Bundesliga Matchday 7 Preview: FCB and BVB try to break gridlock, crunchtime for Freiburg

With the midweek DFB Pokal competition out of the way, all eyes will turn to the Bundesliga. With only three goals separating top runners Bayern and Dortmund, both sides will attempt to gain the point advantage and the top of the table.  Pep Guardiola and Juergen Klopp rested some of their star players during the DFB Pokal and should be well prepared to meet the challenges.  For SC Freiburg its crunch time if the side is to move up from the leagues basement.

Both Bayern and Dortmund have home pitch advantage when Bayern hosts Wolfsburg and Dortmund hosts beleaguered SC Freiburg on Saturday.  For Freiburg it will be a major task to overcome the Borussen.  Wolfsburg, currently in sixth spot with three wins and three losses, the appearance at the Allianz arena will be a difficult one.

The Friday opener, which will be broadcast and GolTV Canada at 2:30 pm EDT, will feature FC Augsburg hosting Bourussia Moenchengladbach. Both sides have nine points to their credit, with three wins and three losses.

Third placed Bayer Leverkusen hosts fourth placed Hannover 96.  Both teams need a win to maintain contact with the leaders of the league.  The home team advantage has to go to Leverkusen.  Hannover also has to overcome the midweek thumping by FC Bayern.  Hoffenheim hosts Schalke 04 and the two clubs are separated by one point.  Schalke needs a success to live up to the expectations of a top contender in the Bundesliga.  This may be a difficult task in Sinsheim.

Berlin hosts Mainz 05 and both sides were eliminated by 2nd Bundesliga outfits, Koeln and Kaiserslautern from DFB Cup competition.  Despite an early surge in the league this season, both sides have now suffered losses and will try to  make up the deficit.  Berlin has the home pitch advantage.

The final Saturday match is in Frankfurt with Hamburg as the visitors.  Both teams require a success story.  This should be a closely contested match and all bets are off.

To conclude the matchday, Werder Bremen host Nuernberg and Stuttgart travels to Braunschweig.

With six games in the books, a pattern is emerging with Bayern and Dortmund establishing their dominance of the league.  Leverkusen and Hannover are still close enough to challenge the league leaders, making their result important this weekend.  Failing disasters, both Dortmund and Munich should emerge victorious.  With Champions League week ahead of the sides next week, the line ups will be based on strategy.  Dortmund will host Olympique Marseille next Tuesday, while Bayern travels to Manchester City.  Schalke 04 travels to Basel, while Leverkusen takes on San Sebastian at home. 


Friday 27 September

FC Augsburg vs Borussia M'gladbach   2-2

Saturday 28 September

Borussia Dortmund vs SC Freiburg     
FC Bayern vs VfL Wolfsburg     
Bayer Leverkusen vs Hannover 96     
1899 Hoffenheim vs Schalke 04     
Hertha BSC vs FSV Mainz 05     
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Hamburger SV     

Sunday 29 September
Werder Bremen vs Nürnberg     
Eintracht Braunschweig vs VFB Stuttgart


Place-----Team-----------------------GP---W---D----L---GF/GA ---Pts
1--------Borussia Dortmund-----------6----5----1-----0------16:5-------16
2--------FC Bayern Muenchen--------6----5----1-----0------13-2-------16
3--------Bayer Leverkusen-------------6----5----0-----1------15:7-------15
4--------Hannover 96--------------------6----4----0-----2-----10:8-------12
5--------Borussia M'gladbach----------7----3----0-----4-----17:13------10
6--------FCAugsburg--------------------7----3----0-----4------8:11-------10
7--------VFL Wolfsburg-----------------6----3----0-----3-------9:8--------9
8--------Mainz 05-------------------------6----3----0-----3------9:12--- ----9
9-------Werder Bremen------------------6----3----0-----3-------5:8---------9
10------ Hertha BSC Berlin-------------6----2----2-----2-----10:7---------8
11------1899 Hoffenheim--------------- 6----2----2-----2-----15:15--------8
11------VFB Stuttgart--------------------6----2----1-----3-----11:9----------7
13------Eintracht Frankfurt--------------6----2----1-----3-----8:10----------7
14------FC Schalke 04-------------------6----1----1-----4------6:14----------7
15------1. FC Nürnberg------------------6-----0----4-----1-----6:9-----------4
16------Hamburg--------------------------6----1----1-----4-----11:16---------4
17------SC Freiburg----------------------6-----0----3-----3------8:12---------3
18------Eintracht Braunschweig--------6-----0----1-----5------3:15---------1

German FA Cup (DFB Pokal) second round eliminates Hertha, Hannnover and Mainz 05

The DFB Pokal second round features 13 Bundesliga clubs among the 32 contenders, when all was said and done, three, Hertha BSC Berlin, Hannover 96 and Mainz 05, were eliminated.

