Bundesliga Matchday 17 Roundup: Dortmund and Leverkusen disappoint

As the Bundesliga finished off its 2013 schedule, FC Bayern was missing, enroute to a fifth cup in Morroco.  Matchday 17 was disappointing for both second place Bayer Leverkusen and last year's Champions League finalist Borussia Dortmund.  As the year ends, with one game in hand, Bayern has a 12 point lead over Dortmund and a seven point lead over Bayer Leverkusen.

Schalke 04, which will be meeting Real Madrid in the knock out round, did not convince anyone of its ability to get a decent result against the Real stars.  In a scrappy match Schalke managed a scoreless draw against Nuernberg, a side that has yet to register a victory this season.  Leverkusen dropped three points in Bremen, moving the Hanseaten into 12th spot, while Leverkusen remains in second.

In the Friday night opener, Frankfurt and Augsburg fought to a 1-1 draw, leaving Frankfurt just one point out of the relegation zone.  Raul Bobadilla opened the scoring for Augsburg, but Frankfurt's Jan Rosenthal equalized then minutes later.  Augsburg has a respectable 17 game finish in the top half of the league.

Borussia Dortmund's match against Hertha BSC Berlin should have been an easy one on paper, especially at home.  With a number of injuries, it is pretty apparent that this side is not the one that was fielded last year.  While Marco Reus scored Dortmund's first goal, Sami Allagui had a part in both Berlin goals. An Allagui pass to Ramos resulted in the equalizer, while Allagui put in the second himself.  The win moves Berlin into sixth spot, ahead of Schalke on goal difference. Dortmund trails Bayern by 12 points and Leverkusen by five. 

Werder Bremen held on to a 1-0 win over Leverkusen, despite it's 21 point deficit on the league's second placed club.  Bremen scored on a quick counter 15 minutes from the final whistle and after that just held on.  Bremen moves into 12th spot, while Leverkusen is 7 off pace from league leader Bayern.

SC Freiburg won its third match of the season after defeating Hannover 2-1, but remains in the relegation zone,  one point behind Frankfurt. Hamburg dropped three points at home against Mainz, finishing off in 14th spot after 17 matches.  Mainz is in ninth spot.  Braunschweig won its third match by edging out a 1-0 victory over Hoffenheim. The newly promoted club sits at the bottom of the league after 17 with 11 points.

Sunday's match featured Gladbach and Wolfsburg.  While the sides remained scoreless in the first half, the ball found the back of the net four times in the second half.  Wolfsburg took the lead, but Gladbach got the equalizer on a goal from Rafael and took a 2-1 lead shortly after on a free kick. Wolfsburg was able to get an equalizer and the sides parted with a point each.  The point was enough to move Gladbach into third spot ahead of Dortmund.

20.12.2013, 20.30    Eintracht Frankfurt vs FC Augsburg    1-1
   
21.12.2013, 15.30    Borussia Dortmund vs Hertha BSC    1-2 
21.12.2013, 15.30    Werder Bremen vs Bayer Leverkusen    1-0   
21.12.2013, 15.30    SC Freiburg vs Hannover 96    2-1   
21.12.2013, 15.30    Hamburger SV vs FSV Mainz 05    2-3   
21.12.2013, 15.30    Eintr. Braunschweig vs 1899 Hoffenheim    1-0  
21.12.2013, 18.30    1. FC Nürnberg vs Schalke 04    0-0
   
22.12.2013, 15.30    Bor. Mönchengladbach vs VfL Wolfsburg    2-2  
29.01.2014, 20.00    VfB Stuttgart vs Bayern München    (-:-)

Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points
1      FC Bayern        16    14   2    0       42:8         44
2      Leverkusen       17    12   1    4       32:16       37
3      M'gladbach       17    10   3    4       35:19       33
4      Dortmund         17    10   2    5       38:20       32
5      Wolfsburg         17      9   3     5      28:19       30
6      Hertha BSC       17     8  4     5       27:20       28
7      Schalke             17      8   4    5       32:26       28
8      Augsburg           17     7   3    7      21:25        24
9      Mainz                17      7   3    7      25:32       24
10    Stuttgart             16     5    4   7      28:29        19
11    Hoffenheim        17     4    6   7      36:38        19
12    Bremen               17     5     4   7    22:37        19
13    Hannover           17     5    3    9     23:31        18
14    Hamburg            17     4    4    9     33:38        16
15    Frankfurt            17     3     6   8     20:29        15
16    Freiburg              17     3     5   9     16:31       14
17    Nürnberg             17    0    11   6     17:33       11
18    B'schweig            17     3     2  12    10:32       11

Bundesliga Matchday 17 Preview: Bayern and Leverkusen on top before winter break

When the Bundesliga takes to the pitch this weekend, two things won't change, regardless of results.  Bayern Munich will remain and top and Bayern Leverkusen will come in second ahead of the winter break.  Gladbach has a chance to move ahead of Dortmund, pending the outcome of their games.

Bayern will not play their matchday 17 game until January 29th.  The team is currently at the FIFA Club Word Cup tournament in Morocco and has qualified for the final, which will be played on Saturday.

Leverkusen travels to Werder Bremen on Saturday.  The Hanseaten are just one point out of the relegation zone, while Leverkusen trails Bayern by seven point.  As of late Leverkusen has performed well and should be able to walk away both all three points in Bremen.  Borussia Dortmund hosts Hertha BSC Berlin.  Berlin is two points behind Schalke, which occupies the last Euro League qualifying position now.  This should be a competitive match, which could get either way.

Gladbach, currently in fourth spot and equal with Dortmund in points hosts Wolfsburg on Sunday.  Both Gladbach and the Wolves have only dropped four matches in 16 and this should be one of the most interesting showdowns this weekend. 

Schalke 04 travels to Nuernberg, which is still chasing its first victory of the season.  Nuernberg's balance sheet in 16 games stands at ten draws and  six losses.  Schalke will be striving to close the gap with Wolfsburg or at least maintain the current two point difference.  Nuerberg is definitely in a position to take one point at home.

The remaining three Saturday matches feature SC Freiburg against Hannover 96,  Hamburg hosting Mainz and Braunschweig against Hoffenheim.   On Friday the matchday opens in Frankfurt, when the fiesty side from Augsburg test the struggling Eintracht. The first half of the season was a successful one for Augsburg, while Frankfurt is just one point out of the relegation zone with 14 points.  Whether or not Frankfurt can move ahead Bremen remains to be seen.

Some trivia and rumours that are making the rounds have been noted in NZ 3 News and here is some of the take:

Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich is in Morocco, seeking to win the world club title, so Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund have an opportunity to make up some ground in the last round before the winter break.

No matter what, Bayern will spend the break atop the standings, seven points ahead of Leverkusen and 12 points ahead of Dortmund. Bayern kicks off the second half of the season on Jan. 24 against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Leverkusen travels to Werder Bremen and Dortmund hosts Hertha Berlin. Here are five things to know about the Bundesliga weekend:  Read more

There won't be any significant changes in the league table, especially at the top an bottom, but one can expect a few exciting and hard fought matches. 

