This week the Bundesliga had reached the 22nd match week. The title race had further heated up as Hamburger SV had reached to the top. Bayern München kept the poor league form and this Sunday they will face Werder Bremen. Last week I had 3 correct tips and there were 2 correct scores within them. Now here's my tips for this weekend:
1. FC Köln (10th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (15th) - Friday: It was very encouraging for Köln last week as they beated Bayern München 2-1. They had a solid performance and the whole team coordinated each other well. Midfielder Fabrice Ehret did very well last week and I believe he can keep on this great form this Friday. His performance can relieve a lot of pressure of Milivoje Novakovic. On the other side, the solid defense made the team success last week, and I believe this is the important factor this week, as they have to stop Bielefeld's Artur Wichniarek. Speaking to Bielefeld, they were unable to win against VfL Bochum led them to lose a chance to climb up further in the table to prevent relegation. Wichniarek again is the most important person in the team and I believe this week he has a great challenge from the opposition. The key of this match is how Köln defend. If they defend well, they will keep the excellent form.
Last matchup: Bielefeld win 2-0
My tip: Köln win 2-0
Eintract Frankfurt (12th) vs Schalke 04 (9th) - Saturday: Again, Schalke missed the chance to win last week. Kevin Kuranyi even scored the great goal last week but he was not consistent enough to carry on until the end of the match. So I cannot say he had gained back his top form as he needed to play consistently, not scoring 1 great goal in few months. The other attacking players such as Gerald Asamoah and Jefferson Farfan needed to pick up the pace again. I do not worry about their defense, as Jermain Jones has a great strength and stamina to protect the midfield defense. On the other hand, Frankfurt barely won Karlsruher SC last week and gained the important 3 points in order to stay away from the relegation. They are actually in the good position for staying away from relegation, but it is too far away for them to fight for qualifying the European matches. I believe they do not have any pressure in this match and it may bring some surprises for us.
Last matchup: Schalke win 1-0
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Hannover 96 (13th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (5th) - Saturday: Hannover started to slump down recently and they have lost to Borussia Möchengladbach 3-2. Now they are just 3 points away from the relegation so they must pick up immediately. The absence of Mikael Forsell and Jan Schlaudraff really affect the team and the attacking does not have the focus to score. On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen were pretty inconsistent and they had missed the chance to climb up the table. Partick Helmes however is in excellent form and I believe he will keep scoring as Hannover defense is not that solid. Arturo Vidal is back from action does help the team in terms of attack and defense. Tranquillo Barnetta also helps the midfield very much so that they will outplay Hannover in the midfield. The key point of the match is if Leverkusen can control the midfield.
Last matchup: Leverkusen win 4-0
My tip: Leverkusen win 3-0
Hertha Berlin (3rd) vs Borussia Möchengladbach (18th) - Saturday: Hertha Berlin was as same as Leverkusen, they missed the chance to climb back to the top of the table as they lost VfL Wolfsburg 2-1. Andrei Voronin was the key person of the team, but when he was frozen, Hertha Berlin did not have any players to relieve him. So this is the importance of Marko Pantelic. On the other hand, Gladbach did a very great job to beat Hannover, but sadly they are still far away to get away from the relegation trouble. This is a morale boosting for them and I think they morality can hold on Hertha Berlin a while. However, Hertha Berlin had won 7 home games in a row so this time Gladbach cannot get away with a point either.
Last matchup: Hertha Berlin win 1-0
My tip: Hertha Berlin win 3-0
Borussia Dortmund (8th) vs 1899 Hoffenheim (2nd) - Saturday: Dortmund had shown how tough they could be as they had drawn Schalke 1-1. The whole team now are depending on the morality and group discipline to carry on the match. However, the individual players are not in top form, such as Nelson Valdez and Alexander Frei. They always failed to finish the game so that they kept drawing. On the other hand, Hoffenheim was still struggling the absence of Vedad Ibisevic, even though Demba Ba was the man last week to hold on a draw against VfB Stuttgart. Sejad Salihovic and Carlos Eduardo will be very important for them in the match to fight against Dortmund. I believe this match will be decided by the attacking finishing.
Last matchup: Dortmund win 4-1
My tip: Match draw 2-2
VfL Bochum (16th) vs Energie Cottbus (14th) - Saturday: Bochum last week failed to win and as same as last week's opponent, Bielefeld, missed the chance to climb up the table. They need to work hard to get back in form. Diego Klimowicz and Vlad Munteanu do not have much influence to the team, so that the team is still in trouble. On the other hand, Cottbus did a very good job to beat Werder Bremen. It is very encouraging for the team that they can get away from the relegation trouble. Same as last season, Cottbus pick up the form after the winter break and the attacking and defense are keep improving. So I believe this match Cottbus can et a draw or even a win.
Last matchup: Match draw 1-1
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Werder Bremen (11th) vs Bayern München (4th) - Sunday: Both teams are having trouble in the league. So it can be said that it is bad versus worse. Werder Bremen was yet to win the match and they desperately need one. The surprise loss against Cottbus last week led them dropped to 11th already. Claudio Pizarro did not play last week due to discipline problem. Now he is back to action and Werder Bremen hope him can bring the team out of trouble. Diego is still the other man to watch out for as his creativeness does assist the team very much. On the other hand, Bayern München was lucky that they could hold on the 4-point difference from the top of table as every close rival had lost points. Their playing style led the team kept making errors so that they had lost 3 games out of 4. They must win this match even it is quite hard for them. It was a huge boost for them that they had won Sporting Lisbon 5-0 away from home in Champions League. Still, Franck Ribery is the most important player so that his performance is the key of the match.
