This week German Bundesliga has reached week 15. The winter champion is heated up while Hoffenheim is still leading the race. Meanwhile, the relegation fight comes close as there are 2 important relegation fighting matches to be played. Bayern München will start their most important 3 matches of season from this week. Last week I have tipped 4 correct results but without correct scores. Here's my tip of this week:
Hertha Berlin (4th) vs 1. FC Köln (10th) - Friday: Hertha Berlin so far looks very solid, especially in defense. Their excellent defense make the oppositions have a very hard time, even including Hoffenheim. Arne Friedrich is the player who lead the solid defense this season, and he did a great job. Even their attacks is not that sharpe, their defense can carry them through. At the same time Köln is looking very well as well, but their class cannot carry them through all the time. So they are now still standing at the 10th position. Considering Hertha Berlin has greater defense and better class, Hertha Berlin will take another 3 points this week. My tip: Hertha Berlin win 2-0.
Werder Bremen (9th) vs Eintract Frankfurt (12th) - Saturday: Werder Bremen is very disappointing this season, this is because their defense is very fragile, only Per Mertesacker did his job and the others only did more harms. The other reason is their attacks is declining, even it looks sharpe. Even Claudio Pizarro, and Diego maintain the great form, they find the hard time to dominate. Last match against Hamburger SV showed that their attacks came dead when the opposition defense look well disciplined. On the other hand, Frankfurt is still improving after the poor start of the season, their defense started to look better and better now. I believe this match Frankfurt can hold on the defense and make a lot of counter attacks to make lots of troubles to Werder Bremen. Considering Werder Bremen has just finished the Champions League match, I believe they cannot win this match. My tip: Match draw 1-1.
Bayer Leverkusen (2nd) vs Bayern München (3rd) - Saturday: This is the most important match for both teams, if any of them lose this game, they will find very hard in the title race. Leverkusen young guns are looking very passionate and high morale so far. With the lead of Rene Adler, their defense looks very good. However, once the defenders have been through, Rene Adler finds a very hard time. Meanwhile, Tranquillo Barnetta, Partick Helmes and Stefan Kießling are the main attacking force which bring a lot of threats to Bayern. I believe they can score goals against Bayern, as Bayern's defense in the league do not look very good. On the other hand, Bayern is having a great run. They win 6 matches in last 7 league matches, total gained 19 points. Franck Ribery, Luca Toni, and Miroslav Klose are very fit and they are the primary reason to Bayern to gain this great run. Ze Roberto and Bastian Schweinsteiger are also good at form so they can assist the trio in the attack, so even though Bayern's defense is not looking very good, their attacks can carry them through. The one can finish better will win this match. My tip: Bayern München win 2-1.
Hannover 96 (13th) vs Karlsruher SC (17th) - Saturday: This is as important as Leverkusen vs Bayern mentioned above, the different is they are fighting for survival, not winning trophy. Hannover 96 is still struggling for the run, even their performance is improving. The injury problem really makes the team down. Especially in defense, there are too many injuries that left back and central midfielder Christian Schulz needs to play as central defense. Robert Enke is still injured and Florian Fromlowitz needs to stand up to face the game until next year. On the other hand, Karlsruher now looks hopeless, they only managed to have a draw in last 8 matches, that means 1 draw and 7 losses. The whole team now is falling apart in piece and they cannot see they can bring any surprises in this match. If they want to win back again, they need to work extra hard in this match. Considering Hannover has better form, I believe Karlsruher will have another loss. My tip: Hannover win 2-0.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (15th) vs Energie Cottbus (18th) - Saturday: This is another important relegation survival match in this week. Gladbach cannot convert the morale boosting draw against Bayern 2 weeks ago and lost to Schalke 3-1. It showed they lack of consistency, so that they remain at the edge of the relegation zone. Marko Marin cannot help the team all the time so it leads the team cannot find their consistency. Also, the other players cannot stand up to fight in the critical moment so that all the plays are relying on Marin. On the other hand, Cottbus is still looking hopeless at the moment, they only created 1 lucky shot to scored against Bayern last week. Their attacks is tragic and the defense is very poor. These 2 reasons is convincing enough to explain why they are bottom of the table and score only 8 goals so far. Considering Cottbus is too weak at the attacks, Gladbach should not have problem to win this important match. My tip: Gladbach win 2-0.
Hoffenheim (1st) vs Arminia Bielefeld (14th) - Saturday: Hoffenheim still keeps to win after the loss against Hertha Berlin. However, they seems their form is declining a bit as their last few oppositions have chance to fight back. Obasi and Ibiesivic is in the great form still so Hoffenheim can still prevail in the end. Their fast counter attack organized by Carols Eduardo is really threatening so that they scored 37 goals in 14 matches, which is the best in Bundesliga. On the other hand, Bielefeld is still going around and around recently. They tried very hard to remain the form, even they won against Leverkusen last week. This week for Bielefeld is the great moment for them to see if they can maintain this morale. However, it will be very surprised for me if Bielefeld is able to snatch a point. My tip: Hoffenheim win 3-1.
VfB Stuttgart (11th) vs Schalke 04 (7th) - Sunday: Both teams will play this important match after the UEFA Cup match in Thursday. Stuttgart head coach Armin Veh is sacked earlier this week and replaced by caretaker Markus Babbel for the remaining of this season. It may show Stuttgart is starting to throw away this season and start to rebuild for the next season. So this match I believe Stuttgart will have some test in the squad and plan what players they need in the winter purchase. On the other hand, Schalke this season so far is very disappointing, their inconsistency in the attacks make them failed to score goals and win matches, the best example is the match against Bayern. Kevin Kuranyi and Jefferson Farfan are not playing so well and it leads to the inconsistency in attack. The key of this match is if Stuttgart have "honeymoon" period under the start of the managment of Stuttgart. My tip: Match draw 2-2.
VfL Bochum (16th) vs Hamburger SV (5th) - Sunday: Hamburger away form recently is pretty poor so far. Even though Hamburger wins the match against Werder Bremen comprehensively, their poor away from cannot give the fans confident. Piotr Trochowski and Ivica Olic are the most important players to bring the victory for the team in this week, and I believe it is the great threat to Bochum. On the other hand, Bochum are still struggling in regaining the form. Paul Freier and the company are still struggling to gain the consistent form in order to help the team to get out of the relegation zone. Their only advantage of this match is their home court advantage and the poor away form from Hamburger. My tip: Match draw 1-1.
Borussia Dortmund (6th) vs VfL Wolfsburg (8th) - Sunday: This is an underestimated close rival match. Both teams are very similar in form. Their young players are very enthusiastic and this enthusiasm can lead both teams to the top half of the table. Dortmund's young midfield and the defense can convert them into success and it seems they can challenge the top teams in the lead. On the other hand, Wolfsburg looks very solid so far, and their team work is one of the best teams in the league. Even some positions such as defense midfielders are not good enough in class, their team work can carry them through. However, Dortmund has the advantage in terms of home court advantage so that they can win the match because of this. My tip: Dortmund win 2-1.
