With the Bundesliga title pretty much all sewn up (Bayern Munich are likely planning their parade route already), attention focuses on two places in Germany: the race for Europe and the struggle to avoid the drop. Both are pretty tight, but with none of the bottom three able to get a point this weekend, it’s starting to look like we already know who’s headed down.
Friday’s Results
Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
That’s three losses in a row for Gladbach, and five games without a win, with the Champions League is looking but a distant dream now. Meanwhile, Leverkusen look content in second – with Bayern 13 points ahead, there’s no need to fight for first, while Dortmund’s struggles probably give Leverkusen more comfort than the four-point cushion should provide.
Saturday’s Results
Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 Braunschweig
Frankfurt hardly played nice with the Bundesliga’s bottom side, but when you’re starting the day just a couple points above the drop, it’s likely emphatic wins are exactly what you’re after. Johannes Flum opened the scoring after just seven minutes, with Alexander Meier and and Stefan Aigner adding two more before the first half finished.
Freiburg 1-1 Hoffenheim
Freiburg, now a point above the relegation places, must’ve been devastated when Anthony Modesto got on the end of a ball from Sven Schipplock. The 85th minute equalizer canceled out Jonathan Schmid’s 68th minute opener. Hoffenheim’s point makes little difference, as they remain in 11th.
Nurnberg 0-2 Bayern Munich
USMNT defender Timothy Chandler left the match early with a suspected hamstring injury, with forward Daniel Ginczek following barely ten minutes later. In that context, it’s remarkable that relegation-threatened Nurnberg held on as long as they could against table-toppers Bayern. Mario Mandžukić scored between the injuries, but Nurnberg looked like they just might get back in it – until Philipp Lahm doubled Bayern’s lead early in the second half.
Werder Bremen 1-5 Borussia Dortmund
Well. If ever there’s a way to break out of your slump, scoring five goals is it. Dortmund had just one win in their five previous matches and went to Werder Bremen just two points above Schalke, three above rivals Gladbach. Then Robert Lewandowski happened. And Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Both scored a goal apiece in each half. They were also kind enough to give a goal to Manuel Friedrich, a defender signed in November to provide cover for Dortmund’s many injuries. Werder did manage to get a goal in the 89th minute, but Levent Aycicek’s shot was nothing but a consolation.
Wolfsburg 3-0 Mainz
The two sides started Saturday even on points, but Wolfsburg’s stronger squad ran out the winners, keeping them in Germany’s final Europa league position. Ricardo Rodriguez started the scoring in the 59th minute by converting a penalty. Bas Dost put in another seven minutes later, and Luiz Gustavo finished it all up with a header from close range.
Hamburg 0-3 Hertha Berlin
Hertha will be thrilled to finally secure another win, after a string of poor results saw them slip out of the European spots. Now they’re knocking on the door of sixth again, thanks mostly to Adrián Ramos who, despite having a penalty saved, scored two and provide the assist to Sami Allagui, who opened the scoring in the 15th minute.
Sunday’s Fixtures
Stuttgart vs. Augsburg
Stuttgart may be playing Europa League football, but they’ve lost their last four in a row, and are sitting just two points above the relegation zone. Augsburg, meanwhile, look like they’re considering making a late play for the European positions, with an unbeaten run of seven, including four wins.
Schalke vs. Hannover
The week ends with Schalke trying to re-close the gap on Dortmund, but with Hannover having won their last two matches 3-1, it might not be so easy to inch closer to third. Still, the hosts are undefeated through four and don’t have to worry about the Champions League for another couple of weeks, so it should be a routine home victory for them.