Last matchup: Werder Bremen win 5-2
My tip: Bayern München win 2-1
Hamburger SV (1st) vs VfL Wolfsburg (6th) - Sunday: Hamburger was the only team to take all 3 points last week within all the title challenging team. So they reached at the top of the table with 2 points leading. This is absolutely the great moment for them as their effort is fully deserved to be at the top. Piotr Trochowski is very important player now for Hamburger as he connects the team attack very well. Marcell Jansen had started to gain back the best from in Borussia Möchengladbach 2 seasons ago. His pace is definitely the great asset in the team. On the other side, Wolfsburg also did a great job to beat Hertha Berlin last week and they had reached 6th in the table. However, the difference between the home form and away form is too large so that I do not believe Wolfsburg can stop Hamburger, even Eden Dzeko and Grafite are in top form.
Last matchup: Wolfsburg win 3-0
My tip: Hamburger win 2-0
Karlsruher SC (17th) vs VfB Stuttgart (7th) - Sunday: Karlsruher still cannot get away from the trouble. They lost Frankfurt 1-0 last week. Their attacking is the main trouble of the team and Giovani Federico cannot help the team in attacking at all. So even Marco Engelhardt did well in the team, his influence only limited in the midfield defense as the team does not have any player to finish his play. I believe Karlsruher will keep slumping in the coming weeks. Stuttgart at the same time, their match form starts to slide down as they have drawn 2 matches in a row. The defense suddenly lost concentration in these 2 matches so Stuttgart needed to fight hard to hold out of draw. Mario Gomez is very good in the match form so I believe he will get some scores in this match as Karlsruher does not play well in defense. The key of the match is if Stuttgart can keep the possession well to lead them to win.
Last matchup: Stuttgart win 3-1
My tip: Stuttgart win 3-0
So this is it! Happy weekend!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
German Bundesliga Week 21 Tipping
This weekend German Bundesliga has reached 21st match week. The title race has been further heated up as Hertha Berlin has reached to the top. There are only 4 points different between 1st to 5th in the table. Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim, Leverkusen, and Hamburger are facing the great challenge while Bayern München is facing a relatively easy challenge. Now here's the tip of this week:
Schalke 04 (9th) vs Borussia Dortmund (8th) - Friday: A Ruhr derby starts this match week. Schalke is quite surprising for me that they lost to Bochum last Saturday. Their attacking problem again made the team down. Jefferson Farfan did not contribute at all and Ivan Rakitic had not reached his peak form yet. Plus, since Fabien Ernst had left for good, the midfield defense had been weakened. Borussia Dortmund at the same time their attacking form had reached their low. Alexander Frei and Nelson Valdez could not help the team to win against Energie Cottbus even. The key of this match is how they finish the attack. A low scoring draw is predicted as both of them cannot convert the attack into goals well.
Last matchup: Match draw 3-3
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Energie Cottbus (16th) vs Werder Bremen (10th) - Saturday: Energie Cottbus seemed they were improving in a solid way. They had 4 game points in last 3 games led them to crawl back up of the table. The new signings had helped the team to improve, at least the team became more competitive in attacking and looked more solid in defense. Even this time they face Werder Bremen, I believe they can push them to the limit. Werder Bremen at the same time they were in poor form in Bundesliga. They only had 1 game point in 3 games, it mainly was because the absence of Diego and Claudio Pizarro. This match they will be back to action so there are more variety and creativity in attack. However, their defense keeps making fans worried as they lack of discipline. Per Mertesacker cannot lead the defense line, and the side backs cannot do their job. This match I believe it will be a draw as Cottbus can hold on.
Last matchup: Werder Bremen win 3-0
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Borussia Möchengladbach (18th) vs Hannover 96 (12th) - Saturday: Gladbach seemed they have improve their performance slowly, but is it too late for them now? It seems 1 point is not enough for them in the match and they must keep winning. Rob Friend still cannot find his form now, so Alexander Baumjohann and Marko Marin are the most important players in attack. Tomas Galasek will be the most important player in defense. The only hope of Gladbach now is keeping the high morale and pray for the miracle. Hannover on the other hand they lose their morality. However, they can picked up the morality on time as they snatched a draw against Stuttgart last week. Jan Schlaudraff is rated doubtful and Mikael Forssell will be very important now. They key of this match is who has higher morale.
Last matchup: Hannover win 5-1
My tip: Möchengladbach win 2-1
Karlsruher SC (17th) vs Eintract Frankfurt (13th) - Saturday: Karlsruher last week were unable to score goal and held out a draw. They are still in the cold streak even they won against Hamburger 2 weeks ago. Marco Engelhardt is still suspended this match so the midfield defense is their weakest link still. Sebatian Freis at the same time he will be the most important player in this match as he is the main source of the goal scorin. Frankfurt on the other hand they lost their morality and they even lost to Wolfsburg at home. They must pick up the morality on time as they are not safe from relegation yet. I believe this match will end up with draw because I cannot see any of them are able to win the match and they will cancel each other out.
Last matchup: Frankfurt win 2-1
My tip: Match draw 1-1
VfL Wolfsburg (6th) vs Hertha Berlin (1st) - Saturday: Wolfsburg is pretty surprising for me that they won away from home last week. Eden Dzeko keeps the great form in the league, even they have lost to PSG in UEFA Cup. This week they are back at home, I believe their performance will significantly improve and bring lots of threats to Hertha Berlin. Zvjezdan Misimovic will be the most important midfielder and I believe he can break through the Hertha Berlin defense. On the other hand, it is very encouraging for Hertha Berlin to beat Bayern München and reached to the top last week. Andrej Voronin is very fit recently so Marko Pantelic is not that important now. Solid defense is the key success for Hertha Berlin this season and I believe they can hang on in this match. However, the away form of Hertha Berlin is not that good, including a draw against Armina Bielefeld. So I believe it is not as easy as Hertha Berlin think in this match.