2nd Bundesliga outfit 1860 Muenchen put up a stellar fight against Juergen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund. In front of 71,000 fans in the Allianz arena, the other Munich team held the Champions League finalist to a scoreless time over 90 minutes.  1860 ran out of steam during overtime and defeated the Lions with two unanswered goals.  Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to sign with Bayern Muenchen in January, was kept in check by the Lions.

Bayern Muenchen hosted Hannover 96 on Wednesday and the side showed its quality once again, when they rolled 4-1 over the guests.  Bayer Leverkusen scored twice against 2nd Bundesliga outfit Arminia Bielefeld to move to the next round. Schalke 04 managed a 3-1 win over Darmstadt 98. 

2nd Bundesligist Kaiserslautern move past Hertha BSC Berlin with a 3-1 win at the Fritz Walter Stadium on the Betzenberg and Mainz 05 lost against 1.FC Koeln.

At the end of the day, ten Bundesliga, five 2nd Bundesliga, and one third league, 1.FC Saarbruecken, will be competing in the third round.  Jogi Low, coach of Germany's national side, will be making the draw on Sunday.  The third round will be played on December 3rd and 4th.

Below are the results of round 2:

September 24
,
Preußen Münster vs FC Augsburg            0-3   
SC Wiedenbrück vs SV Sandhausen          1-3     
1860 München vs Borussia Dortmund    0-2           
VfL Wolfsburg vs VfR Aalen               2-0
Arminia Bielefeld vs Bayer Leverkusen      0-2         
Hamburger SV vs SpVgg Greuther Fürth     1-0          
1899 Hoffenheim vs Energie Cottbus        3-0       
FSV Mainz 05 vs 1. FC Köln   0-1

25 September
           
1. FC Saarbrücken vs SC Paderborn         2-1      
Eintracht Frankfurt vs VfL Bochum          2-0     
FSV Frankfurt vs FC Ingolstadt       0-2        
1. FC Kaiserslautern vs Hertha BSC Berlin   3-1            
VfL Osnabrück vs 1. FC Union Berlin    0-1           
Darmstadt 98 vs Schalke 04              1-3 
Bayern München vs Hannover 96    4-1           
SC Freiburg vs VfB Stuttgart      2-1

FC Bayern: Test Game in Kaiserslautern

With just 11 days prior to the biggest pre-Bundesliga tests of all, the DFB Super Cup, Bayern Muenchen had another successful game against relegated club 1.FC Kaiserslautern.
25,000 spectators watched the game in the Betzenberg's "Fritz Walter Stadium". Schweinsteiger, Alaba, Pizarro, Contendo, Rafinha and Ribery were not in the line-up.
Bayern dominated the game, which wasn't much of a surprise. In the 23rd minute Bayern scored the opening goal, when Gomez missed a pass from Robben inside the 16 meter area, Mueller rushed in and put the ball into the net 1-0 Bayern.Full Story @allvoices.com

Bundesliga Matchday 30 Round Up Dortmund leads with Six Points

Matchday 30 is in the history books and Borussia Dortmund is one step closer to winning the German championship.  In 90 minutes of soccer dominance, Borussia kept their defence tight and took bold steps to remain in the attack.  Meanwhile Bayern tried to build up its game from the midfield, but more often than not failed to penetrate a well organized Dortmund defence. The match of the giants lived up to expectations with plenty of action, but few goals.  Lewandowski finally scored for Borussia and Bayern had about ten minutes to get an equalizer.  Despite a penalty kick by Arjen Robben, which Weidenfeller stopped easily and an Alaba ball that skimmed the inside of the crosspost, Robben missed another chance at an open net from just a few meters away.  Dortmund's win was deserved.  With a six point lead on top of the Bundesliga and only four games remaining, it is unlikely that Munich will catch up and will have to settle for second place.  Munich can redeem itself during the DFB Pokal final next month, when the two teams meet in Berlin.

