Christian Pulisic has stepped up for Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund still have a chance at winning the Bundesliga title on matchday 34, and Christian Pulisic has played a huge role in their survival lately.

Christian Pulisic couldn’t have scripted his final match at Signal Iduna Park any better. The American sensation, who regularly has the FOX Sports broadcast buzzing about him regardless of how well or poorly he’s playing, started off the scoring for a second week in a row. Pulisic’s goal would prove to be decisive, as Dortmund won 3-2 over an upstart Fortuna Dusseldorf side, with the Black and Yellow faithful practically willing their 11 men to victory.

At the heart of it all was Pulisic. Chelsea-bound after the 2018-19 campaign officially comes to a close, Pulisic has continued to play his heart out for an organization that he legitimately loves. Before being subbed off in the 91st minute for veteran defender Marcel Schmelzer, Pulisic had a goal and seven successful dribbles to his name, throwing in two key passes for good measure (statistics from WhoScored.com).

Though this hasn’t been a strong season for Pulisic, who was bumped from the starting lineup on multiple occasions and had a memorably woeful performance against Hertha Berlin, he’s stepped up when it’s mattered the most. Pulisic has looked more incisive than ever during the final stretch of Dortmund’s season, as BVB’s championship hopes are still alive. Following a wonderful solo run for the opener against Werder Bremen, Pulisic had an equally classy display at home against Dusseldorf.

All eyes will be on Pulisic and Dortmund as they take on Borussia Monchengladbach, who have plenty to play for in their heated battle with Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt for a Champions League spot.

This title race has been one for the ages, and, thanks to exciting young players like Pulisic and Jadon Sancho, one final twist could be in store on matchday 34.

Leverkusen are a team to watch closely

Kerem Demirbay has been arguably the best passer in the Bundesliga this season and will hopefully make it to the fan-voted Team of the Season despite missing some games with more injury issues. Bayer Leverkusen purchased Demirbay from Hoffenheim, agreeing to a 28 million euro release clause with rumored interest from top clubs in the Premier League.

Though Demirbay is a huge addition to Leverkusen’s loaded attack, most of the focus now turns to young stars Julian Brandt and, especially, Kai Havertz. They will be hot commodities on the transfer market, and Havertz, at just 19, could fetch an especially high price. Demirbay’s signing suggests one, or both, could be on the way out, and Havertz is currently riding a streak of six games with six goals.

Out of the three teams vying for the final Champions League spot behind RB Leipzig, Leverkusen have the easiest matchup on Saturday against Hertha Berlin. Despite blowing out Frankfurt 6-1 on Matchday 32, they failed to take care of business this past weekend, drawing 1-1 to bottom-five side Schalke.

At their best, Leverkusen are unstoppable. Havertz is one of the world’s most technically gifted players, Leon Bailey has all the tricks in the world, Kevin Volland is a bull, Lucas Alario is a genius off the ball, Brandt creates chances at will, Charles Aranguiz is a workhorse and Jonathan Tah is one of the Bundesliga’s most under-appreciated players.

But these past two weeks have shown fans that it’s hard to predict which Leverkusen will show up to the pitch; that’s what will make their clash with Hertha all the more intriguing.

Of course, the real intrigue lies in what the future holds for Bayer’s best players this summer, and their future in the Champions League could have an impact on that.

Mateta continues to shine

There is little doubt that Jean-Philippe Mateta is the next great Bundesliga striker, and while he didn’t pick up a goal in Mainz’s 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, he looked like the most skilled man on the pitch. Outshining Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic in Frankfurt’s starting lineup, Mateta provided an absolutely wonderful assist for Anthony Ujah’s first goal, and he caused nightmares for Frankfurt’s overmatched duo of David Abraham and Martin Hinteregger.

Mateta now has six goals and an assist in his last six games, which includes a sublime hat-trick against Freiburg and a brace against Dusseldorf. Mainz are an exciting team to watch when everything is clicking, and most of their games are exciting, end-to-end affairs. They could have  defeated Dortmund in April if Roman Burki weren’t so brilliant, and their final match against Hoffenheim could be a hidden gem that gets overshadowed due to Saturday’s more meaningful matchups.

Frankfurt vs. Bayern

With all due respect to Dortmund vs. Gladbach, Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich looks like the most intriguing matchup on matchday 34. Bayern have slipped slightly with draws in their last two games, giving Dortmund an opportunity to steal the Bundesliga if they can take care of business and if Frankfurt can upset Bayern.

Though Frankfurt are a dangerous team with the league’s best striker in Sebastien Haller and a few other immensely talented players in Jovic, Rebic, Flip Kostic, Makoto Hasebe, Kevin Trapp and Danny Da Costa, they haven’t looked like Europa League semifinalists. They’ve lost by a combined 8-1 margin these past two weeks, yet they remain just one point behind Gladbach and Bayer in the Champions League race. And somehow, they still have a better goal differential than both.

Champions League qualification is a real possibility for Frankfurt, but this talented, high-energy, never-say-die team must truly live up to its billing on matchday 34 against the best the Bundesliga has to offer. This is their chance to punch their ticket to Europe’s biggest stage and potentially knock Bayern off of their perch in first so that Marco Reus and Dortmund can have their moment of glory.