20.12.2013, 20.30    Eintracht Frankfurt vs FC Augsburg    1-1
   
21.12.2013, 15.30    Borussia Dortmund vs Hertha BSC    1-2 
21.12.2013, 15.30    Werder Bremen vs Bayer Leverkusen    1-0   
21.12.2013, 15.30    SC Freiburg vs Hannover 96    2-1   
21.12.2013, 15.30    Hamburger SV vs FSV Mainz 05    2-3   
21.12.2013, 15.30    Eintr. Braunschweig vs 1899 Hoffenheim    1-0  
21.12.2013, 18.30    1. FC Nürnberg vs Schalke 04    0-0
   
22.12.2013, 15.30    Bor. Mönchengladbach vs VfL Wolfsburg    (-:-)   
29.01.2014, 20.00    VfB Stuttgart vs Bayern München    (-:-)

Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points
1      FC Bayern        16    14   2    0       42:8         44
2      Leverkusen       17    12   1    4       32:16       37
3      Dortmund         17    10   2    5       38:20       32
4      M'gladbach       16    10   2    4       33:17       32
5      Wolfsburg         16      9   2     5      26:17       29
6      Hertha BSC       17     8  4     5       27:20       28
7      Schalke             17      8   4    5       32:26       28
8      Augsburg           17     7   3    7      21:25        24
9      Mainz                17      7   3    7      25:32       24
10    Stuttgart             16     5    4   7      28:29        19
11    Hoffenheim        17     4    6   7      36:38        19
12    Bremen               17     5     4   7    22:37        19
13    Hannover           17     5    3    9     23:31        18
14    Hamburg            17     4    4    9     33:38        16
15    Frankfurt            17     3     6   8     20:29        15
16    Freiburg              17     3     5   9     16:31       14
17    Nürnberg             17    0    11   6     17:33       11
18    B'schweig            17     3     2  12    10:32       11

Bundesliga Matchday 16: Bayern is Autumn champion, Dortmund falls 12 points behind

Bayern Munich extended its undefeated streak in the Bundesliga to 41, with a 3-1 victory over Hamburg, to become unofficial autumn champion (Herbstmeister) with one game to go prior to the midway point of the season.  Bayern won`t be playing that match against VFB Stuttgart until January 29th.  Meanwhile Dortmund came back from a two goal deficit to, at least, capture one point in a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim, but is trailing Bayern by 12 points and Leverkusen by five.  Bayer Leverkusen is not playing until Sunday.

Bayern, whose last loss in the domestic league dates back to October 12 last year, moved ahead on a goal by Mario Mandzukic (42nd) and a second by Mario Goetze (52nd).  Hamburg`s Pierre Michelle-Lassoga got one back for Hamburg in the 87th minute, but Xerdan Shaqiri put the game away in injury time.

Borussia Dortmund took an early deficit in Sinsheim on goals from Hoffenheim`s Sven Schiplock and Kevin Volland. Dortmund got one back just before the halftime whistle on a goal by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.  Lukasz Piszczek got the equalizer in the second half.

Wolfsburg established itself in fifth spot with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart, while Augsburg dismantled the league taillight Eintracht Braunschweig 4-1.  1.FC Nuernberg continues to chase its first victory after voiding a 3-0 lead over Hannover and the north German side turned the loss around to a 3-3 tie. The fiesty Franken with a record of 0-10-6 have accumulated only ten points in 17 games.

In the league opener on Friday Hertha BSC Berlin defeated Werder Bremen 3-2 to move into sixth spot ahead of Schalke, which plays tomorrow.  Mainz and Borussia Moenchengladbach fought to a scoreless draw, but the side maintained its fourth place in the league after Dortmunds draw.

On Sunday Schalke 04 defeated struggling SC Freiburg 2-0 on an on goal by by Nicolas Hoefler just before the halfway mark.  Farfan settled the match for Schalke in the 67th minute. Freiburg remains in a relegation spot, while Schalke moved into sixth spot, two points behind Wolfsburg. Eintracht Frankfurt edged out Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 on a second half header by Marco Russ in the 61st minute.  Despite Leverkusen's constant bombardment, Eintracht's keeper Trapp kept Frankfurt ahead.  Joselu missed a penalty kick injury time for Frankfurt, but  the 1-0 was enough to end Leverkusen's home winning streak. Leverkusen now trails Bayern Munich by seven points and leads Dortmund and Gladbach by five.  Failing a disaster, Bayern Munich is well on its way to another championship. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