In other matchday 30 action the surprise was Schalke's loss to Nuernberg 4-1.  However Schalke still holds a four point lead over Stuttgart, which won 3-1 in Augsburg.  Mainz made short business with Koeln with a 4-0 victory, leaving Koeln in danger of relegation, while Mainz, with 36 points should be clear.  Freiburg edged out a 1-2 win in Berlin, also leaving Freiburg a six point cushion, with 35 poitns. Gladbach and Bremen fought to a draw, leaving Gladbach four points short of a Champions League qualification spot. 

Hannover defeated Wolfsburg 2-0, moving them into a Euro League qualification spot. Hoffenheim blastered Hamburg 4-0, moving the 1899 into ninth place, with a chance to reach the seventh spot.

While the League championship is all but determined and Kaiserslautern probably delegated, Hamburg, Augsburg, Berlin and Koeln will battle to avoid delegation.  Munich's only hope now is that Dortmund ends its 24 game undefeated streak.  Matchday 31 goes this coming weekend.


Bundesliga Fixtures Matchday 30

10 April 2012  FC Augsburg vs VFB Stuttgart                              1-3
10 April 2012  FSV Mainz 05 vs 1.FC Koeln                                4-0
10 April 2012 Werder Bremen vs Borussia MoenchGladbach      2-2
10 April 2012 Hertha BSC Berlin vs SC Freiburg                         1-2         
11 April 2012 Hannover 96 vs VFL Wolfsburg                             2-0
11 April 2012 Borussia Dortmund vs FC Bayern Muenchen        1-0
11 April 2012 1.FC Nuernberg vs Schalke 04                                4-1
11 April 2012 1899 Hoffenheim vs Hamburger SV                       4-0
11 April 2012 Bayer Leverkusen vs 1.FC Kaiserslautern               3-1

Bundesliga Table
                                                    GP     W    D    L      GF/A       Pts 
1Borussia Dortmund                    30      21    6    3       67:22       69
2Bayern München                        30      20   3     7       69:20       63
3Schalke 04                                  30      18   3     9       65:39       57
4Borussia Mönchengladbach       30      15   8     7        43:22      53
5VfB Stuttgart                              30      13   7   10        52:40      46
6Bayer Leverkusen                      30      12    8     9        44:38      44
7Hannover 96                               30      11  11     8        39:42      44
8Werder Bremen                          30      11    9   10        43:46      42
9Hoffenheim                                30       10  10  10        38:40      41
10Wolfsburg                                  30       12   4   14        41:54      40
11FSV Mainz 05                           30        9    9  12         47:48      36
12SC Freiburg                               30        9    8  13         41:56      35
131. FC Nürnberg                         30        10    5  15        31:42      35
14Hamburger SV                          30         7   10  13        33:55      31
15FC Augsburg                             30         6  12   12        32:47      30
161. FC Köln                                 30         8    5   17        36:62      29
17Hertha BSC Berlin                     30         6    9  15         34:54      27
181. FC Kaiserslautern                  30         3   11  16         19:44      20

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

Bundesliga Clubs - Champions League Matchday 5

On Champions League Matchday 5 Group Stage three Bundesliga Clubs were in action.  FC Bayern continues to dominate Group A, after defeating Napoli 3-1 and has qualified for the top 16 knock out round.   Leverkusen's last minute goal over Chelsea  gave the Bayer factory team an important win ndin the final group game they will meet Genk, which lost to Valencia 7-0.  Chelsea will host Valencia. 

Leverkusen's fate is in its own hands, a draw between Chelsea and Valencia would move both teams ahead of Leverkusen by goal for goal against difference.  While Leverkusen can move on with a tie, a win against Genk is the best scenario. 

Dortmund, although doing extremely well in the Bundesliga, has found out that the Champions League is not the Bundesliga.  Besides putting extra pressure on the club, the win over Bayern Munich on the weekend seems to have taken its toll on the young team.  Early in the match against Arsenal both Goetze and Bender had to be substituted due to injuries.  Taking two key players out of the team also took its toll.  This is not to take anything away from the Gunners, who put on a superb performance in the Emirates.  Arsenal were able to do what Munich couldn't last Saturday, they penetrated Dortmund's defence.  My hat is off to the Gunners. 

With Dortmund's Champions League Adventure over, the team can now concentrate all their efforts on the Bundesliga.  Several of Dortmund's players play with the national side.  Goetze, Bender, Hummels will continue to see international play.  If there present performance in the Bundesliga continues, they will have another go at the Champions League next year, with a little more experience.

Bayern Muenchen and hopefully Leverkusen will continue to represent the Bundesliga in the Champoions League.  The rubber will hit the road with the knock out round.