German Bundesliga, Week 9: Hamburg Beat Freiburg 2-1, Hannover Downed By Koln

Champions Borussia Dortmund have had an inconsistent start to the season with five wins from nine Bundesliga matches. On Friday evening, they moved into third with a terrific 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen as Jurgen Klopp’s men put on a resilient display.

Die Borussen went down to ten-men early in the second half and had to dig deep with the likes of Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic inspiring Dortmund to hold on under severe pressure from Werder. Klopp will be hoping the stuttering from has come to end and Friday’s victory provides a superb platform to keep in touch with Borussia Moenchengladbach and FC Bayern.

If struggling Hamburg are going to retain their spot in the Bundesliga, this is the sort of game they have to win. Freiburg have virtually matched their terrible start, coming into the game in 17th place and just three points ahead of the stricken Rothosem, and even for Hamburg a trip to the Dreisamstadion looked like an opportunity to pick up three points.

Things started well for the visitors, who went ahead after a scramble in the box following a corner kick, Heung-Min Son heading home from close range. Hamburg had threatened even before their opener, hitting the crossbar through a Mladen Petric free kick. Freiburg came back into the game, however, dominating the second half of the opening period and getting a deserved equaliser through Papiss Demba Cisse shortly after the restart.

Not that Augsburg are a particularly great team, but after a number of lackluster results, BVB fans will have been extremely happy with their 4-0 victory. Young Ilkay Gundogan was re-instated in Sahin’s spot in the starting lineup with Sven Bender coming back as well, while Robert Lewandowski netted a hat trick. Barrios is back and will boost the team, but they will continue to need Lewandowski this season. Barrios is almost back to full fitness and it’s unclear whether he or Lewandowski will start.

In other injury news, Marcel Schmelzer is doubtful for the match. Schmeltzer is one of the best left backs in Germany, and while Chris Löwe is a suitable backup, there is a drop-off in quality. Dortmund play in Champions League in mid-week and are in need of a win, so Schmeltzer is expected to be rested so that he can be fully fit to face Olympiacos on Wednesday.