Bundesliga
Bundesliga
20.11.2009 17:21:52
Demba Ba in full flight for Hoffenheim against Köln last season
Unlikely dogfight in Stuttgart
There is plenty at stake at both ends of the table in the rest of the Saturday action. Werder Bremen have the chance to draw level on points with leaders Leverkusen, while Hertha travel to Stuttgart desperate for a result to help them out of an increasingly dire-looking predicament.
VfB Stuttgart - Hertha BSC
At the start of the season, few would have bet on this being a clash of fourth-bottom against bottom going into matchday 13. The hosts have shown signs of regaining a measure of stability in their most recent outings, without being able to convert their improved form into much in the way of points.
Stuttgart have been unable to find the net in their last 287 minutes of Bundesliga action, although even that pales in comparison with Hertha's 441-minute goal drought. That impressive total, combined with the fact that 0-0 is the most common single outcome of games between these two sides (seven times to date), would seem to suggest the fans in the Mercedes-Benz Arena are unlikely to witness a goalfest.
VfB coach Markus Babbel has Ciprian Marica on standby to partner Pavel Pogrebnyak up front if Cacau is still short of full match fitness following his torn muscle fibre. His Hertha counterpart Friedhelm Funkel may consider playing the versatile Lukasz Piszczek in midfield in place of the suspended Raffael.
Possible line-ups
Stuttgart: Lehmann (1) - Träsch (35), Niedermeier (6), Delpierre (17), Boka (15) - Kuzmanovic (32) - Gebhart (13), Hitzlsperger (11) - Hleb (23) - Pogrebnyak (29), Cacau (18)
Hertha BSC: Drobny (1) - Piszczek (26), A. Friedrich (3), von Bergen (4), Pejcinovic (5) - Nicu (25), Lustenberger (28), Cicero (7), Kacar (44) - Domovchiyski (23), Wichniarek (18)
1. FC Köln - 1899 Hoffenheim
A meeting of two sides who have been giving little away this season – eleven goals apiece in the Bundesliga, to be precise. Hoffenheim have proven the more adept at putting the ball in the back of the net themselves, resulting in their going into this one in seventh place on 20 points, with Köln back in 13th on 12. The home side have in fact scored just seven times in their twelve league games to date – a joint division low shared with cellar-dwellers Hertha.
In their debut Bundesliga campaign, Hoffenheim took maximum points from the Billy Goats, winning 3-1 away and 2-0 at home. This season, they have won all six matches played against teams from the lower half of the table, while Köln have lost all six games in which they have found themselves behind.
Possible line-ups
Köln: Mondragon (1) - Brecko (2), Geromel (21), Mohamad (3), Ehret (22) - Pezzoni (17) - Petit (8), Maniche (12) - Freis (7), Novakovic (11), Podolski (10)
Hoffenheim:Hildebrand (28) - Beck (2), Simunic (14), Compper (5), Eichner (8) - Carlos Eduardo (33), Luiz Gustavo (21), Salihovic (23) - Maicosuel (7), Ibisevic (19), Ba (9)
Eintracht Frankfurt - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Frankfurt will be looking to maintain their good historical record against Mönchengladbach, the side they have beaten most often down the years in the Bundesliga, coming out on top in 29 of their 73 previous meetings (22 draws). Michael Skibbe has meanwhile yet to lose to Borussia as a coach, racking up four wins and two draws in his six encounters with them to date.
That balance will not however be unduly off-putting to a Gladbach side who, since ending a five-game losing streak, have managed to take five points from their last three matches. Coach Michael Frontzeck – himself seeking a first win against Eintracht at the sixth time of trying – has the option of playing either Karim Matmour or Roberto Colautti up front for the injured Raul Bobadilla.
Possible line-ups
Frankfurt: Nikolov (1) - P. Ochs (2), Franz (4), Russ (23), Spycher (16) - Chris (29), Schwegler (27) - Bajramovic (8) - Teber (6), Köhler (7) - Meier (14)
Mönchengladbach: Bailly (30) - Levels (22), Brouwers (4), Dante (31), Jaures (20) - Bradley (26), Marx (14) - Reus (11), Arango (18) - Matmour (40), Friend (16)
SC Freiburg - Werder Bremen
Werder will take to the pitch second-placed in the table and looking to extend a 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Of the ten previous Bundesliga meetings between the sides in Freiburg, the hosts have only emerged victorious on three occasions, with Bremen winning six of the remaining seven. Home form has in fact been hard to come by of late for last season's 2. Bundesliga champions: in the current campaign they have earned just four points in the Badenova Stadion.
Unusually for them, Thomas Schaaf's troops have one of the best defensive records in the division at the moment, having conceded just ten goals in their opening twelve games. For this one, they will have to do without injured first.-team regulars Tim Borowski, Torsten Frings and Claudio Pizarro.
