Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both won their early games comfortably. In the Saturday late game, Gladbach embarrassed Schalke.
The Bavarian Derby between Augsburg and Nürnberg played out to a scoreless draw which will leave both sets of supporters unhappy. The point move Nürnberg two points ahead of Hertha Berlin in the table and pulls Augsburg closer to getting out of the relegation zone.
Both sides were hesitant to move into the attack in the first for fear of giving up a goal, and crunching tackles were in demand. Augsburg's Marcel de Jong was substituted after only 8 minutes after a challenge from Mike Frantz. The best chance of the first half fell to the hosts, but Tobias Werner's shot went over the bar.
Nürnberg's Timothy Chandler was involved in most of their better attacks in the second half. A backheel from Chandler put Alexander Esswein through on goal, but his shot went just wide of the post. A little later, Chandler came down the right flank and put a beautiful left-footed curler on target, but Augsburg's Simon Jentzsch made a spectacular save to keep the game scoreless.
Augsburg turned on the pressure for the final few minutes, but they were unable to find the winner.
Borussia Mönchengladbach used a dominate first half to beat Schalke 04 3-0 in front of a packed house at Borussia Park. Both clubs put in uncharacteristically poor performances last weekend and were hoping to put that behind them this week.
Gladbach struck first just two minutes into the match when Marco Reus spun his defender, took two touches, and put it far post past Lars Unnerstall. Patrick Herrmann played a perfect ball to Reus, and the Dortmund man continued his excellent form with a great finish.
Schalke struggled to produce anything productive and were caught sleeping defensively just twelve minutes later. Mike Hanke and Juan Arango played a beautiful one-two in the Schalke penalty area, and Hanke curled it around a helpless Unnerstall.
At the half hour mark, Schalke defender Benedikt Höwedes was shown a yellow for a bad tackle on Reus. Arango and Reus lined up by the ball for the free kick. Arango touched it to Reus who stopped it dead, and Arango curled the free kick into the far corner. Gladbach were up 3-0 after only 32 minutes, and they weren't looking back.
The second half ran through without any true moments of brilliance from either side. Schalke could never get their attack going, and Gladbach played the final forty five minutes coasting to an impressive victory that moves them into third place just one point behind Bayern Munich and three points behind Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both grabbed victories early on Saturday, putting the pressure on Schalke 04 and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the late game. Elsewhere, Stuttgart destroyed Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim gave up another heartbreaking late goal.
David Alaba playerd in place of Bastian Schweinsteiger for the Bavarians, while Arjen Robben was benched as a coach's decision, and not because of any fitness concerns. The results were very good, as Bayern Munich coasted to victory and their midfield five looked excellent. Mario Gomez scored with a header in the fifth minute, assisted by a Franck Ribery cross, and Bayern put it on cruise control after that. Thomas Müller added a second with a brilliant header on a set piece.
Borussia Dortmund had their way with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, but their finishing was poor, while Bernd Leno had a good game in goal for Bayer. Had either the finishing or goalkeeping been average, Der BVB probably would have won by three or four goals. The lone goal in the match was scored by Shinji Kagawa just before the stroke of halftime. BVB goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller was untested, and Bayer do not look like a team able to contend with Barcelona.
Mohamed Zidan couldn't get on the pitch at Dortmund with Robert Lewandowski and Lucas Barrios ahead of him, but the Egyptian international is looking like a brilliant signing for Thomas Tuchel. He netted his second goal in as many games for Mainz, giving them the winner with his 7th minute strike. Mainz are putting together some decent results, and are now seven points clear of the relegation playoff.
Hertha are still two points clear of the relegation places, but they look very much like a team that will struggle to fight off the drop after this woeful performance. Vedad Ibisevic and Martin Harnik absolutely tore them to pieces, with the former scoring Stuttgart's first goal and assisting on Harnik's first, the team's second. Hertha's Andreas Ottl was shown red shortly after the second goal, at which point things got truly ugly. Shinji Okazaki scored the third, while Harnik would complete a hat trick later to finish off the 5-0 rout.
Hoffenheim's defense played well on the road for 90 minutes against Werder Bremen, but couldn't close out the game as they allowed a stoppage time equalizer. Jannik Vestergaard scored for Hoffenheim off of a corner kick in the 4th minute, and Werder goalkeeper Tim Wiese should have done better on the goal. They held onto their lead until the very end, when Marko Arnautovic netted the equalizer, capitalizing on a knockdown by Markus Rosenberg.
