Karlsruher SC – Borussia Dortmund 0:1
The Friday night game saw Dortmund edge out an important away win by a Zidan goal. Dortmund is certainly amongst the surprise teams this season and put in another satisfying performance for their fans. Only Alexander Frei remains a problem for the club as he still is not back to the starting eleven despite being match fit. Karlsruhe with another unlucky loss is going deeper into the lower regions of the table and will have to be careful. The Baden club desperately needs more points to leave the bottom three. It is going to be the expected tough season for them that might end in relegation if the team cannot step it up soon and start winning games.
Bayern Munich – Energie Cottbus 4:1
It was another gala by French star midfielder Ribéry. His vintage performance secured another extremely convincing win. The Frenchman now scored for six games in a row and is not only goal scorer but also assistant to many Bayern goals. He must be considered the best player in the league now. Cottbus once more was left without a chance and hit bottom rock at the table now. The eastern German side will need a miracle to survive this season and with little money in their pockets, the club is unlikely to bring in better players in the next transfer window.
FC Schalke 04 – Borussia M’gladbach 3:1
In a western German encounter Schalke was simply too strong for Gladbach. After having lost two games in the row, Schalke was seeking three points at home against struggling Gladbach. The game did not provide too much excitement as it was already decided in the first half and all goals were scored within the first 45 minutes. Schalke now needs to keep track and win games in order to not lose touch to the top teams while Gladbach will hope for a better home run than their recent away run.
VfL Wolfsburg – VfB Stuttgart 4:1
At half time everything was fine for the visitors who were 1-0 ahead. Only 45 minutes everything was different and Stuttgart lost yet another away game against a direct competitor for international qualification. Stuttgart was hammered 4:1 which was reason enough for the board to sack Armin Vah the next day. New team coach is Markus Babbel now. Wolfsburg, with an outstanding striker pair Dzeko and Grafite look ready to seriously attack the top four. Stuttgart is no more than an average and inconsistent team this season and is far behind its own expectations.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Hannover 96 4:0
Frankfurt secured its highest win of the season in a game that excited the home crowd. Slowly getting back on track, the team from the Main River is enjoying a good autumn time while the visitors from Hanover are again deep in trouble. Having expected a chance for the top midfield spots in the table, Hanover now is facing a tough battle in the lower regions instead. According to the board, the coach is not in consideration, also due to many injuries that keep him from playing his best possible eleven.
VfL Bochum – Hertha BSC 2:3
Hertha BSC is now 4th on the table which comes as a surprise for many football fans in the country. It looks as if their Swiss coach Favre now has settled in Berlin and the team is adopting to his ideas. Hertha easily controlled the game in the first half and took a three goal lead. Fighting Bochum tried its best in the second half but only managed to score two more goals which were not enough. Berlin is now facing Cologne on Friday and wants to underline its ambition. A good performance in the Bochum game shall give them self confidence. Bochum on the other hand will face a battle in the lower regions as many other teams but the reaction shown by the team in the second half should give them hope as well.
Arminia Bielefeld – Bayer Leverkusen 2:1
Armina has a shock win up their sleeves against Leverkusen. Wichniarek scored another goal in a vital win for the hosts. Arminia will be more than happy with the win and the desperately needed three points in their bid against relegation this season. Leverkusen is now down from cloud number nine. Adler’s mistake against England during the week must have shaken the goalie because he also was to blame for the second goal by Bielefeld. All in all Leverkusen players have had a disappointing week and will try their best to make up on the weekend at home.
1.FC Cologne – 1899 Hoffenheim 1:3
A heated game took place in Cologne which ended with one red card on each side and four goals. While the cards were evenly shared, Hoffenheim had no intension to also share the score and deservedly won the match. 1899’s Ibisevic scored two goals again and now has scored a total of 16 goals in only 14 games, a sensational record. Cologne could not convince in their offensive play and hardly created danger for the guests. Only Novakovic seems to be a problem for the defenders. The team from Germany’s western region will need to play more creative and stronger in the defense in order to win points on their trip to Berlin on Friday. Hoffenheim is table leader and are looking forward to the big clashes against top teams.
Hamburger SV – Werder Bremen 2:1
The old northern German derby was won by Hamburg. It was a very emotional but also interesting game between the two sides which both needed the three points that were at stake in order to stay in touch with the top spots. All in all both teams were equal and a dream goal by Croatian international Olic decided the derby in favor of Hamburg. Bremen, that started the season in hopes to be one of the main contenders for the championship will now have to win a few games in order to be in the top group again while HSV managed to stay in touch and still hopes to get even closer to the table leaders Hoffenheim.