13.12.2013, 20.30    Hertha BSC -     Werder Bremen    3:2    
14.12.2013, 15.30    Bayern München -     Hamburger SV    3-1   
14.12.2013, 15.30    Hannover 96 -     1. FC Nürnberg   3-3   
14.12.2013, 15.30    1899 Hoffenheim -     Borussia Dortmund   2-2  
14.12.2013, 15.30    FSV Mainz 05 -     Bor. Mönchengladbach    0-0   
14.12.2013, 15.30    FC Augsburg -     Eintr. Braunschweig    4-1    
14.12.2013, 18.30    VfL Wolfsburg -     VfB Stuttgart    3-1  
15.12.2013, 15.30    Schalke 04 -     SC Freiburg    2-0   
15.12.2013, 17.30    Bayer Leverkusen -     Eintracht Frankfurt    0-1

Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points
1      FC Bayern        16    14   2    0       42:8         44
2      Leverkusen       16    12   1    3       32:15       37
3      Dortmund         16    10   2    4       37:18       32
4      M'gladbach       16    10   2    4       33:17       32
5      Wolfsburg         16      9   2     5      26:17       29
6      Schalke             16      8   3    5       32:26       27
7      Hertha BSC       16     7  4     5       25:19       25
8      Augsburg           16     7   2    7      20:24        23
9      Mainz                16      6   3    7      22:29       21
10    Stuttgart             16     5    4   7      28:29        19
11    Hoffenheim        16     4    6   6      36:37       19
12    Hannover           16     5    3    8     22:29       18
13    Hamburg            16     4    4    8     31:35        16
14    Bremen               16     4     4   7    21:37        16
15    Frankfurt            16     3     5   8     19:28        14
16    Freiburg              16     2     5   9     14:30       11
17    Nürnberg             16     0   10   6     17:33       10
18    B'schweig            16     2     2  12      9:32        8

Bundesliga Matchday 15 roundup: Bayern nets seven, Dortmund defeated by Leverkusen

FC Bayern Munich humiliated Werder Bremen by scoring no less than seven times in Bremen.  Assani Lukimya scored into his own net and that was followed just six minutes later by Van Buyten.  Frank Ribery upped the score to 3-0 just before the half.  Mandzukic scored the first in the second half followed by Thomas Mueller shortly thereafter.  Frank Ribery made it six and Goetze scored the seventh just before the final whistle.

The match of the weekend was the encounter between Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen and the Dortmund side disappointed at home.  A goal by Son in the 18th minute was enough for Bayer Leverkusen to stretch its lead over Dortmund by six point.  Leverkusen remains behind Bayern by four points.  Leverkusen played solid as a defensive unit, not permitting a lot of room for Dortmund to operate.  The match became scrappy in the second half.  For Dortmund there is concern with two more injuries, Sven Bender and Nuri Sahin, ahead of their Champions League match in Marseille.

1.FC Nuernberg remains without a win in 15 starts, despite an early goal by Per Nilsson in the tenth minute. The struggling Franken held on to the lead until the 75th minute, when Shinji Okazaki struck with 15 minutes to go to salvage a point for Mainz in a 1-1 draw, bringing Nuernbergs 15 game record to nine draws and six losses.  Mainz currently holds eighths spot.

 Things look like for Schalke 04 when Farfan scored he got ahead goal, but Raffael equalized in the 24th minute.   Gladbach overtook the proceedings after a handball by Hoewedes, which Max Kruse had no trouble converting.  This puts Gladbach equal in points with Dortmund and Schalke remains in fifth spot three points behind.

Augsburg moved into eighth spot after edging out a 1-0 win over Hamburg.  Raul Bobadilla scored the goal before 20 minutes were up, leaving Hamburg in 13th spot.  Hoffenheim captured an important away victory in Frankfurt.  Sven Shipplock put Hoffenheim ahead, while Joselu got the equalizer within the first five minutes of the match.  Robert Firmino sealed the deal for Hoffenheim after only ten minutes.