So this is it! Have a good tipping!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Germany national team 2008 - Summary
Germany had lost to England 2-1 to end up this year's fixture. To sum up this year, the spirit is so high and were so close to win Euro 2008 in the summer. Then the following World Cup Qualifier Germany had performed well, as well as there were lots of new young guns are coming. Now here's the summary of the national team:
Hot favorite
Germany had tipped to be the hot favor before the Euro 2008. At the beginning of the year Germany mainly focused on playing the warm up matches to prepare the major tournament. From those matches it seemed Germany was one of the favorites to win the tournament as they had very good spirit. The young guns and the experienced players seemed working very well. Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings were the main force in the midfield, even Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose did not perform well in the club. This spirit brought Germany into the Euro 2008 in the high spirit, but at the same time the spirit was overwhelmed the hidden problem and it all showed in the Euro 2008.
Someone has been forgotten
Weeks before Euro 2008 there were lots of analysis to say who should be in the team and who should be not. Similar as former head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Joachim Löw also brought us surprises. He chose the players without match practice such as David Odonkor, Christoph Metzelder, and Jens Lehmann rather than the players who were fit in club such as Fabien Ernst, Serder Tasci, Mike Hanke, and Marko Marin to play in Euro 2008. I can see Löw would like to choose the more experienced players to play in that tournament, but they were really unfit that they only dragged the team down. Timo Hildebrand was absolutely forgotten as his club, Valencia, ws in trouble in season 2007-2008. In fact, his performance was better and more convincing then Jens Lehmann at that moment as Lehmann had lost his place in Arsenal. On the other hand, Timo Hildebrand performed really well to help Valencia got out of trouble in the league as well as winning the Spanish Cup. These choices led to the difficult Euro 2008 campaign.
Euro 2008: A bumpy ride, and finally crashed
It was out of every fan's mind. It was harder than what they thought. It was supposed to be an easy group stage, especially after beating Poland 2-0 in the opening match. However, the defeat against Croatia showed those players like Lehmann, Metzelder, and Odonkor were absolutely not fit enough. Lehmann kept making mistake and doing some stupid moves, Metzelder was as slow as the snail, and Odonkor was just invisible. Bastian Schweinsteiger was not playing so well in the beginning, but he could pick up in the later stage. Same as the team, the whole team picked up at the later half of the tournament and made fans felt confident that they could actually win the trophy back. The quarter final against Portugal was the best match in the whole tournament. However, the old problem came out again in the final match against Spain. The whole team had lost the composure when the team was trailing behind. The players knew hey had to hurry but they had no idea on how to catch up the match. Spain was totally controlled the match and finally the team crashed out. One good thing however, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski had regain his best form and helped the national team a lot afterwards. Also it showed that Germany is one of the best teams in the world.
Post Euro 2008: Generation Z?
After the Euro 2008, Germany had quietly change the generation. The old players such as Jens Lehmann, Christoph Metzelder, and David Odonkor were fading out of national team due to different reasons. Oliver Neuville was not selected recently. There were lots of new players to replace them, such as Serder Tasci, Heiko Westermann, Marko Marin, and Patrick Helmes were taking over. They were quite inexperienced but they could show themselves that they can be one of the main forces in the national team. Rene Adler, the 3rd choice goalkeeper in the Euro 2008, is the 1st choice goalkeeper now. His performance was so impressing in his debut match against Russia in October and led the team won 2-1. He made at least 3 crucial saves to led the team now at the top of the table in the World Cup Qualifier. Also, Tim Wiese, he was left out in Euro 2008 also gained his spot in the team. These 2 new players meant Timo Hildeband had been forgotten again. He even lost his place in Valencia, again. So if he wants to re-enter into the national team, he should go away as soon as possible.
All sorted (or not?)
There was a pitfall in the end of October to te beginning of November. Kevin Kuranyi was sacked after the match against Wales as he ran away from the team and never came back. This is a total unprofessional move, even he was so angry that he was missed out in the Wales clash (as he was not selected in the 18-man match squad, even he was in 22-man main squad). Kuranyi was doing nothing good for this, so I absolutely agreed what Löw did - kick him out of national squad forever. Afterwards Michael Ballack and Oliver Bierhoff conflict had been heated up. The "bird man" incident caused them to have a huge conflict in the team. Finally Löw, Bierhoff, and Ballack himself had a meeting in early November to sort it out. Yes it could stabilized the morale in the team but I do believe it is just a short term collaboration, as they all have one common target - winning World Cup 2010. Torsten Frings was also complained he lost his starting place but the incident was solved it quickly. These 3 incidents showed that there are lots of conflict in the changeover of the generation in the coming future.
It was just a friendly
Germany had played against England in 19 November and had been beaten. However, I was quite relaxed after the loss as I knew it was just a test game. Both Löw and Capello from England tried new players to prepare for the new year's matches. Obviously England performed better even those 2 goals were very controversial. However, it was a good match as Löw could see where the problem was and he could fix it in these 3-4 months before the restart of the World Cup Qualifier in 2009. Obviously the left flank had lots of work to do, and the players needed to think about how to crack down the tight midfield competition. Also, the bench players had a chance to adept in the national team through matches. It is very beneficial to the national team because the toughest matches are yet to come, and the national team need more covers.
2009: The best is yet to come
I can say in the year if 2009, generally Germany will have improvement in the performance. It is a great moment to changeover the generation of the team, as making changeover in good time is always better than the awful time. New players now have the stable environment to adept and change, and the national team is capable enough to adept changes. Unlike 5-8 years ago, the national team was in the dark ages and the change of the team was just a hopeless gamble. This is the rising moment of Germany, the young players are having more chances to shine in the national team. Also, the U-21 players such as Toni Kroos has the potential to be one of the best players in Germany, and the new players such as Marvin Compper from Hoffenheim is getting more attention to the national team. As there are more covers at the back, Germany in 2009 is predicted to continue to grow. I can say Germany is one of the hot favorites to win the World Cup 2010.
Hot favorite
Germany had tipped to be the hot favor before the Euro 2008. At the beginning of the year Germany mainly focused on playing the warm up matches to prepare the major tournament. From those matches it seemed Germany was one of the favorites to win the tournament as they had very good spirit. The young guns and the experienced players seemed working very well. Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings were the main force in the midfield, even Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose did not perform well in the club. This spirit brought Germany into the Euro 2008 in the high spirit, but at the same time the spirit was overwhelmed the hidden problem and it all showed in the Euro 2008.
Someone has been forgotten
Weeks before Euro 2008 there were lots of analysis to say who should be in the team and who should be not. Similar as former head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, Joachim Löw also brought us surprises. He chose the players without match practice such as David Odonkor, Christoph Metzelder, and Jens Lehmann rather than the players who were fit in club such as Fabien Ernst, Serder Tasci, Mike Hanke, and Marko Marin to play in Euro 2008. I can see Löw would like to choose the more experienced players to play in that tournament, but they were really unfit that they only dragged the team down. Timo Hildebrand was absolutely forgotten as his club, Valencia, ws in trouble in season 2007-2008. In fact, his performance was better and more convincing then Jens Lehmann at that moment as Lehmann had lost his place in Arsenal. On the other hand, Timo Hildebrand performed really well to help Valencia got out of trouble in the league as well as winning the Spanish Cup. These choices led to the difficult Euro 2008 campaign.
Euro 2008: A bumpy ride, and finally crashed
It was out of every fan's mind. It was harder than what they thought. It was supposed to be an easy group stage, especially after beating Poland 2-0 in the opening match. However, the defeat against Croatia showed those players like Lehmann, Metzelder, and Odonkor were absolutely not fit enough. Lehmann kept making mistake and doing some stupid moves, Metzelder was as slow as the snail, and Odonkor was just invisible. Bastian Schweinsteiger was not playing so well in the beginning, but he could pick up in the later stage. Same as the team, the whole team picked up at the later half of the tournament and made fans felt confident that they could actually win the trophy back. The quarter final against Portugal was the best match in the whole tournament. However, the old problem came out again in the final match against Spain. The whole team had lost the composure when the team was trailing behind. The players knew hey had to hurry but they had no idea on how to catch up the match. Spain was totally controlled the match and finally the team crashed out. One good thing however, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski had regain his best form and helped the national team a lot afterwards. Also it showed that Germany is one of the best teams in the world.
