Bundesliga
Bundesliga
21.11.2009 09:35:04
Will Bayern be able to stop this man? Stefan Kießling is Leverkusen's top scorer
Thrill of anticipation for top clash
Matchday 13 of the Bundesliga concludes with two matches on Sunday. First up is the eagerly awaited visit of leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen at struggling giants FC Bayern München, before former table toppers Hamburger SV aim to get their first victory since early October when hosting VfL Bochum.
FC Bayern München - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayern have a huge chance of reducing the gap to the top of the table. Currently six points off the pace this is one of the most important matches of the year for them. The pressure is huge but Bayern do have some injury worries: Arjen Robben is still struggling with knee problems and might join Franck Ribéry on the sidelines. Keeper Hans-Jörg Butt will face his former employer and says: "We can't afford to drop any more points. We need to win, period." Bayern have won each of their last nine matches against Leverkusen, but Bayer are the only undefeated team left in the Bundesliga.
So what seems to be Bayern's last chance of catching up to the top of the table before the winter break is also a fantastic opportunity for Bayer Leverkusen to prove their excellent run so far has been no fluke. Coach Jupp Heynckes, who was Bayern's caretaker coach for the last five matches of last season, looks forward to the trip and will surely hope that his top striker Stefan Kießling can deliver. Attacking midfielder Toni Kroos will also be extremely motivated, he is on loan from Bayern and hopes to show the Munich giants what he's capable of. "I know from experience that Bayern will be highly motivated, so we need to be prepared for that. I think we have a chance to win," Heynckes revealed.
Possible line-ups:
Bayern:Butt - Lahm, van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber - Tymoshchuk, van Bommel, Müller, Schweinsteiger - Klose, Gomez
Leverkusen: Adler - Schwaab, Friedrich, Hyypiä, Castro - Barnetta, Vidal, Reinartz, Kroos - Derdiyok, Kießling
Hamburger SV - VfL Bochum
Hamburg have failed to win one of the last four matches (three draws, one defeat) and missed out on a chance to race clear at the top of the table. Coach Bruno Labbadia continues to have major injury worries: No less than ten players, including key figures like Mladen Petric, Paolo Guerrero and Ze Roberto, are unavailable, while striker Marcus Berg (virus) and defender Jerome Boateng (calf problem) remain doubtful. Despite this difficult situation there is no lack of optimism: "We'll certainly not hide," Labbadia says. "We need to stay close to the top of the table and that means we should beat an opponent like Bochum at home."
Perhaps that might be interpreted as further motivation in the Bochum camp, where coach Heiko Herrlich has used the international break to get to know his players better. His first two matches as VfL coach did not produce the desired results and Bochum are in fact the only Bundesliga side to have lost each of their last four games. "We have five opportunities to collect some points before the winter break. The HSV match is a challenge for us, but we are well prepared", Herrlich said and will certainly hope that players like Anthar Yahia (Algeria) and Zlatko Dedic (Slovenia), who scored the winning goals for their countries to seal World Cup qualification, can help the team with their newly found confidence.
Possible line-ups:
Hamburg: Rost - Demel, Boateng, Mathijsen, Aogo - Trochowski, Jarolim, Tesche, Jansen - Berg, Elia
Bochum: Heerwagen - Concha, Maltritz, Yahia, Grote - Dabrowski, Imhof - Sestak, Azaouagh, Dedic - Klimowicz
Bayern have a huge chance of reducing the gap to the top of the table. Currently six points off the pace this is one of the most important matches of the year for them. The pressure is huge but Bayern do have some injury worries: Arjen Robben is still struggling with knee problems and might join Franck Ribéry on the sidelines. Keeper Hans-Jörg Butt will face his former employer and says: "We can't afford to drop any more points. We need to win, period." Bayern have won each of their last nine matches against Leverkusen, but Bayer are the only undefeated team left in the Bundesliga.
So what seems to be Bayern's last chance of catching up to the top of the table before the winter break is also a fantastic opportunity for Bayer Leverkusen to prove their excellent run so far has been no fluke. Coach Jupp Heynckes, who was Bayern's caretaker coach for the last five matches of last season, looks forward to the trip and will surely hope that his top striker Stefan Kießling can deliver. Attacking midfielder Toni Kroos will also be extremely motivated, he is on loan from Bayern and hopes to show the Munich giants what he's capable of. "I know from experience that Bayern will be highly motivated, so we need to be prepared for that. I think we have a chance to win," Heynckes revealed.
Possible line-ups:
Bayern:Butt - Lahm, van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber - Tymoshchuk, van Bommel, Müller, Schweinsteiger - Klose, Gomez
Leverkusen: Adler - Schwaab, Friedrich, Hyypiä, Castro - Barnetta, Vidal, Reinartz, Kroos - Derdiyok, Kießling
Hamburger SV - VfL Bochum
Hamburg have failed to win one of the last four matches (three draws, one defeat) and missed out on a chance to race clear at the top of the table. Coach Bruno Labbadia continues to have major injury worries: No less than ten players, including key figures like Mladen Petric, Paolo Guerrero and Ze Roberto, are unavailable, while striker Marcus Berg (virus) and defender Jerome Boateng (calf problem) remain doubtful. Despite this difficult situation there is no lack of optimism: "We'll certainly not hide," Labbadia says. "We need to stay close to the top of the table and that means we should beat an opponent like Bochum at home."
Perhaps that might be interpreted as further motivation in the Bochum camp, where coach Heiko Herrlich has used the international break to get to know his players better. His first two matches as VfL coach did not produce the desired results and Bochum are in fact the only Bundesliga side to have lost each of their last four games. "We have five opportunities to collect some points before the winter break. The HSV match is a challenge for us, but we are well prepared", Herrlich said and will certainly hope that players like Anthar Yahia (Algeria) and Zlatko Dedic (Slovenia), who scored the winning goals for their countries to seal World Cup qualification, can help the team with their newly found confidence.
Possible line-ups:
Hamburg: Rost - Demel, Boateng, Mathijsen, Aogo - Trochowski, Jarolim, Tesche, Jansen - Berg, Elia
Bochum: Heerwagen - Concha, Maltritz, Yahia, Grote - Dabrowski, Imhof - Sestak, Azaouagh, Dedic - Klimowicz
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