected result, as it is no secret that there is an abysmal difference in the level of play and even players between these two teams. However, looking at the possession statistics, it was a game of give and take, as Darmstadt had 47%, while BVB had 53%.
Similarly, this does not translate into what happened in the match, as Dortmund took the lead thanks to Julian Brandt’s goal in the 24th minute. Then, in the 77th minute, veteran Marco Reus scored the 2-0, while in the 90+2, Youssoufa Moukoko made it 3-0.
Thanks to this victory, Dortmund returned to winning ways after four matches without a victory, moving to within 3 points of Leipzig in fourth place. Meanwhile, Darmstadt is sinking further and further to the bottom of the table.
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