Post Euro 2008: Generation Z?
After the Euro 2008, Germany had quietly change the generation. The old players such as Jens Lehmann, Christoph Metzelder, and David Odonkor were fading out of national team due to different reasons. Oliver Neuville was not selected recently. There were lots of new players to replace them, such as Serder Tasci, Heiko Westermann, Marko Marin, and Patrick Helmes were taking over. They were quite inexperienced but they could show themselves that they can be one of the main forces in the national team. Rene Adler, the 3rd choice goalkeeper in the Euro 2008, is the 1st choice goalkeeper now. His performance was so impressing in his debut match against Russia in October and led the team won 2-1. He made at least 3 crucial saves to led the team now at the top of the table in the World Cup Qualifier. Also, Tim Wiese, he was left out in Euro 2008 also gained his spot in the team. These 2 new players meant Timo Hildeband had been forgotten again. He even lost his place in Valencia, again. So if he wants to re-enter into the national team, he should go away as soon as possible.
All sorted (or not?)
There was a pitfall in the end of October to te beginning of November. Kevin Kuranyi was sacked after the match against Wales as he ran away from the team and never came back. This is a total unprofessional move, even he was so angry that he was missed out in the Wales clash (as he was not selected in the 18-man match squad, even he was in 22-man main squad). Kuranyi was doing nothing good for this, so I absolutely agreed what Löw did - kick him out of national squad forever. Afterwards Michael Ballack and Oliver Bierhoff conflict had been heated up. The "bird man" incident caused them to have a huge conflict in the team. Finally Löw, Bierhoff, and Ballack himself had a meeting in early November to sort it out. Yes it could stabilized the morale in the team but I do believe it is just a short term collaboration, as they all have one common target - winning World Cup 2010. Torsten Frings was also complained he lost his starting place but the incident was solved it quickly. These 3 incidents showed that there are lots of conflict in the changeover of the generation in the coming future.
It was just a friendly
Germany had played against England in 19 November and had been beaten. However, I was quite relaxed after the loss as I knew it was just a test game. Both Löw and Capello from England tried new players to prepare for the new year's matches. Obviously England performed better even those 2 goals were very controversial. However, it was a good match as Löw could see where the problem was and he could fix it in these 3-4 months before the restart of the World Cup Qualifier in 2009. Obviously the left flank had lots of work to do, and the players needed to think about how to crack down the tight midfield competition. Also, the bench players had a chance to adept in the national team through matches. It is very beneficial to the national team because the toughest matches are yet to come, and the national team need more covers.
2009: The best is yet to come
I can say in the year if 2009, generally Germany will have improvement in the performance. It is a great moment to changeover the generation of the team, as making changeover in good time is always better than the awful time. New players now have the stable environment to adept and change, and the national team is capable enough to adept changes. Unlike 5-8 years ago, the national team was in the dark ages and the change of the team was just a hopeless gamble. This is the rising moment of Germany, the young players are having more chances to shine in the national team. Also, the U-21 players such as Toni Kroos has the potential to be one of the best players in Germany, and the new players such as Marvin Compper from Hoffenheim is getting more attention to the national team. As there are more covers at the back, Germany in 2009 is predicted to continue to grow. I can say Germany is one of the hot favorites to win the World Cup 2010.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
German Bundesliga Week 14 Tipping
This weekend Bundesliga have reached the matchday 14. The top of the table seems clearer to see who the real title contenders are. However, the relegation battle seems very messy in this moment. Now here's my tipping:
Karlsruher SC (16th) vs Borussia Dormund (6th) - Friday: Karlsruher are in the lowest of the low now. They only get 1 point in last 7 matches, and haven't won a match for 7 weeks already. They totally lost the composure to win the match so that even if they can perform, they cannot win. It was very depressed for them for sure that they lost to the weakest attacking team, Energie Cottbus last week. I don't believe they can get anything to bring them to back on track this week. Oppositely, Borussia Dortmund seems to gain back their morale to win. The big win against Eintract Frankfurt is definitely a huge boost for them to climb up in the league table. Those young guns seem to have great morale in this moment and I believe they can bring the team to victory. My tip: Dortmund win 3-0.
Schalke 04 (8th) vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (14th) - Saturday: Schalke dropped to 8th after losing 2 games in a row. It showed that their attacking is so poor that leading the team lose the game. Kevin Kuranyi again did not perform last week. In my point of view he did not deserve to be the starter at all! Jefferson Farfan again did not reach his full potential. However, this match they have home court advantage and the opposition is relatively weak, so this is the great chance for them to win a game back by their solid defense. Gladbach was quite surprised to me last game that they were able to equal Bayern München, they showed their morale and never give up attitude. Marko Marin seems he is progressing well and become a "hero" of the team. The matter is if he can turn things around by himself alone again when facing the Schalke's tough defense. My tip: Schalke win 1-0.
VfL Wolfsburg (9th) vs VfB Stuttgart (11th) - Saturday: Mid table clash. Both of them are not very stable at the moment. Wolfsburg had the spirit last match to give Hoffenheim a very hard time and it was a bit unlucky that they lost in the end. Grafite is in the great form together with Japanese international Hasebe. Also, it showed their variety in attack to bring threats to any oppositions. However, their defense bring uncertainty in the team, they always fail to finish the game or need to chase the game because of that. In the other side, Stuttgart seems they never get a streak following the win. They fail a single goal to win against Armina Bielefeld and hold out a bore draw last week. Their attack is so uncertain that to fail to bring them a victory, so that they are still at the mid table. My tip: Match draw 1-1.
Eintract Frankfurt (levelled 12th) vs Hannover 96 (levelled 12th) - Saturday: Well, can you get any closer than that? Both teams are in the same position! Eintract Frankfurt are very disappointed to me last week that they lost comprehensively. I hope that it won't affect them too much. Again, they are getting better and better, 12th position is an appropriate position for them. Hannover on the other hand is quite impressed for me. They lost heaps of players due to injuries but they can still perform well. I thought they are in deep trouble in the league but they stand tough in the 12th position. It was very unlucky for them that they fail to win last week as the young goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz made a mistake. This is the worry to the team for me and I think that it is not easy to win Frankfurt this week. My tip: Match draw 1-1.
VfL Bochum (15th) vs Hertha Berlin (4th) - Saturday: Hertha Berlin is very impressing this season so far. As their stable performance make them climb to 4th in the table. Very few bookmarkers believe that they can reach to that high, if they accord to their performance in last few seasons. Arne Friedrich is very good this season and he leads the defense very well that very few teams are able to crack them down (in fact, only Bayern München and Werder Bremen could crack them, even Hoffenheim couldn't). However, their attacks is not so stable so that they always win by short, which is quite risky that the others can level them up by seeking 1 single chance. In the other side, Bochum is still in all sorts of trouble. They strayed in the bottom of the table and they may hope that winter break comes sooner so they can re-group what they have done wrong. However, before the winter break comes, I cannot see any clues that they can bounce back. So, another loss for them. My tip: Hertha Berlin win 2-0.
