Bundesliga Matchday 14 Fixtures and Preview

Bundesliga Matchday 14 will be played between Friday 25 November and Sunday 27 November 2011.  The most anticipated match this week will be Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04.  After last weekends successful match over Bayern Muenchen, Dortmund will attempt to gain three points from Schalke 04, which is in fourth place with 25 points.

Dortmund, after its victory in Munich, lost a decisive match against Arsenal in Champions League Group stage competition.  The loss has eliminated the BVB from the knock out round of the final 16.  Dortmund was  handicapped by devastating injuries of Mario Goetze and Bender, two key players, early on in the match.   Bender, who was taken directly to a hospital in London, required surgery for his broken jaw and will not be available for play until at least January.  In Goetze's case, the knee is apparenlty alright, but there are some problems with the muscles surrounding the knee.  Whether or not Goetze is available for Saturday's match is not clear at this point.

Playmaker Mario Gotze could also miss the meeting of the Ruhr valley rivals after picking up a knock just above the knee against Arsenal.
"Dortmund will be without Bender until January," the club said on Thursday after the 22-year-old underwent a three-hour operation in London.
"Gotze's derby participation is also in doubt [but] the medical staff are hoping he can be fit for Saturday."

FC Bayern plays in Mainz on Sunday, a match they should win easily.  Nothing, however is for sure in the Bundesliga.  Mainz, which has been struggling of late, has only 12 points and is just placed above the relegation zone. Don't look for an easy win by the Bayern club. Munich won its Champions League Match against Napoli and has qualified for the knock out round.

Leverkusen is guest in Berlin this weekend and a win is a must, if Leverkusen is to maintain contact with the top six in the league.  Berlin will want to build on its recent success and continue the climb up on the table. Leverkusen defeated Chelsea with a last minute goal during Champions League play yesterday.

South Baden's SC Freiburg has had its share of difficulties this year as well.  They will mount an all out effort to defeat Hoffenheim in an attempt to move out of the relegation zone.  Hoffenheim will want a victory at home.

Augsburg with only one win on its sheet for their debut season in the Bundesliga, hosts VFL Wolfsburg.  With only eight points on its sheet, Augsburg needs to win if they are to have any chance of surviving in the Bundesliga.

Another high profile match is the Werder Bremen hosting VFB Stuttgart.  The teams occupy fifth and sixth place respectively.

Matchday 14 promises to be another drama filled week.  The quest for the top of the league continues.  Will Bayern be able to extend its lead and will Dortmund be able to overcome the loss against Chelsea and be successful without Bender and possibly Goetze?  Can Augsburg break the mold and walk away with a win?   No matter how it all ends, get ready for another exciting Bundesliga weekend.

25.11.11,20.30     1. FC Köln     -     Mönchengladbach      0-3
26.11.11,15.30     1. FC Nürnberg     -     Kaiserslautern     1-0
26.11.11,15.30     1899 Hoffenheim     -     SC Freiburg      1-1
26.11.11,15.30     FC Augsburg     -     VfL Wolfsburg      2-0
26.11.11,15.30     Borussia Dortmund -    Schalke 04      2-0
26.11.11,15.30     Hertha BSC Berlin     -     Bayer Leverkusen      3-3
26.11.11,18.30     Hannover 96     -     Hamburger SV      1-1
27.11.11,15.30     Werder Bremen     -     VfB Stuttgart      (-:-)
27.11.11,17.30     FSV Mainz 05     -     Bayern München      (-:-)

Bundesliga Table: 


                                                                                  GP  W  D  L     GF/A        Pts
       

	1 Borussia Dortmund 14 9 2 3 29 : 9 29 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach 14 9 2 3 23 : 9 29 3 Bayern München 13 9 1 3 32 : 5 28 4 Schalke 04 14 8 1 5 28 : 20 25 5 Werder Bremen 13 7 2 4 23 : 21 23 6 Bayer Leverkusen 14 6 4 4 20 : 19 22 7 VfB Stuttgart 13 6 3 4 20 : 13 21 8 Hannover 96 14 5 5 4   18:22 20 9 1899 Hoffenheim 14 5 3 6 16 : 16 18 10 Hertha BSC Berlin 14 4 6 4 21 : 22 18 11 1. FC Köln 13 5 1 7 20 : 29 16 12 VfL Wolfsburg 14 5 1 8 19 : 28 16 13 1. FC Nürnberg 14 4 3 7 14 : 24 15 14 Hamburger SV 14 3 5 6 18 : 26 14 15 1. FC Kaiserslautern 14 3 4 7 10 : 18 13 16 FSV Mainz 05 12 3 3 6 16 : 23 12 17 SC Freiburg 14 3 3 8 19 : 30 12 18 FC Augsburg 14 2 5 7 12 : 24 11