Last matchup: Match draw 2-2
My tip: Wolfsburg win 2-1
VfB Stuttgart (7th) vs 1899 Hoffenheim (2nd) - Saturday: Stuttgart recent form has been slip a bit, but they can still manage to hang on. Mario Gomez keeps a steady form and it helps the team to maintain their performance. However, he does not have any reliable partner to relieve his pressure. So when he is frozen, the Stuttgart attack will be in trouble. However, Hoffenheim had shown the effect of the absence of Vedad Ibisevic. Without the constant attacking spot, they had been comprehensively beaten by Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 last week. Boubacar Sanogo was absolutely useless in the team and only Carlos Eduardo and Demba Ba can perform. The defense seems not to improve so well since the arrival of Timo Hildebrand. Furthermore, Hoffenheim cannot perform and lost 5 of the 7 major top clashes so far (i.e., lost to Bayern, lost to Leverkusen twice, lost to Werder Bremen, and lost to Hertha Berlin). So I believe Stuttgart has the advantage to win the game.
Last matchup: Match draw 0-0
My tip: Stuttgart win 2-0
Bayern München (4th) vs 1. FC Köln (11th) - Saturday: Bayern last week was significantly affected by the international matchday so the team did not power up and lost to Hertha Berlin and missed the great chance to get to the top of table. However, it is a bless that they face the easiest challenge within the major title contender this week. Franck Ribery and Ze Roberto will be the most important players in the team and Miroslav Klose can pick up his form on time. Luca Toni will be most likely out of action this match but the team make it very clear that Lukas Podolski will play this match. I do not think the attack has any problem and the major concern is still the defense. On the other hand, Köln cannot maintain their performance week by week and I think they will be outclassed by Bayern. Milivoje Novakovic will be the only hope for the team to make surprises to fans. Also, the midfield and the defense are believed to be outclassed by Bayern. So I believe Bayern can control the midfield flow and win this match.
Last matchup: Bayern win 3-0
My tip: Bayern win 4-1
Arminia Bielefeld (14th) vs VfL Bochum (15th) - Saturday: This is the most important relegation fight in this week. Both teams only have a point difference and both teams have the similar form. Bielefeld had lost to Hamburger last Sunday but they still kept the good form 2 weeks ago. Artur Wichniarek is the most important player in this match, but he is rated doubtful this week so if he cannot play or he is not in form, it will hurt the team very much. On the other hand, Bochum had a wonderful victory against Schalke that did significantly improve their morale. Diego Klimowicz and Vlad Munteanu are starting to bring some positive impact to the team and they will bring a lot of threats to Bielefeld. However, considering Bielefeld have the home court advantage, Bielefeld can snatch a draw even the absence of Wichniarek will impact the team.
Last matchup: Bochum win 2-0
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Bayer Leverkusen (5th) vs Hamburger SV (3rd) - Sunday: Bayer Leverkusen last week had picked up the form in style which comprehensively beaten Hoffenheim 4-1. Partick Helmes is in great form and he is the most important player in the team. Captain Simon Rolfes is also important as his strength and stamina can connect the team very well. The concern is Arturo Vidal is still suspended but Thomas Zdebel and Renato Augusto can take his job well. Henrique is back to the starting lineup so it is a great relieve to Leverkusen defense. On the other hand, Hamburger did well last week which they beated Bielefeld 2-0. Ivica Olic is back just in time as Mlaten Petric is still suspended. Piotr Trochowski will be another important player who needs to watch out. However, the poor away form makes the team has trouble in this match. So I think Leverkusen can win this one.
Last matchup: Hamburger win 3-2
My tip: Leverkusen win 3-1
So that's it! Have a good weekend!
Schalke 04 (9th) vs Borussia Dortmund (8th) - Friday: A Ruhr derby starts this match week. Schalke is quite surprising for me that they lost to Bochum last Saturday. Their attacking problem again made the team down. Jefferson Farfan did not contribute at all and Ivan Rakitic had not reached his peak form yet. Plus, since Fabien Ernst had left for good, the midfield defense had been weakened. Borussia Dortmund at the same time their attacking form had reached their low. Alexander Frei and Nelson Valdez could not help the team to win against Energie Cottbus even. The key of this match is how they finish the attack. A low scoring draw is predicted as both of them cannot convert the attack into goals well.
Last matchup: Match draw 3-3
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Energie Cottbus (16th) vs Werder Bremen (10th) - Saturday: Energie Cottbus seemed they were improving in a solid way. They had 4 game points in last 3 games led them to crawl back up of the table. The new signings had helped the team to improve, at least the team became more competitive in attacking and looked more solid in defense. Even this time they face Werder Bremen, I believe they can push them to the limit. Werder Bremen at the same time they were in poor form in Bundesliga. They only had 1 game point in 3 games, it mainly was because the absence of Diego and Claudio Pizarro. This match they will be back to action so there are more variety and creativity in attack. However, their defense keeps making fans worried as they lack of discipline. Per Mertesacker cannot lead the defense line, and the side backs cannot do their job. This match I believe it will be a draw as Cottbus can hold on.
Last matchup: Werder Bremen win 3-0
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Borussia Möchengladbach (18th) vs Hannover 96 (12th) - Saturday: Gladbach seemed they have improve their performance slowly, but is it too late for them now? It seems 1 point is not enough for them in the match and they must keep winning. Rob Friend still cannot find his form now, so Alexander Baumjohann and Marko Marin are the most important players in attack. Tomas Galasek will be the most important player in defense. The only hope of Gladbach now is keeping the high morale and pray for the miracle. Hannover on the other hand they lose their morality. However, they can picked up the morality on time as they snatched a draw against Stuttgart last week. Jan Schlaudraff is rated doubtful and Mikael Forssell will be very important now. They key of this match is who has higher morale.
