It’s a classic! Two traditional German powerhouses meet this evening in a Bundesliga match at Mercedes-Benz Arena in a game that’s going to be a bit of a reunion for two old friends. Pellegrino Matarazzo and Julian Nagelsmann have worked together at Hoffenheim – but tonight they will go neck and neck.Stuttgart’s American-born coach and the talented Bayern man have actually started off as opponents. Seven years ago, Nagelsmann was in charge of Hoffenheim’s U19 team when the youngsters met their Nurnberg counterparts and their coach – you’ve guessed it – Pellegrino Matarazzo. That day, around 100 spectators looked on as then-27-year-old Nagelsmann came on top with a 1-0 win.One of Bayern’s pillars changes his mind on getting jabbedIn the years that followed, the Italian-American coach moved to Hoffenheim and worked closely as they both advanced in their roles. Eventually, Nagelsmann became the head coach of the first team and promoted Matarazzo to his assistant in January 2018.Their paths went separate ways when Nagelsmann went on to take charge of Leipzig, while Matarazzo got the call from Stuttgart in late 2019 to get them back into the Bundesliga after falling into Germany’s second tier only the second time in history. And the American succeeded.Julian Nagelsmann and Pellegrino Matarazzo: Reunited 🤗 pic.twitter.com/ZCcqribr9Y— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) January 2, 2021 The comparisons between the two are hard to ignore. Like Nagelsmann, Matarazzo’s trust in youth is strong. They both love to play attractive football and are popular with the fans of their respective clubs.Tonight, anything but a Bayern win would be considered a major upset. The Bavarians will be looking for their sixth successive win in a competitive match and to extend their lead in the table, three days after their 2-1 home win over Mainz.Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team are in good form at the moment: they’ve won two of their last three Bundesliga games, the same number as in the previous twelve matches. Most recently, they beat Wolfsburg 2-0 away from home. Nagelsmann knows everything about his rivals ahead of what will be his 200th match in charge of a Bundesliga match.”I know Pellegrino very well, we shared a room on our football coaching course, and he was also my assistant coach. They’re very tough opponents. Against Stuttgart’s variability, you can really only get a result through being dominant. They’re a very good team with a very good coach who will demand a lot of us.” 🇬🇷 Borussia Dortmund is interested in Konstantinos Mavropanos from VfB Stuttgart. The centre-back is currently on loan to Stuttgart from Arsenal. He is a hot candidate to strengthen the defence of Borussia Dortmund.(🌗) | 🗞 @BILD #BVB pic.twitter.com/vHoVNEF1uV— BVB Newsblog (@bvbnewsblog) December 13, 2021 The American wants his players to attack Bayern because sitting back and waiting for Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry or Jamal Musiala to score isn’t going to help their cause.”We basically always go into our games feeling bold, and we want to keep that up against Bayern as well. If we don’t try to play football and actively try to get forward, it’ll only be a matter of time before Bayern score.”There will surely be a little cuddle and warm smiles when the two coaches meet on the touchline tonight. But over 90 minutes, they won’t be friends.BUNDESLIGA – Round 16Tuesday20.30: (9.50) Stuttgart (5.90) Bayern (1.33)22.30: (2.25) Wolfsburg (3.40) Koln (3.45)22.30: (2.05) Mainz (3.50) Hertha (3.90)22.30: (2.45) Bielefeld (3.30) Bochum (3.15)Wednesday20.30: (2.15) M’ gladbach (3.60) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.50)22.30: (2.60) Union Berlin (3.20) Freiburg (3.00)22.30: (1.90) Leverkusen (3.80) Hoffenheim (4.20)22.30: (1.12) Dortmund (12.0) Greuther Furth (20.0)22.30: (7.25) Augsburg (4.50) RB Leipzig (1.50)***odds are subject to change