1. FC Köln (10th) vs Hoffenheim (2nd) - Saturday: Last week Hoffenheim showed us that they are not down and out yet. They still managed themselves to win a hard fought game against Wolfsburg. However, Hofenheim now are starting to find a harder time to win the game as their hot streak is coming to an end. Even Obasi and the other players are still in good form, they show their how weak they are if they are not on the ball. Lack of positioning make them lose so many goals. On the other hand, Köln is quite solid this season. Being at 10th position is only because their class is not good enough to the title challenging team. Their defense is quite solid and the attacks is quite stable, so that relegation is not for them. I do believe Köln have the ability to upset Hoffenheim as they know each others well and Köln is very solid in performance. My tip: Match draw 2-2.
Bayern München (3rd) vs Energie Cottbus (18th) - Saturday: Bayern had not learnt their lesson for not counting the chickens too early against Bochum 2 months ago and again, they failed to win in 2 goals lead. The players were gone too relaxed and thought they went home with 3 points already. In the end, they dropped 2 points out! This time they go back to their home court against the weakest team in Bundesliga so far, if they are carefully enough, they will win this match easily. Cottbus on the other side they can't get anything right in their attacks and defense so they are very very hard to stop the hot Bayern players like Luca Toni, Franck Ribery, and Ze Roberto. The only advantage of Cottbus is they have no pressure in this match at all, this maybe the uncertainty of the match. My tip: Bayern win 5-0.
Arminia Bielefeld (17th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (1st) - Saturday: Bielefeld is another team which really hopes for the winter break comes early as they cannot turn things around now. They are just better than Cottbus a bit. If they cannot improve drastically, it is very hard to see them in Bundesliga next season. Their attacks are too rely on individual effort and it can't bring any threats to the others at all. Bayer Leverkusen is the opposite. Their attacks are relying on excellent team work and fast through balls and short passes, so that's why they keep scoring and they are now at the top of the table. With the aid of goalkeeper Rene Adler, the defense becomes very solid. So there should not be a problem for Leverkusen to have a big win. My tip: Leverkusen win 3-0.
Hamburger SV (5th) vs Werder Bremen (7th) - Sunday: Hamburger recently is pretty unstable, they lost to Hertha Berlin and again failed to maintain the form. This is because there are too many injuries in the defense and goalkeeper Frank Rost is pretty hard to take care all of the shots coming in, as the defense is too weak to let the opposition to go deep easily. The attack again is too relying on Pitor Trochowski, his form recently is not really good so that they are quite hard to score goals. Werder Bremen on the other hand they are getting better now. Their attack seems to gain back what they had last season. Claudio Pizzaro is the best transfer for them as he can stabilize the attacks. However, with their fragile defense and Hamburger has the home court advantage, I believe Hamburger can snatch a point with a high scoring game. My tip: Match draw 3-3.
So that's it for my tipping!
Karlsruher SC (16th) vs Borussia Dormund (6th) - Friday: Karlsruher are in the lowest of the low now. They only get 1 point in last 7 matches, and haven't won a match for 7 weeks already. They totally lost the composure to win the match so that even if they can perform, they cannot win. It was very depressed for them for sure that they lost to the weakest attacking team, Energie Cottbus last week. I don't believe they can get anything to bring them to back on track this week. Oppositely, Borussia Dortmund seems to gain back their morale to win. The big win against Eintract Frankfurt is definitely a huge boost for them to climb up in the league table. Those young guns seem to have great morale in this moment and I believe they can bring the team to victory. My tip: Dortmund win 3-0.
Schalke 04 (8th) vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (14th) - Saturday: Schalke dropped to 8th after losing 2 games in a row. It showed that their attacking is so poor that leading the team lose the game. Kevin Kuranyi again did not perform last week. In my point of view he did not deserve to be the starter at all! Jefferson Farfan again did not reach his full potential. However, this match they have home court advantage and the opposition is relatively weak, so this is the great chance for them to win a game back by their solid defense. Gladbach was quite surprised to me last game that they were able to equal Bayern München, they showed their morale and never give up attitude. Marko Marin seems he is progressing well and become a "hero" of the team. The matter is if he can turn things around by himself alone again when facing the Schalke's tough defense. My tip: Schalke win 1-0.
VfL Wolfsburg (9th) vs VfB Stuttgart (11th) - Saturday: Mid table clash. Both of them are not very stable at the moment. Wolfsburg had the spirit last match to give Hoffenheim a very hard time and it was a bit unlucky that they lost in the end. Grafite is in the great form together with Japanese international Hasebe. Also, it showed their variety in attack to bring threats to any oppositions. However, their defense bring uncertainty in the team, they always fail to finish the game or need to chase the game because of that. In the other side, Stuttgart seems they never get a streak following the win. They fail a single goal to win against Armina Bielefeld and hold out a bore draw last week. Their attack is so uncertain that to fail to bring them a victory, so that they are still at the mid table. My tip: Match draw 1-1.
Eintract Frankfurt (levelled 12th) vs Hannover 96 (levelled 12th) - Saturday: Well, can you get any closer than that? Both teams are in the same position! Eintract Frankfurt are very disappointed to me last week that they lost comprehensively. I hope that it won't affect them too much. Again, they are getting better and better, 12th position is an appropriate position for them. Hannover on the other hand is quite impressed for me. They lost heaps of players due to injuries but they can still perform well. I thought they are in deep trouble in the league but they stand tough in the 12th position. It was very unlucky for them that they fail to win last week as the young goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz made a mistake. This is the worry to the team for me and I think that it is not easy to win Frankfurt this week. My tip: Match draw 1-1.
VfL Bochum (15th) vs Hertha Berlin (4th) - Saturday: Hertha Berlin is very impressing this season so far. As their stable performance make them climb to 4th in the table. Very few bookmarkers believe that they can reach to that high, if they accord to their performance in last few seasons. Arne Friedrich is very good this season and he leads the defense very well that very few teams are able to crack them down (in fact, only Bayern München and Werder Bremen could crack them, even Hoffenheim couldn't). However, their attacks is not so stable so that they always win by short, which is quite risky that the others can level them up by seeking 1 single chance. In the other side, Bochum is still in all sorts of trouble. They strayed in the bottom of the table and they may hope that winter break comes sooner so they can re-group what they have done wrong. However, before the winter break comes, I cannot see any clues that they can bounce back. So, another loss for them. My tip: Hertha Berlin win 2-0.
1. FC Köln (10th) vs Hoffenheim (2nd) - Saturday: Last week Hoffenheim showed us that they are not down and out yet. They still managed themselves to win a hard fought game against Wolfsburg. However, Hofenheim now are starting to find a harder time to win the game as their hot streak is coming to an end. Even Obasi and the other players are still in good form, they show their how weak they are if they are not on the ball. Lack of positioning make them lose so many goals. On the other hand, Köln is quite solid this season. Being at 10th position is only because their class is not good enough to the title challenging team. Their defense is quite solid and the attacks is quite stable, so that relegation is not for them. I do believe Köln have the ability to upset Hoffenheim as they know each others well and Köln is very solid in performance. My tip: Match draw 2-2.
