It’s already week 10 in the Bundesliga? Time flies when you’re watching Europe’s most entertaining league. Werder Bremen kicks the weekend off for the second week in a row. The main action kicks off on Sunday when Bayer Leverkusen face Schalke and Hannover hosts Bayern Munich.
German Bundesliga 2011, Week 10 Preview And Fixtures: Andre Schürrle Is Finally Delivering The Goods
Andre Schürrle appears to finally be putting his skill to use for Bayer Leverkusen. Is it enough for them to defeat Schalke this weekend?
Friday, October 21
FC Augsburg vs SV Werder Bremen
Bremen kick off the weekend traveling to Augsburg who are coming off their first victory of the season. The visitors will be hoping that they’ll put in a better performance this week than they did against Dortmund last week. Augsburg won a controversial match against Mainz last week when the assistant referee incorrectly disallowed a good goal. If Aaron Hunt gets the start in the middle of the park for Bremen, he’ll need a improvement over his poor performance against Dortmund. Mehmet Ekici has been biding his time waiting for his opportunity to outshine Hunt. Will he get his chance this week? Pick: FC Augsburg 0 - 1 SV Werder Bremen
Saturday, October 22
Borussia Dortmund vs 1. FC Köln
Dortmund jumped to third in the table with a solid victory last week over Werder Bremen. The win was important for BVB and showed that Lucas Barrios was getting closer to seeing regular time on the pitch. Then Barrios suffered an injury in training midweek and missed the Champions League match against Olympiacos. He's also expected to miss this weekend's match. Dortmund is still struggling to convert their many scoring chances into goals. The good news is Robert Lewandowski has picked up his scoring and currently sits with 5. There are rumblings among the BVB faithful that centerback Neven Subotic may be benched in favor of Felipe Santana this weekend. Subotic has not been up to his usual standard lately, and a match demotion may be what is needed. Köln somehow are sitting on 13 points. They've won three out of their last four with wins over Leverkusen, Hoffenheim, and Hannover. Can they make it Dortmund their next victim? Pick: Borussia Dortmund 2 - 1 1. FC Köln
1. FC Nürnberg vs VfB Stuttgart
Stuttgart stifled the Hoffenheim attack last week for ninety minutes. Shinji Okazaki put in another great performance for the Swabians, and they sit level with Dortmund in the table. Bruno Labbadia's team should be looking at this match as one they should win. Pick: 1. FC Nürnberg 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart
1. FC Kaiserslautern vs SC Freiburg
This is the first of two relegation six pointers this weekend. I actually have both of these clubs finishing in the bottom three at the end of the season. Both teams feature an offensive star but with different qualities. Kaiserslautern’s Christian Tiffert is a facilitator while Freiburg’s Papiss Cisse is a finisher. Whichever player can force his will on the field will lead his team to victory in this one. Pick: 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1 - 1 SC Freiburg
1899 Hoffenheim vs Borussia Mönchengladbach
Holger Stanislawski's side struggled to gain any traction in the first half last week, and Stuttgart made them pay early in the second half. They'll need a much better performance if they have any hopes of defeating Gladbach. The Hoff will be without goalkeeper Tom Starke who suffered a concussion midweek in training and will sit out this game. Gladbach comes in with a depleted front line with Igor de Camargo and Raul Bobadilla both out injured. This could open the door for Manchester United loanee Joshua King to see a good chunk of minutes this weekend. Will he be able to capitalize on the minutes if they come? Marco Reus has been one of the best players in the league so far this season, but he was seen midweek at the Bayer Leverkusen Champions League match. Might his head be turned looking for a bigger opportunity? Pick: 1899 Hoffenheim 2 - 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Hertha BSC Berlin vs 1. FSV Mainz 05
The other relegation six pointer takes place in Berlin. I think this is the week that Sami Allagui finally gets back on the score sheet. Pick: Hertha BSC Berlin 0 - 1 1. FSC Mainz 05
Hamburger SV vs VfL Wolfsburg
Thorsten Fink gets his first home match in charge of Hamburg in what should be a fantastic or a fantastically awful match against Felix Magath’s Wolfsburg. Hamburg has seen some very bright play from the likes of Ivo Ilicevic, Zhi Gin Lam, and Heung Min Son but starting this weekend they’ll be without Ilicevic due to an injury he picked up in training. Magath appears to have found a formula he likes for play up top with Srdan Lakic and Mario Mandzukic partnering. Pick: Hamburger SV 2 - 1 VfL Wolfsburg
Sunday, October 22
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Schalke 04
Andre Schürrle made a name for himself last season putting on spectacular performance after spectacular performance for Mainz. He made the move to Leverkusen in the summer, but he's flattered to deceive in the Werkself side. Leverkusen supporters didn't hesitate to make their disgust known with many calling for Schürrle's benching the reinstating of Renato Augusto in the starting eleven. Last weekend against Gladbach, with a another disappointing loss staring them in the face, Schürrle scored a brilliant goal to gain his side a point. Midweek in the Champions League against Valencia, Schürrle scored another in a much needed victory. The reemergence of Michael Ballack over the last several weeks has been interesting. Several weeks ago the discussion revolved around whether Ballack would hang up his boots, but now he's being discussed in the German media as deserving a contract extension. Schalke let a major opportunity to climb into second place last week slip through their grasp on the weekend. Goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann saw red and tore a ligament in his knee in the process. It'll be an important match for Benedikt Höwedes to keep his backline organized until an experienced goalkeeper comes in for the injured Fährmann. Pick: Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3 - 2 FC Schalke 04
Hannover 96 vs FC Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich finally gave up a goal midweek to Napoli, but it was an own goal so I'm not going to count it here. Bayern haven't been scored on by their opponents in forever. Manuel Neuer has kept this defensive line on their toes so far this year, and they look excellent as they bomb forward into the attack. Mario Gomez has scored a total of 10 goals through only 9 games so far this season, and Franck Ribery is playing some of the best football on the planet at the moment. Hannover are led up front by Norweigian hitman Mohammed Abdellaoue. He's secored severla brilliant goals this year, but he's not a defender. Hannover are going to struggle to contain the Bayern front line that continues to get better and better without the oft-injured Arjen RObben. It's tough to see Bayern losing this match. Pick: Hannover 96 0 - 3 FC Bayern Munich
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