Bundeslga Matchday 12 Preview - Will Bayern or Dortmund capture the top

The Bundesliga kicks off matchday 12 on Friday evening when Hannover hosts Eintracht Braunschweig.  In the league standings Borussia Dortmund trails Bayern Muenchen by one point and Leverkusen is three points behind Dortmund, but six points ahead of the remaining pack.  Freiburg, Nuernberg and Braunschweig bring up the rear.  Will FC Bayern remain on top or will Dortmund surpass them?  Can Leverkusen keep pace with the top two?

Bundesliga clubs didn't fare well during Champions League and Euro League play during midweek.  While Bayern carved out a narrow victory, Dortmund and Leverkusen lost their matches.  Frankfurt conceded its game, while Freiburg managed a draw in the Euro League.

FC Bayern hosts local rival FC Augsburg on Saturday and these local matches are always in for surprises.  Augsburg has a 4-1-6 record through 11 matches, while Bayern, at least on paper should easily win this match, but will they?  Has the record champion adjusted to Pep Guardiola's system? Their recent difficulty in scoring has shown that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Dortmund travels to Wolfsburg.   The Wolves are in fifth spot with a 6-0-5 record and could provide some heartache for last year's Champions League finalist.  It should be an interesting match.  Leverkusen hosts Hamburg and should win this match with ease. Hamburg is currently in 14th spot.

In the remaining Saturday matches, Schalke hosts Bremen.  These  two clubs are separated by two points and the three points could go to either side.  Hoffenheim hosts Berlin and again both teams have equal chances at winning, with a separation of two points of the two. Gladbach hosts Nuernberg and the Franken are still chasing their first victory this season.  They are not likely to get it in Gladbach.

On Sunday Mainz hosts Frankfurt, while  Freiburg host Stuttgart.  Both Frankfurt and Freiburg despearately need a win to move out of the relegation zone.  Mainz and Stuttgart will play a large role in preventing those victories.

As has been the case in most matchdays, it is hard to predict winners and losers, but one can rest assured that plenty of goals will be on the menu once again. 

8 November   

Hannover 96  vs E. Braunschweig    0-0

9 November   

FC Bayern vs FC Augsburg    
Schalke 04 vs Werder Bremen    
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hamburger SV    
VfL Wolfsburg vs Borussia Dortmund    
1899 Hoffenheim vs Hertha BSC    
M'gladbach vs Nürnberg    

10 November

FSV Mainz 05 vs Eintracht Frankfurt    
SC Freiburg vs VfB Stuttgart

Position------Team-------------------GP--W---D-----L-----GF/A-----Pts

1--------FC Bayern Muenchen-------11----9----2-----0------24-7-------29
2--------Borussia Dortmund----------11----9----1-----1------32:9-------28
3--------Bayer Leverkusen------------11----8----1-----2-----22:11------25
4--------Borussia M'gladbach---------11----6----1-----4-----25:15------19
5--------VFL Wolfsburg---------------11----6----0-----5-----16:13-------18
6--------FC Schalke 04----------------11----4----2-----5-----19:23-------17
7------- Hertha BSC Berlin-----------11----4----3-----4-----17:14-------15
8-------Werder Bremen----------------11----4----3-----4----11:16--------15
9-------Hannover 96-------------------12----4----2-----5-----13:18-------14
10------1899 Hoffenheim--------------11----3----4-----4-----26:25-------13
10------VFB Stuttgart------------------11----3----4-----4-----21:20-------13
12------Mainz 05-----------------------11----4----1-----6-----16:23--------13
13----- FCAugsburg--------------------11----4----1-----6----13:20--------13
14------Hamburg------------------------11----3----3-----5-----23:24-------12
15------Eintracht Frankfurt------------11----2----4-----5-----14:20--------10
16------SC Freiburg--------------------11----1----5-----5-----12:21----------8
17------Eintracht Braunschweig------12----2----2-----8------8:23----------8
18------1. FC Nürnberg----------------11----0----7-----4-----11:22----------7