German Bundesliga Week 19 Tipping

Last week German Bundesliga had few surprises in the result which affected my tipping, but I could still manage to have 4 correct tips and 1 correct score within those 4 tips. This week the Bundesliga reaches 19th week of the season, the most exciting match will be the Sunday showdown between Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund. Now here's my tip for this week:

Arminia Bielefeld (14th) vs Hertha Berlin (2nd) - Friday: Both teams had won last week. It was very impressing for Bielefeld that they were able to beat Werder Bremen last Sunday. Artur Wichniarek is keeping the good form and he is lethal in the opposite half. He will be the critical player who can change the game for Bielefeld. However, when facing to Hertha Berlin's solid defense, I believe it is quite hard to break them through by himself. On the other hand, Hertha Berlin is keeping the excellent form and they climbed up to second place in the table. They are facing the injury of Marko Pantelic however, will affect their attacking efficiency. Also, their away game form is not too good so it is a tricky trip for them. The key point of the match is if Hertha Berlin can defend well and score goal first.
Last round: Match draw 1-1
My tip: Match draw 1-1

Schalke 04 (9th) vs Werder Bremen (10th) - Saturday: It is supposed to be a top table clash, but their poor performance led them to be at the mid-table only. Schalke had lost Fabien Ernst at the last minute of winter transfer window who went for Fenerbache in Turkey. I believe it is a big blow for Schalke as his influence and leadership are very important to the team. Bordon needs to do some extra work to keep the team moving. The attacking force is still cannot get any clue of scoring so that was why they lost 1-0 against Hannover last Saturday. Werder Bremen had the problem of defense at the same time. They lost the goals against Bielefeld were all cheap goals. All Werder Bremen players were not in the form yet, together with the suspension of Diego, I believe they are even very hard to hang on for a draw.
Last round: Match draw 1-1
My tip: Schalke 04 win 2-1

Karlsruher SC (16th) vs Hamburger SV (3rd) - Saturday: Different emotions from last week's result. Karlsruher are still suffering from defeat and they still do not have any signs to bounce back. The whole team is in very poor in morale and it is very hard for them to beat any teams now. On the other hand, Hamburger had a very happy weekend as they beated Bayern München 1-0 and they were in an excellent form. The only worry is Ivica Olic is still suspended, but Mlaten Petric can relieve this problem. Even Hamburger is not good on away form, I believe they still can win this match easily.
Last round: Hamburger win 2-1
My tip: Hamburger win 2-0

Bayer Leverkusen (5th) vs VfB Stuttgart (7th) - Saturday: It was a bit unlucky for Leverkusen that they were not able to win against Borussia Dortmund last week, as they were definite the better team. Talented midfielder Toni Kroos is on loaned to Leverkusen before the winter transfer closes, but I do not believe he will get the regular starting place instantly. The whole team is very energetic and high morale so I believe this great form will continue. Stuttgart on the other hand, even they won last week but this week is the real deal. Mario Gomez will be very important for the team to lead Stuttgart to beat Leverkusen. However, it does not seem there is another player who can relieve his pressure so I believe Stuttgart is quite hard to snatch a draw even.
Last round: Leverkusen win 2-0
My tip: Leverkusen win 3-1

Borussia Mönchengladbach (18th) vs 1899 Hoffenheim (1st) - Saturday: It is very unlucky for Gladbach as they will face another tough team after getting back from winter break. Last week they were outclassed by Stuttgart and this week they will be outclassed again. The entired Gladbach do not have any sign to bounce back. Even worse, after they made a huge team change up, the performance did not improved at all. Marko Marin is the only player who is trustable but I do not believe he can turn things around. The fragile defense again will make them down. Hoffenheim on the other hand they are still in great form, they beated Cottbus by class so I believe they can go on. This match, however, still cannot prove any effect of the Vedad Ibisevic's long term absence as the opponent simply cannot handle the attack at all. So Hoffenheim can still win the match easily.
Last round: Hoffenheim win 1-0
My tip: Hoffenheim win 3-0

Eintract Frankfurt (13th) vs 1. FC Köln (11th) - Saturday: Frankfurt last week had lost to the excellent form Hertha Berlin, so I cannot complain anything about it. However, they played pretty well as they only lost by 1 goal, so I believe they can improve their form and climb up in the table. The defense is quite solid so the key point of the game will be their attacking. On the other hand, Köln should have kicked themselves for not winning against Wolfsburg, who cannot perform well away from home. Novakovic's suspension is really affecting their performance in attack so this week the team's attack is predicted not to be improved. The key point of this match is the Köln's attacks can break through Frankfurt.
Last round: Match draw 1-1
My tip: Frankfurt win 1-0

VfL Wolfsburg (8th) vs VfL Bochum (15th) - Saturday: Wolfsburg last week was a bit lucky to snatch a draw against Köln, but this week I believe they will perform differently. The difference between home and away form is too huge so their away performance cannot be used as the reference to predict their next home game. I believe they will perform like champion against Bochum and Grafite, Eden Dzeko, and Zvjezdan Misimovic will bring waves of pressure to Bochum. On the other hand, although Bochum had a second win of the season last week, I do not believe they can carry on. Diego Klimowicz had a impressing debut match and he will be the key player again. Vlad Munteanu will be the important player to relieve Klimowicz but I believe he will not have an easy time this week.
Last week: Match draw 2-2
My tip: Wolfsburg win 3-0

Energie Cottbus (17th) vs Hannover 96 (12th) - Sunday: Cottbus last week had been outclassed by opponent so it is a bit unfair that to judge their performance and form according to this match. The debutants did not make any effect to the team yet as they could not build up any team chemistry. Hannover on the other hand, had beated Schalke 1-0 and they were supposed to have a high match morale. However, the last minute departure of Szabolcs Huszti to Zenit St. Petersburg really did hurt the team. It is still unknown that Jacek Krzynowek can really replace Huszti. As the huge player change of Hannover 96, I believe Cottbus can stand a chance.
Last round: Match draw 0-0
My tip: Cottbus win 2-1

Bayern München (4th) vs Borussia Dortmund (6th) - Sunday: This is the key match of this week. Bayern last week had a timely wake up call that they were defeated by Hamburger by 1-0. However, Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni, and Franck Ribery can still maintain the good form and I believe they can still bring more impact to the opposition. The only concern is their defense, it deosn't seem they are improving in their defense so when facing the fast Dortmund counter attack, there will be some pressure. On the other hand, Dortmund is a bit lucky to hold out a draw. Kevin-Prince Boateng did not come back on the top form when he was in Hertha Berlin. Alex Frei is the only player who can perform well and the other strikers such as Mohamad Zidan and Nelson Valdez cannot find his form at all. The critical point of this match is if Bayern can hold on the counter attack.
Last round: Match draw 1-1
My tip: Bayern win 3-1

So that's it for this week. Have a nice match weekend!