At the beginning of the season, no one could have predicted that a February match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke 04 would have serious title implications for both teams. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are still the two favorites to take the Bundesliga crown, but this is truly a four-way race, and either team can establish themselves as a very clear third favorite with a win on Saturday.
Marco Reus -- who has agreed to a summer move to Dortmund -- has been absolutely brilliant for Gladbach this season. However, he was absolutely woeful last week against Wolfsburg in a very odd and uncharacteristic 0-0 draw. Perhaps Reus and company got caught looking ahead to Schalke, and Lucien Favre will be hoping that's the only reason his team didn't play well last week. Similar things can be said about Schalke, who were poor in the first half of their 1-1 draw against Mainz.
Schalke won the first game between the two teams at home, but were hardly dominant in an entertaining match with dozens more chances than goals. Raul came up with the only finish in that match, putting one past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in a 1-0 victory.
Gladbach have a fully fit team to choose from, while Schalke have a couple of injury issues. Alexander Baumjohann and Lewis Holtby are still injured, but Schalke are deep with wingers and attacking midfield players.
Game Date/Time: Saturday, February 11, 12:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. local
Venue: Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany
Once again, Bayern Munich will be without Bastian Schweinsteiger for an extended period of time. Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Thomas Müller provide the flash, but Schweini is almost unquestionably the engine that makes Bayern go, and they were average in his previous absence. Getting used to a month without Schweinsteiger won't be easy, so the Bavarians are lucky that they're starting with a home game against average opposition.
Kaiserslautern currently sit in the relegation playoff spot, and their inability to score is likely to keep them in the bottom three. They're the worst scoring team in the Bundesliga with just 15 goals from 20 games, and they're only being kept remotely respectable by a solid defense.
David Alaba will likely replace Schweinsteiger for Bayern, while Jupp Heyneckes has hinted that he will bench Robben and play a band of three of Ribery, Müller and Toni Kroos behind striker Mario Gomez. 'Lautern have just one injury concern, with Ariel Borysiuk missing out due to injury after starting last week.
Game Date/Time: Saturday, February 11, 9:30 a.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. local
Venue: Allianz-Arena, Munich, Germany
TV: ESPN Deportes
Online: ESPN3
Bayer Leverkusen sit on just 31 points in a disappointing sixth place in the Bundesliga, but based on their Champions League performances and their best performances during this Bundesliga season, they shouldn't be a walkover for Borussia Dortmund. That is, assuming that Bayer are not looking ahead. In just four days time, they host FC Barcelona at the BayArena in the UEFA Champions League.
Bayer's play in the league this season suggests that the Champions League was always the priority, and that they don't have the team to compete on both fronts. This did not appear to be the case for Der BVB, but they were bounced out of Europe in disappointing fashion, and now just have the Bundesliga to focus on.
Mario Götze is the only absentee for Jurgen Klopp, who will be able to play close to his strongest side. Michal Kadlec and Sidney Sam are both out injured for Bayer, but Renato Augusto has just recently returned to full fitness. Robin Dutt has had a selection dilemma when all of Sam, Augusto, Michael Ballack and Andre Schürrle are fit, and he should have no such dilemma on Saturday.
Game Date/Time: Saturday, February 11, 9:30 a.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. local
Venue: Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany
TV: GolTV (USA and Canada)
Wolfsburg may have earned three points against lowly Freiburg during the Bundesliga's Friday match, but they certainly weren't very impressive in doing so. Instead of systematically grinding Freiburg to dust, the hosts played an incredibly open game and nearly payed the price. Things started well, with Petr Jiracek sliding home a smart finish in the fifth minute for his first Wolfsburg goal, but before long the visitors had leveled after Johannes Flum blasted a loose ball past Diego Benaglio to make it 1-1.
It was an incredibly frenetic game at the VW-Arena, and it took Wolfsburg just four minutes to put their noses back in front, a suspiciously offside-looking Giovanni Sio pulling off a deft backheel for Marcel Schafer to convert from close range. Of course, Freiburg then added plenty of pressure of their own, and Daniel Caligiuri curled a brilliant effort in off Benaglio's post to draw the visitors even once more.
There was time enough left in the first half for each side to clear a ball off the line, and although the game naturally couldn't sustain its initial furious pace it was still reasonably entertaining after the break. Wolfsburg took the lead for the third time on the night when Jiracek tried an optimistic long-range effort that took a nasty deflection and ballooned it's way past a helpless Oliver Baumann, to make it 3-2, and this time it was simply too much for Freiburg to come back from. Not exactly an authoritative performance from the hosts, that.
