Barring a calamitous string of injuries, it’s fair to say the Bundesliga’s best drama will come from the races for second-place and safety.
That’s because Bayern Munich is off to a record-setting pace that sees the club unbeaten through 17 matches after a 2-1 win at Mainz on Friday.
Pep Guardiola’s side carries a gaudy plus-37 goal differential, is 9-0 at home and has five wins and three draws on the road. Mainz kept it close for a while, but a left-footed (!!!) goal from Arjen Robben in the 90th minute gave the league-leaders all three points.
Bayern’s lead in the table remains 11 points, as Wolfsburg beat visiting FC Koln.
[ MORE: Premier League roundup ]
Augsburg 2-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
All the goals had been scored by the time USMNT player Fabian Johnson subbed on for Julian Korb in the 78th minute, and Johnson couldn’t help the visitors find an equalizer. Max Kruse continued his decent season when struck first to give Monchen a 3rd minute lead, but Augsburg is now level on points with a trio of fourth-place teams -- including Saturday’s opponents -- thanks to goals from Markus Feulner and Raul Bobadilla.
Werder Bremen 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Mats Hummels’ 69th minute goal was not enough to rescue still-struggling Borussia Dortmund from yet another loss. Shinji Kagawa’s entrance in the 46th minute provided some spark, but a Fin Bartels goal put Bremen up 2-0 after 62 minutes of play. So it’s late December and BVB is back in the relegation zone. It’s still shocking to read.
Elsewhere
Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt -- Bellarabi scores again, USMNT’s Chandler sees yellow.
Wolfsburg 2-1 FC Koln -- Naldo puts home De Bruyne corner in 78th minute for win.
Schalke 0-0 Hamburger SV -- All HSV subs, including Julian Green, go unused in draw.
Stuttgart 0-0 Paderborn -- Home side inches into safety without scoring.
Hertha Berlin vs. Hoffenheim -- 930am ET Sunday
Freiburg vs. Hannover 96 -- 1130am ET Sunday
Standings |
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Bayern Munich | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 4 | 37 | 9-0-0 | 5-3-0 | 45 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 7-2-0 | 3-2-3 | 34 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 4-5-0 | 3-2-3 | 28 |
| Mönchen | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 5-3-1 | 2-3-3 | 27 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 21 | 7 | 5-3-1 | 3-0-5 | 27 |
| FC Augsburg | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 6-0-2 | 3-0-6 | 27 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 4-2-3 | 2-3-3 | 23 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 25 | -1 | 5-2-2 | 1-3-3 | 23 |
| Hannover 96 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 24 | -5 | 5-0-3 | 2-2-4 | 23 |
| SC Paderborn | 17 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 26 | -5 | 3-4-2 | 1-3-4 | 19 |
| 1. FC Köln | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 23 | -6 | 1-3-4 | 4-1-4 | 19 |
| FSV Mainz 05 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 2-4-2 | 1-5-3 | 18 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 30 | -6 | 4-1-3 | 1-2-5 | 18 |
| Hamburger SV | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 19 | -10 | 3-2-3 | 1-3-5 | 17 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 32 | -12 | 1-2-5 | 3-3-3 | 17 |
| Werder Bremen | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 39 | -13 | 3-3-2 | 1-2-6 | 17 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 26 | -8 | 3-2-3 | 1-1-7 | 15 |
| SC Freiburg | 16 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 23 | -8 | 1-4-2 | 1-4-4 | 14 |