Last matchup: Hannover win 5-1
My tip: Möchengladbach win 2-1
Karlsruher SC (17th) vs Eintract Frankfurt (13th) - Saturday: Karlsruher last week were unable to score goal and held out a draw. They are still in the cold streak even they won against Hamburger 2 weeks ago. Marco Engelhardt is still suspended this match so the midfield defense is their weakest link still. Sebatian Freis at the same time he will be the most important player in this match as he is the main source of the goal scorin. Frankfurt on the other hand they lost their morality and they even lost to Wolfsburg at home. They must pick up the morality on time as they are not safe from relegation yet. I believe this match will end up with draw because I cannot see any of them are able to win the match and they will cancel each other out.
Last matchup: Frankfurt win 2-1
My tip: Match draw 1-1
VfL Wolfsburg (6th) vs Hertha Berlin (1st) - Saturday: Wolfsburg is pretty surprising for me that they won away from home last week. Eden Dzeko keeps the great form in the league, even they have lost to PSG in UEFA Cup. This week they are back at home, I believe their performance will significantly improve and bring lots of threats to Hertha Berlin. Zvjezdan Misimovic will be the most important midfielder and I believe he can break through the Hertha Berlin defense. On the other hand, it is very encouraging for Hertha Berlin to beat Bayern München and reached to the top last week. Andrej Voronin is very fit recently so Marko Pantelic is not that important now. Solid defense is the key success for Hertha Berlin this season and I believe they can hang on in this match. However, the away form of Hertha Berlin is not that good, including a draw against Armina Bielefeld. So I believe it is not as easy as Hertha Berlin think in this match.
Last matchup: Match draw 2-2
My tip: Wolfsburg win 2-1
VfB Stuttgart (7th) vs 1899 Hoffenheim (2nd) - Saturday: Stuttgart recent form has been slip a bit, but they can still manage to hang on. Mario Gomez keeps a steady form and it helps the team to maintain their performance. However, he does not have any reliable partner to relieve his pressure. So when he is frozen, the Stuttgart attack will be in trouble. However, Hoffenheim had shown the effect of the absence of Vedad Ibisevic. Without the constant attacking spot, they had been comprehensively beaten by Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 last week. Boubacar Sanogo was absolutely useless in the team and only Carlos Eduardo and Demba Ba can perform. The defense seems not to improve so well since the arrival of Timo Hildebrand. Furthermore, Hoffenheim cannot perform and lost 5 of the 7 major top clashes so far (i.e., lost to Bayern, lost to Leverkusen twice, lost to Werder Bremen, and lost to Hertha Berlin). So I believe Stuttgart has the advantage to win the game.
Last matchup: Match draw 0-0
My tip: Stuttgart win 2-0
Bayern München (4th) vs 1. FC Köln (11th) - Saturday: Bayern last week was significantly affected by the international matchday so the team did not power up and lost to Hertha Berlin and missed the great chance to get to the top of table. However, it is a bless that they face the easiest challenge within the major title contender this week. Franck Ribery and Ze Roberto will be the most important players in the team and Miroslav Klose can pick up his form on time. Luca Toni will be most likely out of action this match but the team make it very clear that Lukas Podolski will play this match. I do not think the attack has any problem and the major concern is still the defense. On the other hand, Köln cannot maintain their performance week by week and I think they will be outclassed by Bayern. Milivoje Novakovic will be the only hope for the team to make surprises to fans. Also, the midfield and the defense are believed to be outclassed by Bayern. So I believe Bayern can control the midfield flow and win this match.
Last matchup: Bayern win 3-0
My tip: Bayern win 4-1
Arminia Bielefeld (14th) vs VfL Bochum (15th) - Saturday: This is the most important relegation fight in this week. Both teams only have a point difference and both teams have the similar form. Bielefeld had lost to Hamburger last Sunday but they still kept the good form 2 weeks ago. Artur Wichniarek is the most important player in this match, but he is rated doubtful this week so if he cannot play or he is not in form, it will hurt the team very much. On the other hand, Bochum had a wonderful victory against Schalke that did significantly improve their morale. Diego Klimowicz and Vlad Munteanu are starting to bring some positive impact to the team and they will bring a lot of threats to Bielefeld. However, considering Bielefeld have the home court advantage, Bielefeld can snatch a draw even the absence of Wichniarek will impact the team.
Last matchup: Bochum win 2-0
My tip: Match draw 1-1
Bayer Leverkusen (5th) vs Hamburger SV (3rd) - Sunday: Bayer Leverkusen last week had picked up the form in style which comprehensively beaten Hoffenheim 4-1. Partick Helmes is in great form and he is the most important player in the team. Captain Simon Rolfes is also important as his strength and stamina can connect the team very well. The concern is Arturo Vidal is still suspended but Thomas Zdebel and Renato Augusto can take his job well. Henrique is back to the starting lineup so it is a great relieve to Leverkusen defense. On the other hand, Hamburger did well last week which they beated Bielefeld 2-0. Ivica Olic is back just in time as Mlaten Petric is still suspended. Piotr Trochowski will be another important player who needs to watch out. However, the poor away form makes the team has trouble in this match. So I think Leverkusen can win this one.