The Bundesliga returns for another weekend of fantastic football and raucous crowds.
Just when he returned to the squad and appeared to be getting back into the swing of things, Bastian Schweinsteiger will be out again. The Bayern midfielder injured his ankle in the 2-0 win over Stuttgart in the DFB Pokal. This injury is expected to keep him out for a few weeks.
In your humble writer's personal opinion, there is no player in Europe as valuable to the performance of his club than Schweinsteiger is to Bayern Munich. Not having him available for a match dramatically exposes the lack of depth that Bayern has. Jupp Heynckes has been trying to find the best formation that (a) works and (b) gets all of the best players on the pitch. A combination of Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos in the central midfield hasn't worked. There needs to be a defensive presence in this position like Luis Gustavo. I think it's likely that Heynckes partners Gustavo and Kroos in the midfield with Ribery, Müller, and Robben in the attack.
Bayern faces Kaiserslautern this weekend and Freiburg next weekend. Neither should put up a strong challenge tot he Bavarians. February 26 sees them taking on Schalke in another huge clash at the top of the table. Schweinsteiger likely won't make it back before then. These next two matches are huge for the club to figure out the best way to be productive offensively while retaining and defensive shape.
Two of Wolfsburg's three Rückrunde matches were against Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach. While they lost to Bayern, they managed to pick up a point last week in a rather dull draw with Gladbach. Combine that with the three points they picked up against Köln, and they have to enjoy their current situation.
They face Freiburg on Friday. On paper, this is a match that Wolfsburg should win. A win sees them jump into 8th place, and they would be only 3 points behind 7th. After some awful performances early in the season, Magath seems to have figured out his team.
Did I doubt The Magath? No. I never doubted The Magath. (Just take my word on it!)
Gladbach and Schalke are set to engage in an epic battle on Saturday afternoon. The match is very important for both clubs as they sit on 41 (Schalke) and 40 (Gladbach) points. If Schalke can manage a victory and push their lead to four points, it will have Gladbach playing catch-up for the final automatic place in next season's Champions League Group Stage.
I want to make a prediction for this match, but I'm conflicted. Gladbach have the best defense in the league, but I see The Hunter striking in the match. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has scored 16 goals this year, With the return of Jefferson Farfan, Schalke will boost their attack tremendously. Chinedu Obasi has been impressive since his move in the transfer window, and he and Farfan should cause chaos against the Gladbach back four. Filip Daem and Tony Jantschke will have their work cut out for them from the fullback position. Keeping Obasi and Farfan from getting too deep down the wings will be their top priority.
Mike Hanke and Marco Reus going up against the Schalke centerbacks Benedikt Höwedes and Kyriakos Papadopoulos will be the match-up to watch on the other end. Papadopoulos hasn't always been the most convincing defensive presence, and Höwedes is still recovering from his facial injuries. Lars Unnerstall will need to be massive in the goal if Reus is able to get through the back line.
Friday, February 10
Wolfsburg vs Freiburg
Saturday, February 11
Bayern Munich vs Kaiserslautern
Werder Bremen vs Hoffenheim
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen
Stuttgart vs Hertha Berlin
Mainz 05 vs Hannover 96
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Schalke 04
Sunday, February 12
Augsburg vs Nürnberg
Köln vs Hamburg
Köln Vs. Hamburg, 2012 Bundesliga: Paolo Guerrero Scores Late Winner For Hamburg
It took 88 minutes, but a Paolo Guerrero winner gave Hamburg a huge 1-0 victory in Köln. The last grasp winner sees Hamburg jump from 13th to 10th, and they are now level on points with Stuttgart.
The goal came when Mladen Petric's quick touch put Guerrero through Köln's backline, and the Peruvian international was able to lift the ball just past Michael Rensing and a ridiculously tight angle. Köln defender Pedro Geromel was unable to clear the ball off of the goal line.
Köln started the match in a near all-defensive approach. Their first real chance of the match didn't come until the half hour mark, but Milivoje Novakovic was beat to the ball by Hamburg goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny. The hosts did get a goal in the 62nd minute through Martin Lanig, but the assistant referee's flag was lifted for offside.
Hamburg turned up the pressure after this, and Rensing became a very busy man in the Köln net. He made a few excellent saves on Petric and Guerrero before the winning goal was scored.
Feb 12 10:28p by Phillip Quinn - 0 comments