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Battle of the B's

AFP/DW staff (jdk)November 18, 2004

Bremen, yes. Bayern, yes. But Bielefeld? Not many people would have believed you if you had told them in August that at this stage of the season the small central German club would be in the top half of the standings.

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Nelson Valdez saved Werder last week. Bremen face Bielefeld next.Image: AP

But it's true and a great deal of the credit can be given to another B-striker: Delron Buckley and his league-leading ten goals so far this season. Buckley's ten make up the majority of Bielefeld's total of 15. The formula is simple: stop Buckley and you stop Bielefeld. But tell that to Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Freiburg or Dortmund who all have lost to Buckley's team recently. Things just seem to be going right for coach Uwe Rapolder's club.

Conversely, Thomas Schaaf's Bremen have struggled of late. They are not playing poorly but luck has not been on their side in the late stages of games, the opposite fate of the 2003/04 championship season where they won matches in the 80th or 90th minute.

In last week's 2-2 draw against Leverkusen they didn't even play to the 90th minute. Referee Felix Brych blew the final whistle two seconds before time was over. This at a point when Bremen was increasing the pressure. Schaaf reacted angrily, "I don't like it when I feel I am being treated unfairly. Honestly, I feel like someone took the mickey out of me."

Bayern Munich have made their reappearance on the scene at the top, just sitting one point back of Wolfsburg. In Bochum they turned a 1-0 second-half deficit into a 3-1 victory. The hero was new Peruvian striker, Jose Paolo Guerrero, who scored the tying and go-ahead goals.

Coach Felix Magath is pleased with the new discovery, "Paolo is a striker with a lot of instincts. He has a nose for such situations and is currently at the top of his game." Nevertheless, the 20-year-old won't be starting against Kaiserslautern on Saturday.

Kaiserslautern beat Dortmund last week but Bayern Munich is another caliber. Kurt Jara's side has only came away victorious four times in 38 trips to Munich.

Stuttgart's Kuranyi scores for Klinsmann

Fußball Länderspiel Deutschland - Kamerun
Stuttgart striker Kevin Kuranyi scored against Cameroon but has had less success in the league.Image: AP

Can Stuttgart put last week's 3-0 drubbing against Wolfsburg behind them? The chances are good because Mönchengladbach is in town, a team they haven't lost to since June 10, 1995. Stuttgart's national striker Kevin Kuranyi scored a goal on Wednesday against Cameroon and would like to use that as a springboard into the Bundesliga where he has found the net only four times.

Mönchengladbach have a goal-scorer in Oliver Neuville. He has scored nine times this season but Gladbach have yet to win on the road this season.

Schalke stumbled last week against Berlin and face Leverkusen, who pushed champs Bremen to the limit only to draw 2-2. The neighbors both have big European ambitions but only Schalke is currently close to realizing them, sitting in third place. Leverkusen can't win on the road and is in eighth.

Leverkusen took both games last season and a win on Saturday would put them back in the hunt for a spot in European club competition.

Rostock has new coach

Hansa Rostock are last place in the league with a miserable eight points in 13 matches. Last week's 6-0 home defeat to Hamburg was reason enough for coach Juri Schlünz to throw in the towel. Now Jörg Berger has been called in to stop the bleeding: "We are about to fall into a pit and it [staying in the league] will be a difficult task, but it is possible, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here."

Things will not start off easy for Berger. Rostock travel to Hertha Berlin who have won five of seven games against Rostock at the Olympic Stadium. Also, Hertha are starting to string some good performances together, having collected seven points in their last three Bundesliga fixtures, including two victories on the road.

Fußball-Bundesliga, SC Freiburg - VfB Stuttgart
The Freiburg wall has been leaky this season. They've surrendered 26 goals so far.Image: dpa

Freiburg are another club clutching for straws to stay in the first division. Volker Finke's side is sitting on a five-game losing streak and after their home-loss to Bielefeld, fans were calling for Finke's dismissal -- something the beloved coach has seldom heard.

They must travel to Dortmund, another team that is battling against relegation. On Sunday, President Gerd Niebaum, in an emotional speech, resigned from the post after 18 years. On the field, coach Bert van Marwijk's side has had few successes to report, plummeting to 14th place in the standings.

After three succesive 1-0 defeats, Marwijk expressed his consternation with his players: "I'm disappointed with some players who play well when the team plays well. It's a shame that they don't stand up when they should." Both teams desperately need the points. The coach who loses can expect to hear more calls for his head.

Promoted-side Mainz are looking to get back on the winning track against Bochum. Mainz, whom many teams may not have reckoned with earlier on, no longer have the element of surprise on their side. They haven't won since a 3-1 victory against Rostock on Oct. 27.

Bochum on the other hand have only one once in their last ten matches. Coach Peter Neururer's side has 11 points and is in the relegation zone. He has one clear goal before the winter break, "We want 20 points!" They have four games to do that.

Wolfsburg to battle Hamburg

13. Spieltag der Fußball-Bundesliga: VfL Wolfsburg - VfB Stuttgart, 3:0
Wolfsburg could celebrate a 3-0 victory against Stuttgart last week.Image: dpa

League-leaders Wolfsburg play on Sunday in Hamburg. Wolfsburg Captain Stefan Schnoor has respect for the club he played for earlier in his career. "I think that their current position in the Bundesliga table doesn’t reflect their true quality, as their last few games have proved."

Which is true. Hamburg are in 12th but came from the bottom of the standings when coach Thomas Doll took over the helm five weeks ago. In that time Hamburg have won 3 matches.

In the second Sunday match, Nuremberg and Hanover clash in the Frankenstadion. Hanover are literally on a tear winning seven times in their last nine Bundesliga matches and with that, are on an UEFA-Cup spot. The success is spilling over to everyone in the team. Midfielder Silvio Schröther is one of the reasons and he utters that which everyone in Hanover now must be thinking, "It's no accident that we are at the top."

Will the confidence continue in Nuremberg? Speaking against their chances, Hanover have won only one time in the last four encounters with Nuremberg. On the other hand, they've won two of their last road contests this season. You pick 'em.