Last matchup: Hamburger win 3-2
My tip: Leverkusen win 3-1
So that's it! Have a good weekend!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
German Bundesliga Week 20 Tipping
German Bundesliga will hold the 20th week in this Valentine's Day weekend. Both Hoffenheim and Bayern München will face the great challenge in order to secure their place. Together with the post international matchday, there will be more uncertainties this week. Last week I have correctly tipped 5 matches and there were 2 correct scores within these. Now here's my tipping for this week:
1899 Hoffenheim (1st) vs Bayer Leverkusen (4th) - Friday: An early blockbuster this match week. Hoffenheim last week was a bit lucky to equalize the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The suspension of Carlos Eduardo and the injury of Vedad Ibisevic seemed to be the main factor that led Hoffenheim failed to win. It is very obvious that the absence of the duo led the team lose the core of the attack. It may help this week as Carlos Eduardo is free from suspension. However, the effect of Ibisevic's absence is still significant. Bayer Leverkusen on the other hand is starting to face the mid-season slump. They only managed to have 1 point in 2 matches. The loss against Stuttgart was tragic and they were comprehensively beaten. It is doubtful that Henrique is fit enough to play, as the center back replacement Lukas Sinkiewicz is having a tragic form. Arthur Vidal is suspended this week also affects the team so much. Toni Kroos may start this match, but it is very doubtful about his influence. I believe both teams are having their own trouble so a draw is very likely.
Last matchup: Leverkusen win 5-2
My tip: Match draw 2-2
Hertha Berlin (3rd) vs Bayern München (2nd) - Saturday: This is another huge blockbuster this match week. Hertha Berlin brought surprises to all bookmarkers that they played so well and solid. Their solid defense is very hard to break. Andrei Voronin is in top form, he made a lot of efforts last week against Armina Bielefeld but the other players could not finish for him. Voronin will be the great threat to Bayern as Marko Pantelic is not likely to start due to the conflict between the coach. Bayern München at the same time they picked up the form in the Nick of Time as they beated Borussia Dortmund last Sunday. Franck Ribery was a bit unlucky that he was unable to score goal as he made a lot of efforts in that match. However, Luca Toni is in the cold streak so it is very important for Miroslav Klose to score goals to lead to win. The defense of Bayern's away game is very solid, they only concede 9 goals so far as I believe they slow down the tempo. The key point of this match is if anyone can convert the limited chances into winning goal.
Last matchup: Bayern win 4-1
My tip: Bayern win 2-0
Eintract Frankfurt (12th) vs VfL Wolfsburg (7th) - Saturday: Not much surprise from Frankfurt as their performance so far is far from enough from being relegated. The whole team is not at a heavy pressure as they are far from qualifying the European matches as well. Nikos Liberopoulos is in top form and he can absolutely relieve the pressure of captain Ioannis Amanatidis. I believe Liberopoulos will still be the most important attacking force in this week. Wolfsburg on he other hand they are very good in home, but the poor away form always drag them down. Eden Dzeko played very well last week but he cannot perform as good as in home when they are away for matches. Grafite also has the same problem as well, so I do not believe they will make anything different in this week. I believe this is very clear that Frankfurt will win this one.
Last matchup: Match draw 2-2
My tip: Frankurt win 2-0
Hannover 96 (13th) vs VfB Stuttgart (6th) - Saturday: Hannover last week they lost to Energie Cottbus is not that surprised to me as they have changed too much. This week they go back home to play, there maybe different. This is because their defense is not that solid at all. The return of captain Robert Enke did not have any significant influence to the defense so this week they will also have a hard time to stop Stuttgart. The only different is the home court advantage can boost their morale and keep holding on. On the other hand, Stuttgart is in a very good form. They are still unbeaten in Bundesliga since the caretaking coach Markus Babbel is on the hot seat. Mario Gomez is improving his form and he will bring lots of threats to Hannover this week. Mathieu Delpierre on the other hand is becoming more solid every week, so it is very hard for Hannover to score goals. Consequently, I believe even Stuttgart is the away team, they are able to beat Hannover.
Last matchup: Stuttgart win 2-0
My tip: Stuttgart win 2-0
1. FC Köln (11th) vs Karlsruher SC (16th) - Saturday: Köln last week had played quite well, captain Milivoje Novakovic is very good in form and not he scored 2 goals last week, but he made lots of chances as well. I believe he will be the most important player who can lead the team to win this week. Pedro Tonon Geromel is the other important defender in the team in order to stop Karlsruher attack. Together with home court advantage, they have the upper hand. On the other hand, Karlsruher even boosted their morale after the great comeback against Hamburger SV, they have another trouble afterwards. The suspension of Marco Engelhardt really does hurt the team as Karlsruher will have not any midfield defense. As their defenders are always being outplayed, they will have a hard time to hang on.
Last matchup: Köln win 2-0
My tip: Köln win 3-0
Werder Bremen (10th) vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (18th) - Saturday: Werder Bremen did not perform well at all after the winter break. They are facing another huge slump as they did not get any point in last 2 matches. This week Diego and Claudio Pizarro will continue to serve his suspension so their attack is drastically affected. However, facing Gladbach is their very good chance to bounce back as Gladbach is not a strong team and their remaining attacking force is able to breakthrough. Gladbach on the other hand was very encouraging that they were so close to beat Hoffenheim. Goalkeeper Logan Bailly seems to be the right purchase of Gladbach as he made saves after saves last week. It is very unlucky for him to be unable to get a clean sheet or even a win. However, the defenders and the defensive midfielders make me very worried that if they can relieve the pressure to Bailly or even bring more harm to him. So I believe the key point of this match is how long Gladbach can hold.
Last matchup: Mönchengladbach win 3-2
My tip: Werder Bremen win 2-0
VfL Bochum (17th) vs Schalke 04 (8th) - Saturday: Bochum last week was back to original, they have lost to VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 showed that the team did not have any improvement, and also showed the week 18 victory was just a fluke. Diego Klimowicz and Vlad Munteanu are yet to be proven for they are capable to save the team from trouble. However, as the team now is running out of time, they are very hard to perform well instantly as they do not have time to mix and match. Schalke 04 on the other hand, Benedikt Höwedes caught the only chance to score and win against Werder Bremen. Even a win is a win, it showed that the attacking force such as Jefferson Farfan and Ivan Rakitic are not on form. The only weapon they have to win match is their defense. The pathetic attack from Schalke is enough to lead them to win this week, and with the solid defense, I believe they are able to carry through with a slim victory.