Possible line-ups
Freiburg: Pouplin (1) - D.-R. Cha (6), Krmas (2), Bastians (3), Butscher (5) - Banovic (20), Schuster (23) - Abdessadki (10), Jäger (11) - Reisinger (27), Idrissou (8)
Bremen: Wiese (1) - Fritz (8), Mertesacker (29), Naldo (4), Boenisch (2) - Bargfrede (44) - D. Jensen (20), Hunt (14) - Özil (11) - Hugo Almeida (23), Marin (10)
At the start of the season, few would have bet on this being a clash of fourth-bottom against bottom going into matchday 13. The hosts have shown signs of regaining a measure of stability in their most recent outings, without being able to convert their improved form into much in the way of points.
Stuttgart have been unable to find the net in their last 287 minutes of Bundesliga action, although even that pales in comparison with Hertha's 441-minute goal drought. That impressive total, combined with the fact that 0-0 is the most common single outcome of games between these two sides (seven times to date), would seem to suggest the fans in the Mercedes-Benz Arena are unlikely to witness a goalfest.
VfB coach Markus Babbel has Ciprian Marica on standby to partner Pavel Pogrebnyak up front if Cacau is still short of full match fitness following his torn muscle fibre. His Hertha counterpart Friedhelm Funkel may consider playing the versatile Lukasz Piszczek in midfield in place of the suspended Raffael.
Possible line-ups
Stuttgart: Lehmann (1) - Träsch (35), Niedermeier (6), Delpierre (17), Boka (15) - Kuzmanovic (32) - Gebhart (13), Hitzlsperger (11) - Hleb (23) - Pogrebnyak (29), Cacau (18)
Hertha BSC: Drobny (1) - Piszczek (26), A. Friedrich (3), von Bergen (4), Pejcinovic (5) - Nicu (25), Lustenberger (28), Cicero (7), Kacar (44) - Domovchiyski (23), Wichniarek (18)
1. FC Köln - 1899 Hoffenheim
A meeting of two sides who have been giving little away this season – eleven goals apiece in the Bundesliga, to be precise. Hoffenheim have proven the more adept at putting the ball in the back of the net themselves, resulting in their going into this one in seventh place on 20 points, with Köln back in 13th on 12. The home side have in fact scored just seven times in their twelve league games to date – a joint division low shared with cellar-dwellers Hertha.
In their debut Bundesliga campaign, Hoffenheim took maximum points from the Billy Goats, winning 3-1 away and 2-0 at home. This season, they have won all six matches played against teams from the lower half of the table, while Köln have lost all six games in which they have found themselves behind.
Possible line-ups
Köln: Mondragon (1) - Brecko (2), Geromel (21), Mohamad (3), Ehret (22) - Pezzoni (17) - Petit (8), Maniche (12) - Freis (7), Novakovic (11), Podolski (10)
Hoffenheim:Hildebrand (28) - Beck (2), Simunic (14), Compper (5), Eichner (8) - Carlos Eduardo (33), Luiz Gustavo (21), Salihovic (23) - Maicosuel (7), Ibisevic (19), Ba (9)
Eintracht Frankfurt - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Frankfurt will be looking to maintain their good historical record against Mönchengladbach, the side they have beaten most often down the years in the Bundesliga, coming out on top in 29 of their 73 previous meetings (22 draws). Michael Skibbe has meanwhile yet to lose to Borussia as a coach, racking up four wins and two draws in his six encounters with them to date.
That balance will not however be unduly off-putting to a Gladbach side who, since ending a five-game losing streak, have managed to take five points from their last three matches. Coach Michael Frontzeck – himself seeking a first win against Eintracht at the sixth time of trying – has the option of playing either Karim Matmour or Roberto Colautti up front for the injured Raul Bobadilla.
Possible line-ups
Frankfurt: Nikolov (1) - P. Ochs (2), Franz (4), Russ (23), Spycher (16) - Chris (29), Schwegler (27) - Bajramovic (8) - Teber (6), Köhler (7) - Meier (14)
Mönchengladbach: Bailly (30) - Levels (22), Brouwers (4), Dante (31), Jaures (20) - Bradley (26), Marx (14) - Reus (11), Arango (18) - Matmour (40), Friend (16)
SC Freiburg - Werder Bremen
Werder will take to the pitch second-placed in the table and looking to extend a 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Of the ten previous Bundesliga meetings between the sides in Freiburg, the hosts have only emerged victorious on three occasions, with Bremen winning six of the remaining seven. Home form has in fact been hard to come by of late for last season's 2. Bundesliga champions: in the current campaign they have earned just four points in the Badenova Stadion.
Unusually for them, Thomas Schaaf's troops have one of the best defensive records in the division at the moment, having conceded just ten goals in their opening twelve games. For this one, they will have to do without injured first.-team regulars Tim Borowski, Torsten Frings and Claudio Pizarro.
Possible line-ups
Freiburg: Pouplin (1) - D.-R. Cha (6), Krmas (2), Bastians (3), Butscher (5) - Banovic (20), Schuster (23) - Abdessadki (10), Jäger (11) - Reisinger (27), Idrissou (8)
Bremen: Wiese (1) - Fritz (8), Mertesacker (29), Naldo (4), Boenisch (2) - Bargfrede (44) - D. Jensen (20), Hunt (14) - Özil (11) - Hugo Almeida (23), Marin (10)
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