“Ones to watch” for Bundesliga Matchday 30

Good form, lucky match-up or just a special situation – here are five players you need to look out for on Matchday 30 of the Bundesliga!

1. Ermedin Demirovic (FC Augsburg)

Bavarian team FC Augsburg are in an extraordinary situation right now: a win against this week’s opponent Eintracht Frankfurt could get them into 6th place – overtaking Frankfurt in the process.

A key player in this special Augsburg season so far has been their striker Ermedin Demirovic. The Hamburg born Bosnian international has 23 goal contributions in 28 games in the Bundesliga – outstanding for a team like Augsburg!

Here are three concrete reasons why Ermedin Demirovic is a player you should watch this matchday:

1. The first game between Augsburg and Frankfurt in the first half of the season was a 2-1 victory for the Bavarians. Man of the match on this occasion: Ermedin Demirovic.
2. Augsburg have won five out of their last seven matches in the Bundesliga; Demirovic has been in good form in that period of time, scoring three goals and assisting two.
3. Augsburg have so far played eight games against the current top six team of the Bundesliga. Demirovic has been involved in seven goals in these games (4 goals, 3 assists) – big game player.

2. Ridle Baku (VfL Wolfsburg)

After a calm first half of the season, Wolfsburg find themselves being dragged into the relegation zone. They have only won one game in 2024!

The return of coach Ralph Hasenhüttl to the Bundesliga hasn’t fully worked out yet: one win and two losses since he took over from Niko Kovac at the end of March.

A shining light in this period of time has been the “revival” of Ridle Baku: Hasenhüttl uses Baku far more offensively than his predecessor and Baku has paid his trust back with a goal. Here are three reasons why Baku could be the one to look out for against Bochum this weekend:

1. 60% of all Wolfsburg’s attacks under Hasenhüttl have so far been coming from the right hand side – Baku’s side. More chances to dominate the game for Baku.
2. He has been the best performing player for Wolfsburg in their recent two losses against Leipzig and Gladbach, scoring against the latter.
3. Last season, Wolfsburg won 9-1 in two games against Bochum – and Bochum hasn’t won any of their last seven Bundesliga matches. History is on Wolfsburg’s side for this one.

3. Florian Kainz (1. FC Köln)

Köln’s upcoming clash against last place Darmstadt is the most important game of the season for both teams. They need to find a way to win – and therefore a way to score goals.

In a disappointing season, Köln are the Bundesliga team with the least amount of goals: 23. But they have a player, who is not afraid to step up in these kind of situations: Florian Kainz.

Three goals and four assists in 28 Bundesliga games might not be the greatest return for an attacking midfielder/winger in general, but if you put these numbers into context, you can see why Kainz will be one to watch for this heated battle:

1. With his seven goal involvements, Florian Kainz is resonsible for almost a third of Köln’s Bundesliga goals – important team player.
2. In their last win in the Bundesliga, two weeks ago against Bochum, Kainz was the most important player for Köln, even assisting the equaliser – he’s proving to be in form in the most important phase of the season.
3. As captain of the club, Kainz is not afraid to take responsibilty and lead his team forward. His three goals so far have all been penalties – this sort of quality could come in handy in a relegation battle like this.

4. Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern München)

Three days after beating Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Bayern have to play Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. The first matchup got heated, after Union coach Nenad Bjelica slapped Leroy Sané on the pitch.

Back then Joshua Kimmich was being used as Bayern’s holding six, his personal favourite position. But at least in this season it doesn’t seem to be the position in which he performs the best.

After Kimmich’s switch to playing as right back for both Germany and Bayern, his form rapidly improved: best evidence of that was his winning goal against Arsenal. Here are three reasons why Kimmich is going to be the one to watch versus Union Berlin:

1. Kimmich is in the form of his season right now: He was voted man of the match against both Köln and Arsenal – twice in a week! Not bad for an out-of-place rightback.
2. In the first match against Union Berlin (1-0 victory for Bayern) Kimmich was pulling the strings from midfield, while also filling in at rightback for Konrad Laimer – good performance in a difficult game.
3. In nine games against Union Berlin, Kimmich provided one goal and two assists – and he never lost against them, too.

5. Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund) 

All Dortmund fans are on cloud nine right now, after the BVB were able to proceed into the semifinals of the Champions League. This happened for the first time since 2013!

Meanwhile, Dortmund’s opponent Leverkusen have also achieved a lot in the last week: becoming Bundesliga champion, proceeding into the Europa League semifinals… both teams certainly go into this matchup being in great form.

Leverkusen’s biggest success so far might be the fact, that they are still unbeaten in the 2023/24 season. Here are four reasons why Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer might be the one to change this outstanding feat:

1. Dortmund are the ONLY team Leverkusen has not been able to beat this season so far. Their first match this season ended in a 1-1 draw. Sabitzer played an integrual part in defending the draw.
2. Marcel Sabitzer was the hero after BVB’s victory against Atletico Madrid in the Campions League quarterfinal on Tuesday. His goal and his form decided the match for Dortmund.
3. The Austrian single-handedly won Dortmund their last Bundesliga match against Gladbach with his two goals (2-1 victory for BVB). He is in the form of his life right now.
4. Special inclusion: Leverkusen have nothing to play for in the Bundesliga, since they’ve already won the title and Dortmund has all to play for in order to secure the qualification for next season’s Champions League – even though Leverkusen go into the game as the favourite, this game could end up being the upset of the season!