Is home no longer where the heart is in the Bundesliga? | OneFootball

Why home is no longer where the Bundesliga heart is after historic away success on Matchday 24

On Matchday 24 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, the away side was victorious in eight of the nine matches – only the second time in history that the visiting outfit has prevailed so often in a single weekend. Rather than an anomaly, however, the trend suggests that home may no longer be where the heart is in the German top flight…

Starting with Bayern Munich’s victory over VfB Stuttgart last Friday and ending with Holstein Kiel’s narrow 1-0 triumph at Union Berlin on Sunday, this past weekend was a good one to be a travelling side in the Bundesliga. Only Augsburg, who drew 0-0 with Freiburg, were able to avoid defeat in front of their own supporters, with Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig amongst the losing home outfits.

Only once, on Matchday 6 of the 2019/20 term, were there as many away victories in a single round of Bundesliga fixtures. The past weekend was also just the 10th time in the division’s history that there was no home victory during a matchday.

Watch: VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Bayern Munich – highlights

This only underlines the fact that away wins are becoming more and more frequent. Seventy-four away sides have prevailed in Bundesliga clashes this term – already more than in 30 previous complete seasons. That works out at a ratio of 34.3 percent, which would be the second-highest ever should it stay the same until the end of the campaign.

The current high? That came in 2019/20 (37.6 percent), when many matches were played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, therefore all but eliminating home advantage.

Historically, 24.3 percent of games have seen away winners, but each of the last 21 Bundesliga terms has seen a higher rate (29.7 percent in 2023/24). As such, home teams have found it more and more difficult to pick up points over the past two decades.

Unsurprisingly, league leaders and record champions Bayern lead the all-time away table, and have also picked up more points on the road than any other side this season (27). Bundesliga holders Bayer Leverkusen, however, are only one point adrift in that particular ranking and are in the midst of a stunning 29-game unbeaten streak away from the BayArena.

That is just four games fewer than the record, set by Bayern between 2011/12 and 2013/14. But given that Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola both oversaw games during that run, Xabi Alonso already holds the record for a coach.

While it would be wrong to suggest that all teams are efficient in unfamiliar surroundings – Bochum’s only such triumph this term, for example, was awarded retrospectively after their game with Union Berlin ended 1-1 at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei – the importance of having a home fortress may be a thing of the past.

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