Bundesliga, Week 29: Bayer Leverkusen Hope Borussia Dortmund Stumble Against Hamburg

Matchday 29 kicks off with a fireball on Saturday morning when Felix Magath returns to Gelsenkirchen to face Schalke who fired him less than a month ago. Oh yeah, there are a few matches that actually have significance points-wise too.

Friday

Frankfurt vs Werder Bremen

The Friday “Showcase Event”, if you will, featured relegation battlers Frankfurt and Bremen. The first chance of the match fell to Bremen’s Sandro Wagner who smashed one off of the post before the ten minute mark. The first half would end scoreless with Frankfurt having more of the possession, but Bremen getting the better chances. Bremen would come out flying to begin the second half, and it would pay off. A Mikael Silvestre free kick would be turned into his own goal by Frankfurt’s Halil Altintop. Pushing for at least a point to get some breathing space for his club from the relegation positions, Frankfurt manager Christoph Daum put on Martin Fenin with twenty minutes to go hoping for an impact. In the 83 minute, the Czech would put a beautiful diving header past the Bremen keeper and the home crowd would erupt in jubilation. Frankfurt 1 Werder Bremen 1.

Saturday

Schalke 04 vs Wolfsburg

After their conquering in Milan, Schalke will return to the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen for an epic encounter. No, it doesn’t involve two teams fighting for a European place. No, it doesn’t involve two teams in a relegation battle. This weekend marks the return of Saddam Magath. Magath leads Wolfsburg to face the club he was fired from less than one month ago. A win by Schalke will guarantee their survival in the 1.Bundesliga, while anything short of a victory by Wolfsburg will keep them in the Relegation Playoffs position. Saying the Schalke players will be pumped for this one is an understatement. After beating Inter Milan last week, Jefferson Farfan was quoted by Sport Bild saying, ”“I would rather have shifted earth and stones back there [Peru] than play under Magath.” Pick: Schalke 2 Wolfsburg 0

Hamburg vs Borussia Dortmund

If Hamburg can somehow pull out a victory against the champions-elect, they will put their name right back in the race for a Europa League spot. With all that said, I expect Dortmund to win. A slip up here could be very costly for Dortmund, with Leverkusen creeping only 7 points back. The squad that has been assembled at Westfalenstadion by Jürgen Klopp and company is nothing short of amazing. If they are able to keep this young side today, they will be making an impact for years to come. Pick: Hamburg 1 Borussia Dortmund 3

Freiburg vs Hoffenheim

Freiburg and Hoffenheim are sitting in the middle of the table at 8 and 9 respectively. Their point totals have them in kind of a “no man’s land” between the European positions and the relegation battle. It would take a miracle for either team to qualify for either this year. Pick: Freiburg 1 Hoffenheim 1

Hannover 96 vs 1. Mainz 05

Hannover enters Matchday 29 only 1 point behind Bayern München for the third Champions League spot that is awarded to the German Bundesliga. Mainz has been struggling since play resumed after the winter break winning only 3 out of their 11 matches. A win by Hannover on Saturday will be a huge boost for the club as their run-in at the end of the year is tougher Bayern’s. A win by Mainz however could see the club surge forward and leap frog Hannover in the standings by the end of the year. Pick: Hannover 96 1 Mainz 05 0

Nürnberg vs Bayern München

The Bavarian Derby will have extra meaning for both clubs as they look toward qualifying for Europe for next season. Bayern are one point ahead of Hannover for the third Champions League place, while Nürnberg are three points behind Mainz for fifth place and the final Europa League position. Both squads look to be back near full strength. Bayern will however be without long-term absentees Ivica Olic and Daniel Van Buyten, while Nürnberg will be pleased to see the return of Julian Schieber from injury and Timothy Chandler and Javier Pinola back from suspensions. Pick: Nürnberg 2 Bayern München 4

Stuttgart vs Kaiserslautern

Number 14 and Number 15 in the table kick off in the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday afternoon. Only two points separates Stuttgart from the Relegation Playoff spot, and only three points separate Kaiserslautern from the same. Kaiserslautern will be heading southeast to Stuttgart more hoping for a win than expecting anything. They last won in Stuttgart in October 1999. Pick: Stuttgart 2 Kaiserslautern 0

Sunday

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Köln

Gladbach has nothing left to play for this season but pride. They are seven points from safety, and I just don’t see them making that up. A win by Köln gets them closer and closer to safety from the relegation zone. Pick: Borussia Mönchengladbach 0 Köln 1

Bayer Leverkusen vs St. Pauli

If there is a slip up the day before by Dortmund, Leverkusen will be a prime position to capitalize on it. They’re currently seven points behind, and they have what should be an easy victory with St. Pauli coming into town. The race here in Germany looked done and dusted weeks (dare I say months?) ago, but could this weekend throw everything into question? Pick: Bayer Leverkusen 3 St. Pauli 1