Germany are only in their second round after taking a month off for the winter break, but it’s already clear that there will be plenty of movement in the table in the second half of the season. Well, there’s the potential for movement in slots 3-16, anyway. It’s almost certain Bayern Munich will win the title, while it’s looking more and more unlikely that Bayer Leverkusen will be ousted from second. At the bottom, Braunschweig and Nurnberg look like they’ll get relegated - unless Nurnberg pull off their second win of the season on Sunday, that is.
Friday’s Results
Braunschweig 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund managed to hang on to third place this week, but bottom side Braunschweig gave them a bit of a scare first. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring, heading on a ball from Robert Lewandowski. But Braunschweig, who’d scored just 10 goals thus far this season, by far the worst in the league, took advantage of Dortmund’s defensive weaknesses, with Benjamin Kessel scoring after a corner. Aubameyang came back to score another, but it was a sore reminder for Jürgen Klopp’s men of just how frail Dortmund are at the moment.
Saturday’s Results
Augsburg 3-1 Werder Bremen
Beating Werder Bremen gave Augsburg a big boost toward the European positions, putting them within two points of Wolfsburg in sixth. But the hosts very nearly made a hash of it right from the start, with Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker scoring an own goal within three minutes. Tobias Werner equalized for the hosts before the break, but the real turning point was likely when Santiago Garcia was sent off with a second yellow, forcing Bremen to play the second half down a man. Augsburg took advantage, with Halil Altintop and André Hahn scoring before the hour was out.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Stuttgart
Leverkusen are back to within ten points of league leaders Bayern Munich, but that’s mostly because the Bavarian giants have yet to play this weekend. Moritz Leitner gave the visitors an early lead, but Stefan Kießling had equalized before thirty minutes were out. The hosts had a bit of trouble finding the winner, but finally Eren Derdiyok got on the end of a cross from Sidney Sam, heading in in the 84th minute.
Hoffenheim 3-0 Hamburg
Hamburg remain in the relegation places after barely putting up a fight against Hoffenheim. The hosts scored three within an hour, the goals coming from Roberto Firmino, Niklas Süle and Andreas Beck.
Mainz 2-0 Freiburg
Freiburg remain just one point clear of the relegation zone, quite a drop from their fifth placed finish of last season. The visitors managed just one shot on target, giving Mainz a rather easy time of it. Joo-Ho Park and Ja-Cheol Koo were the goalscorers for the hosts.
Schalke 2-1 Wolfsburg
Schalke have moved up into fourth thanks to a run of four unbeaten matches. Felipe Santana scored early on for the hosts, who must’ve thought the game was a lock when Daniel Caligiuri was sent off with a straight red in the 50th minute. But despite being down a man, Maximilian Arnold managed to score for the visitors, and it took an 81st minute goal from Kevin-Prince Boateng to secure all three points for Schalke.
Hannover 3-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Hannover may not be doing all that well this season, but their home remains a near-fortress, and they’ve proved it by defeating Gladbach, who were in fourth before they made the trip east. Artjoms Rudnevs broke the deadlock in the 57th minute, but it wasn’t until the final ten minutes that things got really exciting. Mame Biram Diouf added another in the 82nd, but Peniel Kokou Mlapa put Gladbach within one just two minutes later. Diouf put in his second in the 90th minute, sealing all three points for Hannover.
Sunday’s Fixtures
Hertha Berlin vs. Nurnberg
After a great start to the season, Hertha have now slipped into eighth. The Bundesliga newcomers show an interesting inconsistency, going unbeaten in December - even beating Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion - then losing to relegation-threatened Eintracht in their first game back after the break. If The Old Lady have issues with Nurnberg, second from bottom, we’ll know they’re really on the downward slide.
Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich play a rare Sunday match, usually reserved for teams inhabiting the bottom of the Bundesliga table, but it’s likely because they had a midweek fixture away at Stuttgart. But with Bayern still unbeaten this season, and having dropped points just twice thus far, this match’s outcome already seems preordained.