Bayern München (3rd) vs Energie Cottbus (18th) - Saturday: Bayern had not learnt their lesson for not counting the chickens too early against Bochum 2 months ago and again, they failed to win in 2 goals lead. The players were gone too relaxed and thought they went home with 3 points already. In the end, they dropped 2 points out! This time they go back to their home court against the weakest team in Bundesliga so far, if they are carefully enough, they will win this match easily. Cottbus on the other side they can't get anything right in their attacks and defense so they are very very hard to stop the hot Bayern players like Luca Toni, Franck Ribery, and Ze Roberto. The only advantage of Cottbus is they have no pressure in this match at all, this maybe the uncertainty of the match. My tip: Bayern win 5-0.
Arminia Bielefeld (17th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (1st) - Saturday: Bielefeld is another team which really hopes for the winter break comes early as they cannot turn things around now. They are just better than Cottbus a bit. If they cannot improve drastically, it is very hard to see them in Bundesliga next season. Their attacks are too rely on individual effort and it can't bring any threats to the others at all. Bayer Leverkusen is the opposite. Their attacks are relying on excellent team work and fast through balls and short passes, so that's why they keep scoring and they are now at the top of the table. With the aid of goalkeeper Rene Adler, the defense becomes very solid. So there should not be a problem for Leverkusen to have a big win. My tip: Leverkusen win 3-0.
Hamburger SV (5th) vs Werder Bremen (7th) - Sunday: Hamburger recently is pretty unstable, they lost to Hertha Berlin and again failed to maintain the form. This is because there are too many injuries in the defense and goalkeeper Frank Rost is pretty hard to take care all of the shots coming in, as the defense is too weak to let the opposition to go deep easily. The attack again is too relying on Pitor Trochowski, his form recently is not really good so that they are quite hard to score goals. Werder Bremen on the other hand they are getting better now. Their attack seems to gain back what they had last season. Claudio Pizzaro is the best transfer for them as he can stabilize the attacks. However, with their fragile defense and Hamburger has the home court advantage, I believe Hamburger can snatch a point with a high scoring game. My tip: Match draw 3-3.
So that's it for my tipping!
Monday, November 17, 2008
International Friendly - Germany vs England preview
This Wednesday Germany national team will host a friendly match against England at Olympiastadion, Berlin. This matchup is a classic rivalry match and there are lots of national pride at stake. However, both head coaches do not think this way. They chose some new players into the national team as well as resting the regular starters. Now here's the preview of the match of each team:
Germany: Head coach Joachim Löw had chosen 3 new debutants, they are Tobias Weis and Marvin Compper from Hoffenheim, and Marcel Schäfer from Wolfsburg. This is the reward for them for the excellent performance in the Bundesliga. However, they are not predicted to play this match as Löw just want to see them in details as he would like to search some new bench players. Philipp Lahm, Michael Ballack, and Torsten Frings are missed out as Löw intentionally rest them. It may affect further to their unstable defense. So Piotr Trochowski, Thomas Hitzlsperger, and Bastian Schweinsteiger are the most important men in the team. It will be the biggest test for them after Euro 08, they need to show themselves that they are capable to face big test. Miroslav Klose will be the major striking force for Germany. Together with Lukas Podolski, this combination can give confident to the fans that they can score against England. One more thing, Löw announced that the reserve keeper Tim Wiese from Werder Bremen will start the match, so this is the moment for him to prove himself that he can be one of the strong keepers in the national team. The winning key for them will be the defense can stop England and the strikers can finish well.
England: What a coincidence, or is it an intention? Head coach Fabio Capello also rests some regular players such as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand. David Beckham is missed out again but his regular place is already under huge threat as Capello doesn't trust him at all, even he chooses Beckham in the World Cup Qualifier. So that David Beckham is not that important now. Michael Mancienne from Wolvehampton Wanderers and Curtis Davies from Aston Villa have earned a place in the national team. Same reason with Germany, Capello would like to search some new bench players to relief Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Steven Gerrard will be the most important player in England as he can connect the play for the strikers such as Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe, who are predicted to start the match. This match can see how England attack without Wayne Rooney, I believe Capello would like to see that. The key to win is if the midfield can control the game flow, that means Steven Gerrard must perform well to beat their old rival.
Key point to the match: It is a quite even match, nobody can guarantee who will win. A bit surprised for me that both teams are not choosing the best players, maybe they both thought this match is just a friendly, plus this match is the last match of 2008, so that there is no point for them to play in full strength. However, it is a very good chance to test the debutants, as well as having a close look at them at the training ground for preparing the upcoming match in 2009, as there are lots of important matches are waiting for them. The critical point of the match is how the remaining regular starters perform. I do not expect any stunning performance from the debutants, they may bring some harms to the team in that match to be honest. So the regular starters will be very important to change the game around. As Germany seems to have better communication and better team work than England, I believe Germany will have an upper hand.
Germany: Head coach Joachim Löw had chosen 3 new debutants, they are Tobias Weis and Marvin Compper from Hoffenheim, and Marcel Schäfer from Wolfsburg. This is the reward for them for the excellent performance in the Bundesliga. However, they are not predicted to play this match as Löw just want to see them in details as he would like to search some new bench players. Philipp Lahm, Michael Ballack, and Torsten Frings are missed out as Löw intentionally rest them. It may affect further to their unstable defense. So Piotr Trochowski, Thomas Hitzlsperger, and Bastian Schweinsteiger are the most important men in the team. It will be the biggest test for them after Euro 08, they need to show themselves that they are capable to face big test. Miroslav Klose will be the major striking force for Germany. Together with Lukas Podolski, this combination can give confident to the fans that they can score against England. One more thing, Löw announced that the reserve keeper Tim Wiese from Werder Bremen will start the match, so this is the moment for him to prove himself that he can be one of the strong keepers in the national team. The winning key for them will be the defense can stop England and the strikers can finish well.
England: What a coincidence, or is it an intention? Head coach Fabio Capello also rests some regular players such as Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand. David Beckham is missed out again but his regular place is already under huge threat as Capello doesn't trust him at all, even he chooses Beckham in the World Cup Qualifier. So that David Beckham is not that important now. Michael Mancienne from Wolvehampton Wanderers and Curtis Davies from Aston Villa have earned a place in the national team. Same reason with Germany, Capello would like to search some new bench players to relief Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Steven Gerrard will be the most important player in England as he can connect the play for the strikers such as Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe, who are predicted to start the match. This match can see how England attack without Wayne Rooney, I believe Capello would like to see that. The key to win is if the midfield can control the game flow, that means Steven Gerrard must perform well to beat their old rival.
Key point to the match: It is a quite even match, nobody can guarantee who will win. A bit surprised for me that both teams are not choosing the best players, maybe they both thought this match is just a friendly, plus this match is the last match of 2008, so that there is no point for them to play in full strength. However, it is a very good chance to test the debutants, as well as having a close look at them at the training ground for preparing the upcoming match in 2009, as there are lots of important matches are waiting for them. The critical point of the match is how the remaining regular starters perform. I do not expect any stunning performance from the debutants, they may bring some harms to the team in that match to be honest. So the regular starters will be very important to change the game around. As Germany seems to have better communication and better team work than England, I believe Germany will have an upper hand.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
German Bundesliga Week 13 Tipping
This week German Bundesliga reaches the matchday 13. This matchday Hamburger SV will have fierce away game against Hertha Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke 04 will play against each other. Last week the result was quite surprising to me that I only made 2 correct tips and 1 correct score within them. Now here's my tipping of this week:
Hannover 96 (13th) vs VfL Bochum (16th) - Friday: These two teams these season had their own problem. Generally speaking, their attacking could not connect each other and the defense were very fragile. Hannover's Huszti failed to connect the midfield and the attacks so far so that Mikael Forsell and Jan Schlaudraff can't reach their full potential. Same as Bochum, the midfield is not creative enough to make threats to the others defense and the attacks are very ordinary. Considering with Hannover has the home court advantage, I believe they at least will have a draw and even have a narrow win. My tipping: Hannover win 2-1.