Werder Bremen captured three valuable points in Freiburg, when the side handily defeated the southern Germans.  Arnold (8th minute) and Olic (11th minute) got the early lead and Freiburg seldom created any opportunities to get an equalizer. Freiburg put in a special effort in the final ten minutes and it was too little to late.  Schaefer upped the score to 3-0 in the 90th minute in favour of Bremen.  The win puts Bremen into 13th spot with 16 points, even with Ham4burg and Stuttgart.  For Freiburg, which has had a disappointing season, the loss leaves them in a relegation spot with 11 points.

Hertha BSC Berlin walked away with a 2-0 victory in Braunschweig on goals by Ramos (20th) and Cigerci (80th).  While Berlin controlled the first half, Braunschweig pushed hard in the second, but inaccurate passing, lack of team cohesiveness prevented the newly  promoted club from scoring.  The win keeps Berlin in competition with for a Euro League spot, while Braunschweig continues to bring up the rear.

6 December

1. FC Nürnberg vs FSV Mainz 05  1-1

7 December   
   
Bor. Mönchengladbach vs Schalke 04   2-1
VfB Stuttgart vs Hannover 96   4-2
Werder Bremen vs Bayern München   0-7
Hamburger SV vs FC Augsburg   0-1
Eintracht Frankfurt vs 1899 Hoffenheim   1-2    
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen   0-1

8 December
   
SC Freiburg vs VfL Wolfsburg    0-3   
Eintr. Braunschweig vs Hertha BSC   0-2


Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points
1      FC Bayern        15    13   2    0       39:7         41
2      Leverkusen       15    12   1    2       32:14       37
3      Dortmund         15    10   1    4       35:16       31
4      M'gladbach       15    10   1    4       33:17       31
5      Schalke             15      7   3    5       30:26       28
6      Wolfsburg         15      8   2     5      23:16       26
7      Hertha BSC       15     6  4     5       22:17       22
8      Mainz                15      6   2    7      22:29       20
9      Augsburg           15     6   2    7      16:23        20
10    Hannover           14     5    2    7     17:22       17
11    Hamburg            15     4    4    7     30:32        16
12    Stuttgart              14    4     4   6     24:26        16
13    Bremen               15     4     4   6    19:34        16
14    Hoffenheim        15     4     5   6     34:35        17
15    Frankfurt            15     2     5   8     18:28        11
16    Freiburg              15     2     5   8     14:28       11
17    Nürnberg             15     0     9   6     14:30        9
18    B'schweig            15     2     2  11      8:28        8

Bundesliga Matchday 15: Dortmund hosts Leverkusen, fight for Spot 2

As the Bundesliga closes to the winter break in mid December, Dortmund will be hosting Bayer Leverkusen in a direct test between the two sides. Dortmund currently trails the factory team by three points, while Bayern Muenchen leads Leverkusen by four.  Bayern will traveling to Bremen, but will be without Arjen Robben, who was injured during the DFB Pokal competition against Augsburg.  Currently he is scheduled to sit out for at least six weeks.

Fourth place Borussia Moenchengladbach trails Dortmund by three points and will be hosting Schalke 04 on Saturday.  Schalke has had a troubled season and has dropped back to fifth spot, four points behind Gladbach.  This is another game that will determine whether Schalke will be able to compete among the top six. Wolfsburg trails Schalke by one point and is guest at SC Freiburg on Sunday.  Freiburg has been struggling to move out of a relegation spot, with just three points ahead of the bottom two, Nuernberg and Braunschweig.

Stuttgart hosts Hanover 96 and the two sides are separated by one point, making this another critical match.  Hamburg hosts Augsburg, another match where the two  sides are only separated by one point.  On Saturday, Frankfurt hosts Hoffenheim and this should be another match to watch.  Hoffenheim has established a reputation this season that its matches will be blessed with lots of goals, which is nerve wrecking for coaches, but a delight for fans.

