Bundesliga Matchday 15 - Clash of the Top 4 - Fixtures and Preview

Matchday 15 is set to be another exciting one in the Bundesliga.  On Saturday league leader Dortmund meets second place Borussia Moenchengladbach, while Bayern Muenchen meets Werder Bremen. (Third and fourth on the table).  It just doesn't get any better than that.  Only three points separate Bremen from Dortmund and Gladbach, while Bayern is only one point behind the top two.

This will be the 79th Bundesliga match between Dortmund and Gladbach and the previous 78 matches resulted in 26 wins 26 draws and 26 losses for both teams.   Glabach, which barely escaped relegation last year, has made a formidable comeback.   Matchday 15 is where the rubber hits the road.  No matter how this match turns out, it is sure to be a thriller for the fans.

Bayern, which lost to Dortmund in a direct contest with Dortmund, was also defeated by Mainz 05 during matchday 14.  Schweinsteiger is still not available due to a broken collarbone.  During his absence Bayern has struggled to organize its defence and the easy flow to the strikers.  How the team solves this problem against Bremen will determine the outcome of the match.  Just three weeks ago Bayern was hailed as the runaway champion of the league.  No longer.

Schalke, which is in fifth place, meets Augsburg, which brings up the rear of the Budesliga.  Schalke has an opportunity to move up.   Leverkusen meets Hoffenheim in the Friday match, a must win for Leverkusen if the team is to retain contact with the league leaders.

As the league moves toward the winter break, nothing is determined yet.  With only nine points separating the top eight teams, the league is still wide open. Only seven points separate Augsburg
 from from ninth place Hoffenheim.   Get ready for a few more surprises this coming weekend. 

Matchday 15

02.12.2011, 20.30  Bayer Leverkusen -1899 Hoffenheim 2-0
03.12.2011, 15.30  Bayern München -Werder Bremen 4-1
03.12.2011, 15.30  SC Freiburg -Hannover 96 1-1
03.12.2011, 15.30  1. FC Kaiserslautern -Hertha BSC Berlin 1-1
03.12.2011, 15.30  VfL Wolfsburg -FSV Mainz 05 2-2
03.12.2011, 15.30  Bor. Mönchengladbach -Borussia Dortmund 1-1
03.12.2011, 18.30  VfB Stuttgart -1. FC Köln 2-2
04.12.2011, 15.30  Hamburger SV -1. FC Nürnberg 2-0
04.12.2011, 17.30  Schalke 04 -FC Augsburg 3-1

Bundelsiga Table Updated 02 December  2011 

                                                         GP    W   D   L   GF/GA    Pts
1    Bayern München                        15      10    1    4      38:9     31
2    Borussia Dortmund                    15      9    3    3      30:10     30
3    Borussia Mönchengladbach       15      9    3    3      24:10     30
4    Schalke 04                                  15       9    1    5      31:21    28
5    Werder Bremen                          15       8    2    5      26:25    26
6    Bayer Leverkusen                      15       7    4    4      22:19    25
7    VfB Stuttgart                              15       6    4    5      22:17    22
8    Hannover 96                               15       5    6    4      19:23    21
9    Hertha BSC Berlin                     15        4    7    4      22:23   19
10    1899 Hoffenheim                      15       5    3    7      16:18   18
11    Hamburger SV                           15       4    5    6      20:26  17
12    VfL Wolfsburg                           15       5    2    8     21:30   17
13    1. FC Köln                                 14       5    2    7      22:31  17
14    FSV Mainz 05                            14       4    4    6     21:28   16
15    1. FC Nürnberg                          15       4    3    8      14:26  15
16    1. FC Kaiserslautern                  15       3    5    7      11:19  14
17    SC Freiburg                                15       3    4    8      20:31  13
18    FC Augsburg                              15       2    5    8      13:27  11