Last matchup: Schalke win 1-0
My tip: Schalke win 1-0
Borussia Dortmund (9th) vs Energie Cottbus (15th) - Sunday: Borussia Dortmund showed their inexperienced problem against Bayern last week. Felipe Santana made a huge mistake to make the team wasted all the efforts before 87th minute. They played very well last week and they were so close to hold out a draw and even a win, but I did not blame anybody as experience needs time. Captain Florian Kringe is the only factor I concern as he does not look confident at all so far. I do hope he can build up his confident soon. Energie Cottbus on the other hand they seem to start to bring out of trouble. They had beaten Hannover 96 comprehensively gave fans a huge confident. However, it is very unlucky to face Dortmund this week. It will be another very tough match for them as Dortmund outclass them. Even though the home record for Dortmund is not so good, I believe Cottbus will be very hard to beat them and Dortmund will have an easy win.
Last matchup: Dortmund win 1-0
My tip: Dortmund win 3-0
Hamburger SV (4th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (14th) - Sunday: Hamburger is the only team made me very disappointed last week. They could not hold on the lead and came home nothing in the end against Karlsruher. However, they are the different team in home so I still give the confident to them. The suspension of both Ivica Olic and Mlaten Petric makes me worried a bit as they do not have the other good striker. However, the defense of Bielefeld is so weak that Hamburger's remaining attacking force will be able to score goals. Bielefeld on the other hand, Artur Wichniarek is the only player who is in top form, and the others cannot help him at all. So his performance is the key Bielefeld to win this game. Even Bielefeld had 4 points in recents 2 games, which can be said they are in top form, I do not believe they can continue in this match and Hamburger will win this one due to excellent home form.
Last matchup: Hamburger win 4-2
My tip: Hamburger win 3-0
That's it for this week. Happy Valentine's Day!
1899 Hoffenheim (1st) vs Bayer Leverkusen (4th) - Friday: An early blockbuster this match week. Hoffenheim last week was a bit lucky to equalize the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The suspension of Carlos Eduardo and the injury of Vedad Ibisevic seemed to be the main factor that led Hoffenheim failed to win. It is very obvious that the absence of the duo led the team lose the core of the attack. It may help this week as Carlos Eduardo is free from suspension. However, the effect of Ibisevic's absence is still significant. Bayer Leverkusen on the other hand is starting to face the mid-season slump. They only managed to have 1 point in 2 matches. The loss against Stuttgart was tragic and they were comprehensively beaten. It is doubtful that Henrique is fit enough to play, as the center back replacement Lukas Sinkiewicz is having a tragic form. Arthur Vidal is suspended this week also affects the team so much. Toni Kroos may start this match, but it is very doubtful about his influence. I believe both teams are having their own trouble so a draw is very likely.
Last matchup: Leverkusen win 5-2
My tip: Match draw 2-2
Hertha Berlin (3rd) vs Bayern München (2nd) - Saturday: This is another huge blockbuster this match week. Hertha Berlin brought surprises to all bookmarkers that they played so well and solid. Their solid defense is very hard to break. Andrei Voronin is in top form, he made a lot of efforts last week against Armina Bielefeld but the other players could not finish for him. Voronin will be the great threat to Bayern as Marko Pantelic is not likely to start due to the conflict between the coach. Bayern München at the same time they picked up the form in the Nick of Time as they beated Borussia Dortmund last Sunday. Franck Ribery was a bit unlucky that he was unable to score goal as he made a lot of efforts in that match. However, Luca Toni is in the cold streak so it is very important for Miroslav Klose to score goals to lead to win. The defense of Bayern's away game is very solid, they only concede 9 goals so far as I believe they slow down the tempo. The key point of this match is if anyone can convert the limited chances into winning goal.
Last matchup: Bayern win 4-1
My tip: Bayern win 2-0
Eintract Frankfurt (12th) vs VfL Wolfsburg (7th) - Saturday: Not much surprise from Frankfurt as their performance so far is far from enough from being relegated. The whole team is not at a heavy pressure as they are far from qualifying the European matches as well. Nikos Liberopoulos is in top form and he can absolutely relieve the pressure of captain Ioannis Amanatidis. I believe Liberopoulos will still be the most important attacking force in this week. Wolfsburg on he other hand they are very good in home, but the poor away form always drag them down. Eden Dzeko played very well last week but he cannot perform as good as in home when they are away for matches. Grafite also has the same problem as well, so I do not believe they will make anything different in this week. I believe this is very clear that Frankfurt will win this one.
Last matchup: Match draw 2-2
My tip: Frankurt win 2-0
Hannover 96 (13th) vs VfB Stuttgart (6th) - Saturday: Hannover last week they lost to Energie Cottbus is not that surprised to me as they have changed too much. This week they go back home to play, there maybe different. This is because their defense is not that solid at all. The return of captain Robert Enke did not have any significant influence to the defense so this week they will also have a hard time to stop Stuttgart. The only different is the home court advantage can boost their morale and keep holding on. On the other hand, Stuttgart is in a very good form. They are still unbeaten in Bundesliga since the caretaking coach Markus Babbel is on the hot seat. Mario Gomez is improving his form and he will bring lots of threats to Hannover this week. Mathieu Delpierre on the other hand is becoming more solid every week, so it is very hard for Hannover to score goals. Consequently, I believe even Stuttgart is the away team, they are able to beat Hannover.
