Bundesliga Matchday 22 - Dortmund takes three point lead, Bayern struggles in Freiburg

With seven games in the books, Bundesliga Matchay 22 saw three of the top four contenders struggle with their opponents.  Dortmund managed to defeat Hertha BSC Berlin by a single goal and has some breathing space at the top of the league with a three point lead over Gladbach, which managed a 2:1 win over Kaiserslautern at the Betzenberg.  FC Bayern struggled against FC Freiburg and were not at all convincing ahead of their Champions League match against FC Basel next Thursday just across the Swiss border from Freiburg.  Although Freiburg's performance decreased late in the second half,
Bayern was unable to capitalize and had to settle for a scoreless draw.  This puts Bayern into third place four points short of first and Dortmund.  Schalke 04 plays tomorrow against Wolfsburg and can move within one point of Bayern.

Bundesliga Matchday 22 Picture Gallery 

Werder Bremen trails the top four by five points after defeating Hamburg 3-1.  Nurnberg moved into 12th place after defeating 1.FC Koeln 2-1.  Leverkusen easily defeated Augsburg with a score of 4-1.  With just two games to go tomorrow the positioning of the top spots won't change tomorrow.  All eyes will be on the Hanover vs Stuttgart game, where Stuttgart will try to clinch a victory.

Matchday 22 Results and Table

17.02.12,20.30	1899 Hoffenheim	-	FSV Mainz 05	1-1
18.02.12,15.30	1. FC Nürnberg	-	1. FC Köln	2-1
18.02.12,15.30	Kaiserslautern	-	Mönchengladbach	1-2
18.02.12,15.30	Hertha BSC Berlin	-	Borussia Dortmund	0-1
18.02.12,15.30	Bayer Leverkusen	-	FC Augsburg	4-1
18.02.12,15.30	Hamburger SV	-	Werder Bremen	1-3
18.02.12,18.30	SC Freiburg	-	Bayern München	0-0
19.02.12,15.30	Schalke 04	-	VfL Wolfsburg	(-:-)
19.02.12,17.30	Hannover 96	-	VfB Stuttgart	(-:-)

Bundesliga Table updated February 18th
                                                             GP     W    D    L    GF/A    Pts 
1Borussia Dortmund                             22     15    4    3      47:14    49
2Borussia Mönchengladbach                22     14    4    4      36:13    46   
3Bayern München                                 22     14    3    5      49:14    45
4Schalke 04                                           21     13    2    6      46:28    41
5Werder Bremen                                   22      10     6    6     37:36    36
6Bayer Leverkusen                               22       9     7    6      31:29    34
7Hannover 96                                        21       7   10    4     23:25    31
8VfL Wolfsburg                                     21       8     3  10     27:38    27
9VfB Stuttgart                                        21       7     5    9     31:28   26
101899 Hoffenheim                                22       6      8   8    24:26    26
11Hamburger SV                                    22       6     8    8    27:37    26
121. FC Nürnberg                                   22       7      4  11    21:32    25
12FSV Mainz 05                                     22      5      9    8    30:36    24
131. FC Köln                                          22       7      3  12    30:42    24
13FSV Mainz 05                                     22      5      9    8    30:36    24
15Hertha BSC Berlin                              22       4      8  10    25:37   20
161. FC Kaiserslautern                            22       3      9  10   16:28   18
17FC Augsburg                                       22        3      9  10  20:37    18
18SC Freiburg                                         22        4      5  13   27:47   18

Bundesliga Matchay 22 Opener - Hoffenheim and Mainz Draw in Mediocre match

Matchday 22 didn't open with the bang many had hoped for.  Both Mainz and Hoffenheim needed a win, yet both teams seemed to be content with a 1-1 draw.

Both goals in the first half were scored by Mainz.  The first in the ninth minute when Nikolce Noveski transported the ball past Christian Wetklo when he touched the ball somewhat unlucky after a pass from Hoffenheim's Roberto Fimino into the five meter area.  Wetklo had no chance.  While Hoffenheim was contend to close up its rear during the first half, Mainz had difficulty with penetrating the Hoffenheim defence.

In the 29th minute Radovlak Zabavnik passed the ball sharp into the five meter area, where Mohamed Zidan moved onto the ball and pushed it into the net for the equalizer.  This was Zidan's third gaol in as many matches with Mainz.

The second half saw some offensive play by both sides, but overall it was a meek second half.  The final result of 1-1 is fully justified.

Tomorrow the Bayern, Dortmund and Glabach will meet to contend for the top spot.  Only five points separate the top four of the league with another eight points to fifth place.  Schalke, presently holding fourth spot will not play until Sunday.