Eintracht Braunschweig, the struggling new side, continues to sit at the bottom of the league with just eight points.  On Sunday the side hosts Hertha BSC Berlin, which has done extremely well on its return to the top flight.  Braunschweig will be chasing its third win and valuable three points, while Berlin will be looking for three points to solidify its place in the top half of the league.

The weekend promises to be a another exciting one for fans with the top match in Dortmund and important matches for Gladbach and Schalke.  While nothing can be taken for granted, this weekend will be filled, once again with surprises and goals. 

6 December

1. FC Nürnberg vs FSV Mainz 05  1-1

7 December   
   
Bor. Mönchengladbach vs Schalke 04   
VfB Stuttgart vs Hannover 96   
Werder Bremen vs Bayern München   
Hamburger SV vs FC Augsburg   
Eintracht Frankfurt vs 1899 Hoffenheim       
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen   

8 December
   
SC Freiburg vs VfL Wolfsburg       
Eintr. Braunschweig vs Hertha BSC   


Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points
1      FC Bayern        14    12   2    0       32:7         38
2      Leverkusen       14    11   1    2       31:14       34
3      Dortmund         14    10   1    3       35:15       31
4      M'gladbach       14      9   1    4       31:16       28
5      Schalke             14      7   3    4       29:26       24
6      Wolfsburg         14      7   2     5      20:16       23
8      Mainz                15      6   2    7      22:29       20
7      Hertha BSC      14       5  4     5      20:17       19
9      Hannover           14     5    2    7     17:22       17
10    Augsburg           14     5    2    7     15:23        17
11    Hamburg            14     4    4    6     30:31        16
12    Stuttgart              14    4     4   6     24:26        16
13    Bremen               14     4     4   6    19:27        16
14    Hoffenheim        14     3     5   6     32:34        14
15    Frankfurt            14     2     5   7     17:26        11
16    Freiburg              14     2     5   7     14:25       11
17    Nürnberg             15     0     9   6     14:30        9
18    B'schweig            14     2     2  10      8:26        8

DFB Pokal (German FA Cup): Top Trio moves to Quarter Finals

The Bundesliga top trio, FC Bayern Muenchen, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund prevailed in the round of 16 and moved into the quarter finals of the German FA Cup.  Dortmund played the game with a second string side, while Bayern Munich faced a fiesty Augsburg side in the Bavarian derby.  Leverkusen's task was probably the most difficult with SC Freiburg keeping the second placed Bundesliga club nervous.

Second Bundesliga club 1. FC Kaiserslautern eliminated Union Berlin with a convincing 3-0 win. while Hoffenheim prevailed over the struggling Schalke side with a 3-1 victory. VFL Wolfsburg demonstrated some difficulty but did come out ahead over 2nd Bundesliga side FC Ingolstadt and Eintracht Frankfurt eliminated SV Sandhausen.

Arjen Robben scored for FC Bayern just four minutes into the match against FC Augsburg.  Robben left the match early, after a tackle by Augsburg's keeper, which appeared to injury the Dutchman's knee. According to Bayern authorities Robben had a knee tear, which had to be cleaned in an Augsburg hospital.  Despite hopes by Pep Guardialo that Robben would be back, it seems that Robben will be out for the next six  weeks. 

While Augsburg took it to Bayern, Bayern closed ranks in the rear and Augsburg seldom had chances.  Thomas Mueller, substituted for Robben, scored the second goal for Munich in the 78th, which was enough to move into the quarter final.

Bayer Leverkusen qualified for the quarter finals for the first time in five years.  Despite a stellar performance by Freiburg, the factory team won by a narrow 2-1 margin.  Robbie Kruse scored for Leverkusen just 28 seconds into the match, but Matthias Ginter got the equalizer in the 19th minute.  The final goal was scored by Leverkusen's Emre Can late in the second half in the 77th minute.  This was a lucky win for Leverkusen.