Last matchup: Stuttgart win 2-0
My tip: Stuttgart win 2-0
1. FC Köln (11th) vs Karlsruher SC (16th) - Saturday: Köln last week had played quite well, captain Milivoje Novakovic is very good in form and not he scored 2 goals last week, but he made lots of chances as well. I believe he will be the most important player who can lead the team to win this week. Pedro Tonon Geromel is the other important defender in the team in order to stop Karlsruher attack. Together with home court advantage, they have the upper hand. On the other hand, Karlsruher even boosted their morale after the great comeback against Hamburger SV, they have another trouble afterwards. The suspension of Marco Engelhardt really does hurt the team as Karlsruher will have not any midfield defense. As their defenders are always being outplayed, they will have a hard time to hang on.
Last matchup: Köln win 2-0
My tip: Köln win 3-0
Werder Bremen (10th) vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (18th) - Saturday: Werder Bremen did not perform well at all after the winter break. They are facing another huge slump as they did not get any point in last 2 matches. This week Diego and Claudio Pizarro will continue to serve his suspension so their attack is drastically affected. However, facing Gladbach is their very good chance to bounce back as Gladbach is not a strong team and their remaining attacking force is able to breakthrough. Gladbach on the other hand was very encouraging that they were so close to beat Hoffenheim. Goalkeeper Logan Bailly seems to be the right purchase of Gladbach as he made saves after saves last week. It is very unlucky for him to be unable to get a clean sheet or even a win. However, the defenders and the defensive midfielders make me very worried that if they can relieve the pressure to Bailly or even bring more harm to him. So I believe the key point of this match is how long Gladbach can hold.
Last matchup: Mönchengladbach win 3-2
My tip: Werder Bremen win 2-0
VfL Bochum (17th) vs Schalke 04 (8th) - Saturday: Bochum last week was back to original, they have lost to VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 showed that the team did not have any improvement, and also showed the week 18 victory was just a fluke. Diego Klimowicz and Vlad Munteanu are yet to be proven for they are capable to save the team from trouble. However, as the team now is running out of time, they are very hard to perform well instantly as they do not have time to mix and match. Schalke 04 on the other hand, Benedikt Höwedes caught the only chance to score and win against Werder Bremen. Even a win is a win, it showed that the attacking force such as Jefferson Farfan and Ivan Rakitic are not on form. The only weapon they have to win match is their defense. The pathetic attack from Schalke is enough to lead them to win this week, and with the solid defense, I believe they are able to carry through with a slim victory.
Last matchup: Schalke win 1-0
My tip: Schalke win 1-0
Borussia Dortmund (9th) vs Energie Cottbus (15th) - Sunday: Borussia Dortmund showed their inexperienced problem against Bayern last week. Felipe Santana made a huge mistake to make the team wasted all the efforts before 87th minute. They played very well last week and they were so close to hold out a draw and even a win, but I did not blame anybody as experience needs time. Captain Florian Kringe is the only factor I concern as he does not look confident at all so far. I do hope he can build up his confident soon. Energie Cottbus on the other hand they seem to start to bring out of trouble. They had beaten Hannover 96 comprehensively gave fans a huge confident. However, it is very unlucky to face Dortmund this week. It will be another very tough match for them as Dortmund outclass them. Even though the home record for Dortmund is not so good, I believe Cottbus will be very hard to beat them and Dortmund will have an easy win.
Last matchup: Dortmund win 1-0
My tip: Dortmund win 3-0
Hamburger SV (4th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (14th) - Sunday: Hamburger is the only team made me very disappointed last week. They could not hold on the lead and came home nothing in the end against Karlsruher. However, they are the different team in home so I still give the confident to them. The suspension of both Ivica Olic and Mlaten Petric makes me worried a bit as they do not have the other good striker. However, the defense of Bielefeld is so weak that Hamburger's remaining attacking force will be able to score goals. Bielefeld on the other hand, Artur Wichniarek is the only player who is in top form, and the others cannot help him at all. So his performance is the key Bielefeld to win this game. Even Bielefeld had 4 points in recents 2 games, which can be said they are in top form, I do not believe they can continue in this match and Hamburger will win this one due to excellent home form.
Last matchup: Hamburger win 4-2
My tip: Hamburger win 3-0
That's it for this week. Happy Valentine's Day!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
German Bundesliga Week 18 Tipping
Bundesliga is coming back in action! After the 6-week winter break all teams now in the combat mode to fight for what they want. Generally the matchup is quite clear cut so there will not be any surprises this week. Here's the tipping of week 18:
Hamburger SV (4th) vs Bayern München (2nd) - Friday: What a restart! It is a close matchup as both teams are back in match form so quickly. Hamburger had sold Nigel de Jong to Manchester City recently so I think their midfield power is weakened a bit. However, the team is focusing on the team work and team chemistry so that I do not think there will a huge impact. The suspension of Ivica Olic is a huge impact indeed as he is the best form striker in the team. So it is quite hard for them to win. On the other hand, Bayern come back to action in style as they beated Stuttgart 5-1 in the Cup match 2 days ago. Franck Ribery, Luca Toni, and Bastian Schweinsteiger are all back in excellent form so they are the real threat to Hamburger and the real key of the match. Bayern only has Massimo Oddo suspended and I do not think it will bring too many impact to the team. Another piece of news that Willy Sagnol is officially retired but it also will not bring impact to the team. As Bayern has more good available players, I believe they will win even away from home.
Last round: Match draw 2-2
My tipping: Bayern win 2-1
Hannover 96 (13th) vs Schalke 04 (7th) - Saturday: Hannover seemed very quiet in the winter break so I think their recent form is a bit in doubt. As they have been eliminated from the DFB Porkal, this is their first formal competition after the winter break. It is doubtful that the regular starters like Jan Schlaudraff, Mikael Forssell, and Szabolcs Huszti are in form to play against Schalke. On the other hand, Schalke seems are back in form as they won in DFB Porkal 2 days ago. Kevin Kuranyi had a good start of 2009 by scoring one goal but I am still in doubt that he is back in top form or not. He has to prove himself again in this match. Same as Jefferson Farfan, he needs to prove himself that he is worth more than 10 million Euro, which Schalke paid PSV Eindhoven last season. I do not think Schalke will win easily, but base on better quality, I think Schalke still have better chance to win.