Hertha Berlin (5th) vs Hamburger SV (4th) - Saturday: Very close call this match. Hertha Berlin showed how solid they were last match to beat Hoffenheim 1-0 and surprised me very much. This is a morale boosting match for them and I believe they can carry on to this match. Hamburger SV recently is quite unstable at the moment, especially in the away form. They cannot perform as well as at the home ground so they can't reach to the top of the table after losing to Hoffenheim 3 weeks ago. This is a very close match but considering to the poor away form from Hamburger recently, I believe Hertha Berlin will have a certain advantage. My tipping: Hertha Berlin win 1-0.
Borussia Dortmund (9th) vs Eintract Frankfurt (12th) - Saturday: I believe some Dortmund fans are very enthusiastic about the title challenge after the excellent season start, but the recent form show that they never get close. Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels are young but inexperienced so it is still unreliable to them. Robert Kovac is experienced, but his pace and reaction is too bad that only creat more harm to the team. Kovac is suspended this match so it really relies on the young defender. Eintract Frankfurt slowly but surely are coming back to the greatest form, their attacks and defense are getting better and better each match. Now I have faith on Frankfurt that they can turn things around. The key of this match is if Dortmund can score goals first and finish the game well. My tipping: Match draw 1-1.
Hoffenheim (2nd) vs VfL Wolfsburg (7th) - Saturday: Finally, Hoffenheim lost the game and ended the great form. Critics may say they will start losing games as their great form had been lost so sudden. I can't comment on this as their form is still unclear, but in some extent, they are harder to pick up the great form back. It really relies on how the manager and the players deal with it. Their defense is very poor organized in positioning and it is very easy to get passed through. On the other hand, Wolfsburg is quite solid this season, they can beat the team with the same level. Grafite is on the great form, his pace and stamina can bring lots of trouble to Hoffenheim. I believe even Wolfsburg is away, they have ability to upset Hoffenheim and get a draw. My tipping: Match draw 2-2.
VfB Stuttgart (11th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (17th) - Saturday: Even Stuttgart is very unstable this season so far, they can beat Bielefeld easily. Even Mario Gomez is not very stable in form, he can also score against Bielefeld easily. The problem of Bielefeld is the whole team is being outclassed. Their attack and defense cannot deliver at all. Stuttgart on the other hand have some good players such as Hitzlsperger can help them to perform well in the home court at least. So because of the different class, it will be an easy win for Stuttgart. My tipping: Stuttgart win 3-0.
Bayer Leverkusen (1st) vs Schalke 04 (6th) - Saturday: This is a mega blockbuster of this week. Bayer Leverkusen is very surprised to me they can reach at the top, but it is also surprised to me that they could not finish the game against Karlsruher with 3-0 lead. It can show that their team is too young and inexperienced under this situation. They cannot remain calm when they were still leading 3-2 and could not protect the win. On the other hand, Schalke showed their old problem of finishing in the front that they wasted so many chance against Bayern München. Kevin Kuranyi is very poor in form and he never recovered. Jefferson Farfan has not reached his full potential in the right flank so they found a very hard time to get a goal. However, it is a bliss that their solid defense from the midfield to the goal can bring them through. So they are standing well in the 6th position. They key of this match is Schalke's finishing. My tipping: Match draw 1-1.
Energie Cottbus (18th) vs Karlsruher SC (15th) - Saturday: It is a shame to see Cottbus' pathetic attacking force. They only score 6 goals in 12 matches! What goes wrong? They never create and connect in the attacks. They only knows rush and rush. Jiayi Shao, the Chinese playmaker is supposed to be the most important midfielder but his poor performance makes him lose his regular starting place. It really makes it worse. Even Karlsruher is at the poor form recently, which they haven't won a game in 6 weeks, they will control the game easily. My tipping: Karlsruher win 3-0.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (14th) vs Bayern München (3rd) - Saturday: It is a classic rival matchup but their distance now is too huge. Marko Marin from Gladbach is the only spotlight in the team. His pace, dribbling skills, and shooting is the best in the team, this is what Bayern must take care of, as their defense is quite unstable. In Bayern side, it is an excellent news that Lahm and Schweinsteiger are back to the team, but I doubt Lahm's form that he can perform well after more than a month's injury. Franck Ribery, Ze Roberto, and Tim Borowski are in the excellent form and it seems they will control the game once again. The key point of the game is if Bayern can keep the clean sheet, there will be no problem for them. Due to the difference class, Bayern will win easily. My tipping: Bayern München win 3-0.
Werder Bremen (10th) vs 1. FC Köln (8th) - Sunday: The only match in Sunday this week. It is very surprised for me last week that Werder Bremen can't even score. It shows that even they are very good attacking according to the statistics, actually their attacking force is declining. I believe this is the reason why they are wandering in the midtable. Together with the fragile defense, Werder Bremen fail to ensure their win through "scoring 1 more goal than you" tactics. On the other hand, Köln is very successful in the Bundesliga after purchasing some key players like Petit and Fayrd Mondragon. They have the ability to fight against any team in Bundesliga hard. So I believe this time Köln can snatch a draw from Werder Bremen and once again, Werder Bremen will break more hearts from the fans. My tipping: Match draw 2-2.
So that's it for this week's tipping! Have a good weekend!
Hannover 96 (13th) vs VfL Bochum (16th) - Friday: These two teams these season had their own problem. Generally speaking, their attacking could not connect each other and the defense were very fragile. Hannover's Huszti failed to connect the midfield and the attacks so far so that Mikael Forsell and Jan Schlaudraff can't reach their full potential. Same as Bochum, the midfield is not creative enough to make threats to the others defense and the attacks are very ordinary. Considering with Hannover has the home court advantage, I believe they at least will have a draw and even have a narrow win. My tipping: Hannover win 2-1.
Hertha Berlin (5th) vs Hamburger SV (4th) - Saturday: Very close call this match. Hertha Berlin showed how solid they were last match to beat Hoffenheim 1-0 and surprised me very much. This is a morale boosting match for them and I believe they can carry on to this match. Hamburger SV recently is quite unstable at the moment, especially in the away form. They cannot perform as well as at the home ground so they can't reach to the top of the table after losing to Hoffenheim 3 weeks ago. This is a very close match but considering to the poor away form from Hamburger recently, I believe Hertha Berlin will have a certain advantage. My tipping: Hertha Berlin win 1-0.
Borussia Dortmund (9th) vs Eintract Frankfurt (12th) - Saturday: I believe some Dortmund fans are very enthusiastic about the title challenge after the excellent season start, but the recent form show that they never get close. Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels are young but inexperienced so it is still unreliable to them. Robert Kovac is experienced, but his pace and reaction is too bad that only creat more harm to the team. Kovac is suspended this match so it really relies on the young defender. Eintract Frankfurt slowly but surely are coming back to the greatest form, their attacks and defense are getting better and better each match. Now I have faith on Frankfurt that they can turn things around. The key of this match is if Dortmund can score goals first and finish the game well. My tipping: Match draw 1-1.