With goals in the 19th (Julian Schieber) and the 27th minute (Jonas Hofman) Borussia Dortmund easily defeated 1.FC Saarbruecken with a second string side.  Juergen Klopp, troubled with injuries, put many of his younger players into action, which was an opportunity made possible by taking on a third division club.  With first stringers on the bench, resting for the contest against Leverkusen this weekend, the second string side prevailed.  Klopp commented after the game that he was very happy with the sides performance and thought it was amazing what the boys did with very litte game experience.  This was Dortmund's third consecutive qualification for the quarter finals.

1. FC Kaiserslautern remains the only non-Bundesliga club in the competition.  Hamburg, Hoffenheim, Dortmund, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt and Bayern move to the quarter finals, which will be played on February 11 and 12.  The draw for the matches will take place on Sunday December 8. 





3 December

1. FC Union Berlin vs 1. FC Kaiserslautern      0-3         
Hamburger SV vs 1. FC Köln                            2-1
Schalke 04 vs 1899 Hoffenheim                         1-3
1. FC Saarbrücken vs Borussia Dortmund        0-2

4 December
               
SC Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen                       1-2
VfL Wolfsburg vs FC Ingolstadt                         2-1
Eintracht Frankfurt vs SV Sandhausen             4-2
FC Augsburg vs Bayern München                      0-2

DFB Cup (German FA Cup): Round of 16: Will the top three advance?

The third round or Group of sixteen (Achtelfinale) of the German FA Federation kicks off on Tuesday, with Bayern Muenchen, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen competing for a slot in the quarter final.  The cup competition is often filled with surprises, where the underdog is capable of defeating some of the top Bundesliga clubs. Will the Bundesliga summit trio survive?

Tuesday Borussia Dortmund travels to Saarbrucken, the only third division club still remaining in the competition.  Three matches feature Bundesliga clubs, SC Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen, FC Bayern vs FC Augsburg and Schalke 04 takes on Hoffenheim.  In three matches top flight clubs host 2nd Bundesliga clubs, Hamburger SV hosts 1.FC Koeln, VFL Wolfsburg hosts FC Ingolstadt and Eintracht Frankfurt hosts SV Sandhausen.

When Saarbruecken meets Dortmund on Tuesday, all eyes will be on Saarbruecken to see if the third division club can upset the third placed club in the Bundesliga. The game will be broadcast in Canada on SNET World at 2:30 pm EST.

Bayern Munich travels to their local rival FC Augsburg. Augsburg, which currently in tenth spot in the Bundesliga and is always a hot number.  Thomas Mueller, during an interview says that Bayern is aware that the DFB Pokal is a knock out competition and that there is no room for errors.  Augsburg has a great fighting spirit and is always a difficult task, even for Bayern.

Leverkusen won its match on Saturday, after receiving a beating from Manchester United midweek.  SC Freiburg has been struggling in the league, but can provide a challenge on home ground.  The question is whether or not Leverkusen can now show consistency, which was missing against Manchester United.  Freiburg can always threaten with quick counters.  Leverkusen's defence needs to be tight, while the Leverkusen attack needs to capitalize.

Whether the top trio will advance to the quarter-final remains to be seen.  On paper their chances look pretty good, but this has never been the determining factor in cup competition.

3 December

1. FC Union Berlin vs 1. FC Kaiserslautern      0-3         
Hamburger SV vs 1. FC Köln                            2-1
Schalke 04 vs 1899 Hoffenheim                         1-3
1. FC Saarbrücken vs Borussia Dortmund        0-2

4 December
               
SC Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen               
VfL Wolfsburg vs FC Ingolstadt               
Eintracht Frankfurt vs SV Sandhausen           
FC Augsburg vs Bayern München