Do or Die for Werder Bremen
March 3, 2005
Both Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen made short shrift of their opponents in mid-week German Cup matches and now they can look forward to the real thing in their clash this Saturday at Munich's Olympic Stadium.
On Tuesday, Bremen faced Bayern's amateur side on a snow and ice-covered pitch and dispensed of the well-staffed "Amateurs", 3-0. Felix Magath's team completely humiliated Freiburg, 7-0, in a Cup game on Wednesday.
In their first season meeting, Bayern came out on top 2-1 in Bremen. That was the famous match where Munich keeper Oliver Kahn stuck his finger up Miroslav Klose's nose after yanking down a cross in front of the Bremen striker. Yet last May in Munich, Bremen humbled Bayern 3-1 as they marched towards the title. This match promises to be a great one. Bremen have played solidly in the second leg (six victories in seven matches) and Munich want revenge for last year's defeat.
Schalke could be the benefactor
The real winner this weekend could be FC Schalke 04, however. Ralf Rangnick's "Royal Blues" currently stand even on points (47) with Bayern and could be the true beneficiaries in case of a Munich defeat. Schalke face Ruhr Valley rival Bochum.
Bochum are in the middle of the relegation battle. If the season were to end this weekend, Peter Neururer's side would go down to the second division. After last week's 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bremen did nothing to ease the situation. Neururer was neurotic. "I was up until 4:30 am watching the game on video, analyzing every mistake," he told Sport-Bild.
A loss to Schalke would keep the Bochum coach up for another night. Something that the players would prefer not to see.
A second match of top teams takes place in Hamburg, where seventh-place Hamburger SV play host to fifth-place Leverkusen. Hamburg coach Thomas Doll has reason to be pleased with his club's play but goalkeeper Martin Pieckenhagen has lost his starting spot after a gratuitous mistake led to Berlin's first goal last week.
The new goalie is Stefan Wächter. "I have complete confidence in him," commented Doll on the HSV homepage. That confidence is necessary. Leverkusen have lost only once in six second-leg games.
Stuttgart have had less success since Bundesliga play restarted in January. They have managed only to take eight points in six matches, dropping from third to sixth-place. Plus, they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup against not highly-regarded Italian side Parma.
Their opponent, Bielefeld, on the other hand, are on a run with convincing victories against Bayern and Nuremberg in the last three weeks. Historically, Uwe Rapolider's team has one handicap: They have only one in 12 matches in Stuttgart, that happening in April 1982.
Fun soccer in Mainz is over
Mainz' coach Jürgen Klopp is beginning to feel the heat. In the first leg, the central German side kicked around like children in a dream. They weren't supposed to be in the top division but if they were, then they would have fun doing it. And victories came as a result.
Now the fun is over. It's been ten weeks since Mainz could book three points and the slide is taking on dangerous proportions. Usually smiling, Klopp recently accused his squad of playing "like a girls school team." Fortunately, Freiburg are coming to town.
Only Rostock lie behind Volker Finke's team in the table and Freiburg put up no resistance in their 7-0 lashing against Bayern in the Cup quarterfinals. That shouldn't happen against Mainz, but they too are beginning to look like a girls school team themselves.
Another club in the relegation fight are Borussia Mönchengladbach. Despite coach Dick Advocaat's series of expensive player transfers in the winter break, things aren't clicking for Gladbach. They stand only six points clear of relegation.
Wolfsburg will be their opponent. Coach Erik Gerets' team lie in eighth in the table, far away from their goal of obtaining a ticket for international competition next season. A win is needed if Wolfsburg want to hold onto that dream.
Hertha serious challengers
Rostock must be wondering at this stage if anything can help them reach the magical 15th-place in the standings. Coach Jörg Berger is not convinced his team has the drive. "You can't fight like they are and expect to retain a spot in the top division," he told Sport-Bild. They have only 14 points in 23 matches.
Hannover hosts hapless Rostock but themselves have played disappointing soccer in the second leg, collecting only four points in six matches. More than likely, Ewald Lienen's side must be content with staying in the top division.
Hertha Berlin are on 39 points and have other ideas. The boys from the capital have had to taste a loss only once since late October. They thrashed Hamburg last week and secretly have their sights set on third-place which would them give them a chance at advancing to the Champions League next autumn. Their opponent is Kaiserslautern on Sunday. The "Red Devils" have distanced themselves from the relegation zone since December. On 32 points, anything more than retaining their first division status would be miraculous.
The second Sunday match pits Nuremberg against Dortmund. Nuremberg also belong to the short list of clubs fighting for first division existence. Despite the scoring madness of Marek Mintal (18 goals), Wolfgang Wolf's team lie in 14th-place on 24 points. Dortmund, still in dire economic straits, sit on 31 points and have not lost to Nuremberg in 11 games.