Hoffenheim (2nd) vs VfL Wolfsburg (7th) - Saturday: Finally, Hoffenheim lost the game and ended the great form. Critics may say they will start losing games as their great form had been lost so sudden. I can't comment on this as their form is still unclear, but in some extent, they are harder to pick up the great form back. It really relies on how the manager and the players deal with it. Their defense is very poor organized in positioning and it is very easy to get passed through. On the other hand, Wolfsburg is quite solid this season, they can beat the team with the same level. Grafite is on the great form, his pace and stamina can bring lots of trouble to Hoffenheim. I believe even Wolfsburg is away, they have ability to upset Hoffenheim and get a draw. My tipping: Match draw 2-2.
VfB Stuttgart (11th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (17th) - Saturday: Even Stuttgart is very unstable this season so far, they can beat Bielefeld easily. Even Mario Gomez is not very stable in form, he can also score against Bielefeld easily. The problem of Bielefeld is the whole team is being outclassed. Their attack and defense cannot deliver at all. Stuttgart on the other hand have some good players such as Hitzlsperger can help them to perform well in the home court at least. So because of the different class, it will be an easy win for Stuttgart. My tipping: Stuttgart win 3-0.
Bayer Leverkusen (1st) vs Schalke 04 (6th) - Saturday: This is a mega blockbuster of this week. Bayer Leverkusen is very surprised to me they can reach at the top, but it is also surprised to me that they could not finish the game against Karlsruher with 3-0 lead. It can show that their team is too young and inexperienced under this situation. They cannot remain calm when they were still leading 3-2 and could not protect the win. On the other hand, Schalke showed their old problem of finishing in the front that they wasted so many chance against Bayern München. Kevin Kuranyi is very poor in form and he never recovered. Jefferson Farfan has not reached his full potential in the right flank so they found a very hard time to get a goal. However, it is a bliss that their solid defense from the midfield to the goal can bring them through. So they are standing well in the 6th position. They key of this match is Schalke's finishing. My tipping: Match draw 1-1.
Energie Cottbus (18th) vs Karlsruher SC (15th) - Saturday: It is a shame to see Cottbus' pathetic attacking force. They only score 6 goals in 12 matches! What goes wrong? They never create and connect in the attacks. They only knows rush and rush. Jiayi Shao, the Chinese playmaker is supposed to be the most important midfielder but his poor performance makes him lose his regular starting place. It really makes it worse. Even Karlsruher is at the poor form recently, which they haven't won a game in 6 weeks, they will control the game easily. My tipping: Karlsruher win 3-0.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (14th) vs Bayern München (3rd) - Saturday: It is a classic rival matchup but their distance now is too huge. Marko Marin from Gladbach is the only spotlight in the team. His pace, dribbling skills, and shooting is the best in the team, this is what Bayern must take care of, as their defense is quite unstable. In Bayern side, it is an excellent news that Lahm and Schweinsteiger are back to the team, but I doubt Lahm's form that he can perform well after more than a month's injury. Franck Ribery, Ze Roberto, and Tim Borowski are in the excellent form and it seems they will control the game once again. The key point of the game is if Bayern can keep the clean sheet, there will be no problem for them. Due to the difference class, Bayern will win easily. My tipping: Bayern München win 3-0.
Werder Bremen (10th) vs 1. FC Köln (8th) - Sunday: The only match in Sunday this week. It is very surprised for me last week that Werder Bremen can't even score. It shows that even they are very good attacking according to the statistics, actually their attacking force is declining. I believe this is the reason why they are wandering in the midtable. Together with the fragile defense, Werder Bremen fail to ensure their win through "scoring 1 more goal than you" tactics. On the other hand, Köln is very successful in the Bundesliga after purchasing some key players like Petit and Fayrd Mondragon. They have the ability to fight against any team in Bundesliga hard. So I believe this time Köln can snatch a draw from Werder Bremen and once again, Werder Bremen will break more hearts from the fans. My tipping: Match draw 2-2.
So that's it for this week's tipping! Have a good weekend!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
German Bundesliga Week 12 Tipping
This week German Bundesliga are going to have match week 12. Bayern München and Hamburger SV will have a great challenge after the European matchday. Last week I had 4 correct tipping with 1 correct scores. Here's my week 12 tipping:
1. FC Köln (11th) vs Hannover 96 (13th) - Friday: Last week both teams brought surprise to me, they beated the odds to win against the opposition. Especially for Hannover 96, they had another great match to beat Hamburger SV 3-0 comprehensively. Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forsell started to connect each other and brought the team to success. The key point for them this match is if they can keep on the morale boosting form. On the other hand, Köln had beaten Stuttgart last week away from home, it showed the team is climbing up to the good form again. The defense and the attack seem solid and it is not easy for Hannover to break. The key point of this match is the match performance. My tipping: Match draw 1-1.
Hamburger SV (5th) vs Borussia Dortmund (6th) - Saturday: The closest match in Saturday night. Hamburger SV are starting to slump down after the great form in the first month of the season. The injury problem is still making them struggle and they cannot find the solution to it. Piotr Trochowski is still the most important man in the team, but when he is underachieving, once again the team is dead. Borussia Dortmund is also starting to slump down after the great form. They fail to win the game in the last 2 matches and make them drop in the league position. Those inexperienced young guns cannot perform in the crucial moment, so that the team fail to win. The key of the match is who can step up to the plate and make a killing shot. My tipping: Match draw 2-2.
VfL Bochum (15th) vs Werder Bremen (8th) - Saturday: Werder Bremen is very disappointing this season, even they won 5-1 against Hertha Berlin and gained the morale, the team still couldn't cover the problem of fragile defense. The Champions League match totally showed this problem. Luckily their attacking force are starting to gain back the form. Claudio Pizarro and Diego are the key players to bring them success. Even though their defense has lots of problems, Bochum this season is very poor in the form. Both attacks and defense have been outclassed. The players like Paul Freier and Vahid Hashemian are in poor form. So Werder Bremen should have won easily. My tipping: Werder Bremen win 4-1.
VfL Wolfsburg (9th) vs Energie Cottbus (18th) - Saturday: Wolfsburg had lost 2 games in a row, now here's the chance to comeback. Tactically Wolfsburg is outclassed Cottbus and their attacks can definitely score against Cottbus for more than one time. Misimovic is the key factor to drive them success in this game, and I believe Cottbus has no power to stop them. So base on the different class, Wolfsburg will win easily. My tipping: Wolfsburg win 3-0.
Karlsruher SC (14th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (2nd) - Saturday: Karlsruher is one of the teams is in very poor form, they lost 5 games in a row and seemed they don't have signs to comeback. Very pitiful for them they are facing the tough team like Leverkusen in the moment they desperately need a win. Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta is in the great form, together with Arthur Vidal, their midfield is one of the best in the Bundesliga. These 2 players are definitely the key factor of the match, their great performance will bring Leverkusen to another win. My tipping: Leverkusen win 3-0.
Arminia Bielefeld (16th) vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (17th) - Saturday: This maybe the most important match for both of them if they want to stay in Bundesliga this season. Both teams have trouble in terms of attacking and defense. Bielefeld is very disappointing this season so far, they still cannot find the way to get out of the trouble. Even they had a great game last week, they still failed to snatch a point back, it showed their consistency is very questionable. In Mönchengladbach side, they don't have class to perform well in Bundesliga, Marko Marin should be the savior of the team but he only performs in 70 minutes, that leads the team fail to win or bounce it back. In this important match, I place a bet on Bielefeld. My tipping: Bielefeld win 2-0.