17.02.12,20.30	1899 Hoffenheim	-	FSV Mainz 05	1-1
18.02.12,15.30	1. FC Nürnberg	-	1. FC Köln	2-1
18.02.12,15.30	Kaiserslautern	-	Mönchengladbach	1-2
18.02.12,15.30	Hertha BSC Berlin	-	Borussia Dortmund	0-1
18.02.12,15.30	Bayer Leverkusen	-	FC Augsburg	4-1
18.02.12,15.30	Hamburger SV	-	Werder Bremen	1-3
18.02.12,18.30	SC Freiburg	-	Bayern München	0-0
19.02.12,15.30	Schalke 04	-	VfL Wolfsburg	(-:-)
19.02.12,17.30	Hannover 96	-	VfB Stuttgart	(-:-)

Bundesliga Table updated February 18th
                                                             GP     W    D    L    GF/A    Pts 
1Borussia Dortmund                             22     15    4    3      47:14    49
2Borussia Mönchengladbach                22     14    4    4      36:13    46   
3Bayern München                                 22     14    3    5      49:14    45
4Schalke 04                                           21     13    2    6      46:28    41
5Werder Bremen                                   22      10     6    6     37:36    36
6Bayer Leverkusen                               22       9     7    6      31:29    34
7Hannover 96                                        21       7   10    4     23:25    31
8VfL Wolfsburg                                     21       8     3  10     27:38    27
9VfB Stuttgart                                        21       7     5    9     31:28   26
101899 Hoffenheim                                22       6      8   8    24:26    26
11Hamburger SV                                    22       6     8    8    27:37    26
121. FC Nürnberg                                   22       7      4  11    21:32    25
12FSV Mainz 05                                     22      5      9    8    30:36    24
131. FC Köln                                          22       7      3  12    30:42    24
13FSV Mainz 05                                     22      5      9    8    30:36    24
15Hertha BSC Berlin                              22       4      8  10    25:37   20
161. FC Kaiserslautern                            22       3      9  10   16:28   18
17FC Augsburg                                       22        3      9  10  20:37    18
18SC Freiburg                                         22        4      5  13   27:47   18

Bundesliga - Matchday 22 - February 17th to 19th 2012 Preview

 The top four teams in the Bundesliga are within five points of one another, with Borussia Dortmund enjoying a two point lead over Bayern Muenchen.  Dortmund has also managed to close the goal difference gap with Munich to within three goals.  Second place Bayern enjoys a one point gap over third place Borussia MoenchenGladbach, while Schalke 04 has lost some ground and trails Gladbach by two.

The relegation battle or the battle to avoid relegation is getting critical for Kaiserslautern, Augsburg and SC Freiburg.  With this setting Bundesliga Matchday 22 gets underway today with an opener in Hoffenheim against Mainz 05.  Both Hoffenheim and Mainz have not been firing on all cylinders this season and both teams are under a lot of pressure to bring home the points.  Hoffenheim fans are near revolt.

Dortmund plays in Berlin tomorrow and can extend its league lead with a win, while Berlin could slip into the relegation zone with a loss. FC Bayern is guest in Freiburg and will try to continue its success of the DFB Pokal win over Stuttgart and last week's win over Kaiserslautern.  A win will also give Munich a boost ahead of its Championship league match next week in Basel, just across the border from Freiburg.  Gladbach meets 16th place Kaiserslautern, while Schalke hosts VFL Wolfsburg.

By any measure, the top four teams should win their matches this weekend, but nothing is every fact in the Bundesliga until the 90 minute whistle ends the game.  Look for some surprises, but overall nothing much should change at the top.  The relegation zone may be further solidified, SC Freiburg will have its challenges to gain any points against Bayern. Leverkusen host FC Augsburg, while Kaiserslautern has the difficult task against Borussia MoenchenGladbach.

There will surely be surprises to come, but who will provide them?  Below are this weekends fixtures:

17.02.12,20.30	1899 Hoffenheim	-	FSV Mainz 05	1-1
18.02.12,15.30	1. FC Nürnberg	-	1. FC Köln	(-:-)
18.02.12,15.30	Kaiserslautern	-	Mönchengladbach	(-:-)
18.02.12,15.30	Hertha BSC Berlin	-	Borussia Dortmund	(-:-)
18.02.12,15.30	Bayer Leverkusen	-	FC Augsburg	(-:-)
18.02.12,15.30	Hamburger SV	-	Werder Bremen	(-:-)
18.02.12,18.30	SC Freiburg	-	Bayern München	(-:-)
19.02.12,15.30	Schalke 04	-	VfL Wolfsburg	(-:-)
19.02.12,17.30	Hannover 96	-	VfB Stuttgart	(-:-)

Bundesliga Table updated February 11th
                                                             GP     W    D    L    GF/A    Pts 
1Borussia Dortmund                             21     14    4    3      46:14    46      
2Bayern München                                 21     14    2    5      49:14    44
3Borussia Mönchengladbach                21     13    4    4      34:12    43
4Schalke 04                                           21     13    2    6      46:28    41
5Werder Bremen                                   21       9     6    6     34:35    33
6Bayer Leverkusen                               21       8     7    6     28:28    31
7Hannover 96                                        21       7   10    4     23:25   31
8VfL Wolfsburg                                     21       8     3  10     27:38   27
9VfB Stuttgart                                        21       7     5    9     31:28   26
101899 Hoffenheim                                22       6      8   8    24:26    26
11Hamburger SV                                    21       6     8    7    26:34    26
12FSV Mainz 05                                     22      5      9    8    30:36   24
131. FC Köln                                          21       7      3  11   29:41    24
13FSV Mainz 05                                     22      5      9    8    30:36   24
141. FC Nürnberg                                   21       6      4  11    19:31   22
15Hertha BSC Berlin                              21       4      8    9    25:36   20
161. FC Kaiserslautern                            21       3      9    9   15:26   18
17FC Augsburg                                       21        3      9    9  19:33    18
18SC Freiburg                                         21        4      4  13   27:47   17