Another busy round of Bundesliga action gets underway this weekend with things hotting up at the top of the table and the battle for survival becoming fiercer at the bottom.
Bayern’s superb win last weekend extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points and with Werder only managing a draw, things have become very interesting with just two points separating second from fifth.
At the bottom things continue to look very bleak for Nürnberg and Energie Cottbus with Bielefeld also desperate for three points.
Hansa Rostock – Wolfsburg
Round 26 kicks-off on Friday evening at the DKB Arena with Hansa Rostock hosting Wolfsburg. Defeat to Stuttgart last weekend extended Hansa’s winless streak to five games, so they will have to start picking up three points, especially at home, if they are to avoid slipping back into the relegation zone.
They are not plying badly right now, as their performance against Stuttgart showed, but they are just not picking up the points they perhaps deserve.
Wolfsburg remain one of the form teams in the Bundesliga with 17 points from a possible 24 in their last eight games. Only a defeat to Karlsruhe has blemished their record this year. Felix Magath will however be without key players Grafite, Alexander Madlung and Ricardo Costa, who are all suspended.
A win is vital for the away side if they are to keep their hopes of a European place alive.
Karlsruhe – Schalke
How much of Schalke’s attention is focussed on their upcoming midweek Champions League quarter final with Barcelona remains to be seen, but a win away to Karlsruhe would go a long way to ensuring they are back in Europe’s Premier club tournament next year.
The Königsblauen currently lie fifth but are just two points behind second place Hamburg. The season is entering a crucial phase for Mirko Slomka’s men as they seek a top three finish. However, an away trip to the Wildparkstadion is no easy task, and Schalke will want to avoid a repetition of the 2-0 defeat they suffered earlier in the season at the Veltins Arena.
Karlsruhe themselves will still harbour dreams of a top six finish, but they have fallen away from the pace in recent weeks and currently sit ninth.
Just two wins in their last ten matches has contributed to this dip but they fought back well last weekend against Borussia Dortmund to secure a point. Edmund Becker’s side will be hoping that Schalke are a little preoccupied with the Barcelona Champions League tie.
Nürnberg – Bayern Munich
When you are down at the bottom and in desperate need of points the last thing you want is the league leaders to arrive in top form, but that is what Nürnberg have to face on Saturday.
Bayern looked like they were back to their sizzling best last weekend against Bayer Leverkusen and the 2-1 scoreline just didn’t do their performance justice. If they can reproduce that level of performance it will be difficult to predict anything other than a heavy defeat for Nürnberg.
However, ‘der Klub’ will look to last season for inspiration when in Ottmar Hitzfeld’s first game in charge after returning to the club, Nürnberg inflicted a hefty 3-0 defeat on their Bavarian neighbours.
How things have changed though, with trainer Thomas von Heesen still looking for his first win in his efforts to lift last season’s Cup winners out of the drop-zone. On form, it looks like he will be waiting a little longer for that victory.
Bochum – Borussia Dortmund
A real mid-table clash takes place at the rewirpower Stadion as Bochum host Borussia Dortmund. Just two points separates Bochum in 11th with BVB in 13th.
Bochum will be confident going into the game however with an impressive home record to boast of. Undefeated in their last even home games, Bochum will prove a hard nut to crack for the visiting Dortmund side.
BVB trainer Thomas Doll was angered at his sides draw last weekend against Karlsruhe and will want to see a performance from his side which proves they haven’t taken their eye off of the league, following the reaching of the Cup final. With a Uefa Cup spot all but guaranteed next season, Doll’s job is now to maintain the player’s motivation.
Hamburg – Arminia Bielefeld
Three points are the order of the day for Hamburg as they look to keep their very faint title ambitions alive, or at the very least keep hold of a Champions League qualification spot.
Recent weeks have seen the Hanseaten replace Werder Bremen in second place, but also a few blips which have handed the advantage to leaders Bayern Munich. The likes of Schalke, Leverkusen and Stuttgart are hot on their tails so any more slip-ups are likely to prove costly.
The word free-fall seems like it was designed for Bielefeld. From the lofty position of second in the opening weeks of the season, the Arminen have tumbled down the table and sit precariously one position above the relegation zone. A change of trainer hasn’t had the desired effect and Michael Frontzeck is still awaiting his first win.
An improved performance was seen last week as they held Werder Bremen to a draw, but an away win at Hamburg may be asking too much. Bielefeld will be delighted with a point and staying out of the bottom three for another week.
Bayer Leverkusen – Eintracht Frankfurt
Last weekend against Bayern Munich, the Bayer players just didn’t show up. The only player to come out of the game with any credit was keeper Rene Adler, who pulled off a number of saves to keep the score respectable. The 2-1 final result was very flattering for Michael Skibbe’s side.
A vast improvement will be demanded on Saturday against Frankfurt at the Bay-Arena. Things have become extremely tight at the top of the table with Leverkusen, Werder Bremen and Schalke all on 44 points, so any slip-up against Frankfurt is sure to be to the other challengers advantage.
A win for Leverkusen would set them up nicely for their Uefa Cup quarter final first leg tie against Zenit St. Petersburg next Thursday.
Frankfurt are another team who have sneaked up the table since the winter break and are the verge of challenging for a Uefa Cup spot. The ‘Adler’ go into the game at the weekend on the back of two impressive wins against Karlsruhe away and Energie Cottbus at home last Thursday.
Werder Bremen – Duisburg
Werder’s season is in danger of unravelling very quickly. For so long Thomas Schaaf’s side were the side seen as most likely to stop Bayern marching to their 20th Bundesliga title. But three defeats in their last five league games and a draw last weekend against struggling Bielefeld has seen the Green and Whites drop down to fourth.
To make matters worse the teams around them have been gaining points and they now have a real fight on their hands to clinch a Champions League berth.
The good news however is that the weekend’s opponents are bottom side Duisburg, so Werder will be confident of three points. The Zebras look like a team destined for the drop with just one win in their last ten games and confidence at a low ebb.
Hannover – Stuttgart
Stuttgart’s topsy-turvy season continues. They are statistically the form side in the Bundesliga at the present moment with five wins in their last six matches and draw in the other. They have climbed the table to be in a real position to challenge for a European place, which seemed a distant possibility earlier in the season during their mini-crisis.
Striker Mario Gomez just can’t seem to stop scoring right now, which was underlined by his two-goal haul for Germany in midweek against Switzerland. Even though they are away from home the Swabians will be confident of bagging another three points.
Hannover will need to up their game considerably after two successive draws with sides struggling at the foot of the table (Duisburg and Bielefeld). With a European place out of reach now, Dieter Hecking’s side are going to have to come to terms with playing against some highly motivated sides, who have something to play for (Europe/ safety).
Energie Cottbus – Hertha Berlin
The two East German sides complete the Round 26 action at the Stadion der Freundschaft in Cottbus. The Lausitzer remain in the bottom three but that could change with three points against the capital club.
Their famous win against Bayern Munich two weeks ago should have acted as the spark to lead them out of trouble, but they were then rather controversially beaten last week by Eintracht Frankfurt. They need to get back on track with another Bayern-like performance against an inconsistent Hertha side.
Berlin have been hit by the injury to Marko Pantelic and much will depend on his availability on Saturday.
Goal.com - Germany - Bundesliga Weekend Preview: Round 26