Eintract Frankfurt (12th) vs VfB Stuttgart (10th) - Sunday: Frankfurt started to gain back the good form last season. Their attacks and defense started to become as solid as last season. So they won Mönchengladbach last Sunday. I believe their form is becoming better and they can climb up further up front in the table. Oppositely, Stuttgart is very unstable so far, they cannot keep the steady form so they remain at the mid table now. Mario Gomez is still struggling after the disappointing performance in the Euro 08, he plays well sometimes, but he plays bad sometimes as well. So this week Stuttgart is in his hands. My tipping: Frankfurt win 2-1.
Hertha Berlin (7th) vs Hoffenheim (1st) - Sunday: Hoffenheim... when will they stop? Their best form is still yet to come to be honest. Obasi is the real person to bring the team to success, his pace and stamina bring lots of trouble to their opposition. However, when they fail to keep the ball, they need to be extra careful that their defense is quite fragile, all they need to do is they push up a lot and make the opposition fail to hold on the possession. Hertha Berlin is still very ordinary this season so far. They have a solid defense, but when they lose goal first, their attacks are not powerful enough to strike back. Even worse, it creates more spaces for the others for counter attacks. Catch me if you can for Hoffenheim. My tipping: Hoffenheim win 4-0.
Schalke 04 (4th) vs Bayern München (3rd) - Sunday: This is the blockbuster in this match week. Bayern München are in the excellent form after the poor performance, they have won 4 games in a row in the league. Franck Ribery and Miroslav Klose are the person to praise. However, don't forget Tim Borowski, his performance definitely helps the team to bring out from the deadlock. The only worry for them is the defense, as they keep losing goals. Schalke at the same time is very good as well. The attacks are starting to regain the form they should have, Kevin Kuranyi is starting to gain back his scoring sense. Even Engelaar is suspended, the effect is very limited. However, the fitness of the players are questionable after the UEFA Cup match. The key of the match is if Bayern München can hold on the Schalke attacks, as well as Bayern München can score goal first. My tipping: Bayern win 1-0.
That's it for my tips!
1. FC Köln (11th) vs Hannover 96 (13th) - Friday: Last week both teams brought surprise to me, they beated the odds to win against the opposition. Especially for Hannover 96, they had another great match to beat Hamburger SV 3-0 comprehensively. Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forsell started to connect each other and brought the team to success. The key point for them this match is if they can keep on the morale boosting form. On the other hand, Köln had beaten Stuttgart last week away from home, it showed the team is climbing up to the good form again. The defense and the attack seem solid and it is not easy for Hannover to break. The key point of this match is the match performance. My tipping: Match draw 1-1.
Hamburger SV (5th) vs Borussia Dortmund (6th) - Saturday: The closest match in Saturday night. Hamburger SV are starting to slump down after the great form in the first month of the season. The injury problem is still making them struggle and they cannot find the solution to it. Piotr Trochowski is still the most important man in the team, but when he is underachieving, once again the team is dead. Borussia Dortmund is also starting to slump down after the great form. They fail to win the game in the last 2 matches and make them drop in the league position. Those inexperienced young guns cannot perform in the crucial moment, so that the team fail to win. The key of the match is who can step up to the plate and make a killing shot. My tipping: Match draw 2-2.
VfL Bochum (15th) vs Werder Bremen (8th) - Saturday: Werder Bremen is very disappointing this season, even they won 5-1 against Hertha Berlin and gained the morale, the team still couldn't cover the problem of fragile defense. The Champions League match totally showed this problem. Luckily their attacking force are starting to gain back the form. Claudio Pizarro and Diego are the key players to bring them success. Even though their defense has lots of problems, Bochum this season is very poor in the form. Both attacks and defense have been outclassed. The players like Paul Freier and Vahid Hashemian are in poor form. So Werder Bremen should have won easily. My tipping: Werder Bremen win 4-1.
VfL Wolfsburg (9th) vs Energie Cottbus (18th) - Saturday: Wolfsburg had lost 2 games in a row, now here's the chance to comeback. Tactically Wolfsburg is outclassed Cottbus and their attacks can definitely score against Cottbus for more than one time. Misimovic is the key factor to drive them success in this game, and I believe Cottbus has no power to stop them. So base on the different class, Wolfsburg will win easily. My tipping: Wolfsburg win 3-0.
Karlsruher SC (14th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (2nd) - Saturday: Karlsruher is one of the teams is in very poor form, they lost 5 games in a row and seemed they don't have signs to comeback. Very pitiful for them they are facing the tough team like Leverkusen in the moment they desperately need a win. Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta is in the great form, together with Arthur Vidal, their midfield is one of the best in the Bundesliga. These 2 players are definitely the key factor of the match, their great performance will bring Leverkusen to another win. My tipping: Leverkusen win 3-0.
Arminia Bielefeld (16th) vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (17th) - Saturday: This maybe the most important match for both of them if they want to stay in Bundesliga this season. Both teams have trouble in terms of attacking and defense. Bielefeld is very disappointing this season so far, they still cannot find the way to get out of the trouble. Even they had a great game last week, they still failed to snatch a point back, it showed their consistency is very questionable. In Mönchengladbach side, they don't have class to perform well in Bundesliga, Marko Marin should be the savior of the team but he only performs in 70 minutes, that leads the team fail to win or bounce it back. In this important match, I place a bet on Bielefeld. My tipping: Bielefeld win 2-0.
Eintract Frankfurt (12th) vs VfB Stuttgart (10th) - Sunday: Frankfurt started to gain back the good form last season. Their attacks and defense started to become as solid as last season. So they won Mönchengladbach last Sunday. I believe their form is becoming better and they can climb up further up front in the table. Oppositely, Stuttgart is very unstable so far, they cannot keep the steady form so they remain at the mid table now. Mario Gomez is still struggling after the disappointing performance in the Euro 08, he plays well sometimes, but he plays bad sometimes as well. So this week Stuttgart is in his hands. My tipping: Frankfurt win 2-1.
Hertha Berlin (7th) vs Hoffenheim (1st) - Sunday: Hoffenheim... when will they stop? Their best form is still yet to come to be honest. Obasi is the real person to bring the team to success, his pace and stamina bring lots of trouble to their opposition. However, when they fail to keep the ball, they need to be extra careful that their defense is quite fragile, all they need to do is they push up a lot and make the opposition fail to hold on the possession. Hertha Berlin is still very ordinary this season so far. They have a solid defense, but when they lose goal first, their attacks are not powerful enough to strike back. Even worse, it creates more spaces for the others for counter attacks. Catch me if you can for Hoffenheim. My tipping: Hoffenheim win 4-0.
Schalke 04 (4th) vs Bayern München (3rd) - Sunday: This is the blockbuster in this match week. Bayern München are in the excellent form after the poor performance, they have won 4 games in a row in the league. Franck Ribery and Miroslav Klose are the person to praise. However, don't forget Tim Borowski, his performance definitely helps the team to bring out from the deadlock. The only worry for them is the defense, as they keep losing goals. Schalke at the same time is very good as well. The attacks are starting to regain the form they should have, Kevin Kuranyi is starting to gain back his scoring sense. Even Engelaar is suspended, the effect is very limited. However, the fitness of the players are questionable after the UEFA Cup match. The key of the match is if Bayern München can hold on the Schalke attacks, as well as Bayern München can score goal first. My tipping: Bayern win 1-0.
That's it for my tips!
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