Last round: Schalke win 3-0
My tipping: Schalke win 1-0
1. FC Köln (11th) vs VfL Wolfsburg (9th) - Saturday: Köln is the other team which is quiet in the winter break, they only had signed 2 new midfielders so far. The warmup match is also tend to be under the raider, so I doubt about their form back to the formal competition. Novakovic will be the only reliable striker again as Lukas Podolski will not join the team until the coming summer. The midfield will be their key to win the match. On the other hand, Wolfsburg is in the top form as they won DFB Porkal against Hansa Rostock 5-1. Grafite is back in top match form as he scored 3 goals in the match. New defender Peter Pekarik may start the match as the original Wolfsburg defense is not trustable. The other new signing Yoshito Okubo maybe at the bench first as the attacking is good enough. I believe the match form will drive this match, and Wolfsburg will have the upper hand.
Last round: Wolfsburg win 2-1
My tipping: Wolfsburg win 2-1
Borussia Dortmund (6th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (5th) - Saturday: This is the blockbuster in the Saturday action. Both teams had played the DFB Porkal last night but the fate was different. Leverkusen had reached the Quarter Final in 6 years but Dortmund had failed to go further. Both teams have not changed too much in the transfer market so the original lineup will continue to be the key. Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels from Dortmund will be the most important players in the game as it will be the real test for them to stop the top form strikers such as Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kießling. On the other hand, Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta will be the most important player in the match as his stamina and dribbling skills can relieve the striking pressure a lot. It will be very even match so I tend to predict a draw for both teams.
Last round: Dortmund win 3-2
My tipping: Match draw 2-2
Hertha Berlin (3rd) vs Eintract Frankfurt (12th) - Saturday: The latest transfer from Hertha Berlin is they signed Marko Babic from Real Betis. He can relieve some pressure from the midfield and helps to improve the midfield creativeness. I believe they continue to be solid in defense so that Frankfurt will find a hard time to attack. As they did not have the DFB Porkal to play, I believe they are in the top level of stamina, but, they also are in doubt of the match form. On the other hand, Frankfurt is also their first formal compeition since the 2009 so I also think that their match form is not good enough. Plus their midfield and the attacks are still not trustable so that I think they find very hard to beat Hertha Berlin. New signed striker Leonard Kweuke may become the crucial player in the match, if he can relieve the pressure from Fenin, who is in low form all around in the first half of the season. As Hertha Berlin has the tougher defense, I believe they will win this one.
Last round: Hertha Berlin win 2-0
My tipping: Hertha Berlin win 3-0
1899 Hoffenheim (1st) vs Energie Cottbus (16th) - Saturday: The latest news is Hoffenheim had loan Boubacar Sanogo from Werder Bremen. It is very doubtful for me if he can replace Vedad Ibisevic, who scored 18 goals in Bundesliga but has the season ending injury. This is because Sanogo is very poor in finishing so that he may bring more harm to Hoffenheim. However, as Timo Hildebrand had joined the club, I believe the team is becoming solid in defense. Even Ibisevic is injured, I believe Demba Ba and Carlos Eduardo are too much for Cottbus. On the other hand, Cottbus had signed so many players in order to improve the overall strength, but I do not believe the effect will come to the team in this match. The key of Cottbus is still the attacks. If they cannot give any pressure to Hoffenheim in attacks, they will go back home with empty handed.
Last round: Hoffenheim win 3-0
My tipping: Hoffenheim win 2-0
VfB Stuttgart (10th) vs Borussia Möchengladbach (18th) - Saturday: Stuttgart had a very slow restart after the winter break as they were beaten 5-1 against Bayern 2 days ago. It is humiliating for them and it also proves that they are not ready. They must pick up the pace soon so that they will bring surprise for us in this match. Mario Gomez is the only player who is ready for the restart and he will be the most important player in this match. The defense must wake up now and concentrate to the game play. So this is the other factor they must watch out for. Gladbach is the other team right now. They made so many changes in the winter break showed they made the last ditch effort to save themselves from relegation. I seriously doubt their team chemistry so that I predict to see there are only 11 individual players on the field, not an one team. The new goalkeeper Logan Bailly will be the most important player in the team, and let's see how long he can hold.
Last round: Stuttgart win 3-1
My tipping: Stuttgart win 3-0
Werder Bremen (8th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (14th) - Sunday: Werder Bremen showed that they are ready for the season restart with a hard fought win against Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the DFB Porkal match. Hugo Almeida, Claudio Pizarro, and Diego are back in form so that they will be the main factor to drive the team to win the match. The only concern is the defense. New signed defense midfielder Alexandros Tziolis needs to be further proven his ability and the influence in the team. Also, Per Mertesacker is still the only player who can trust in the entired defensive line. On the other hand, Bielefeld needs to rely on Vlad Munteanu to create goals against Werder Bremen, but I concern if the other players can match him to finish his creativeness. I believe Munteanu will have a busy time in this match as he is the only player who can trust in attack. So this match Werder Bremen can effectively control the midfield and keep pressure on the opponent.
Last round: Match draw 2-2
My tipping: Werder Bremen win 3-0
VfL Bochum (17th) vs Karlsruher SC (15th) - Sunday: This is the critical relegation avoiding match. Bochum is very desperate to seek for their second win of the season and now here comes a chance. New signed striker Diego Klimowicz will be very important for Bochum and the whole team are looking for his scoring ability to lead them to win. However, the departure of Tomasz Zdebel will hurt the team a lot, so that it is very crucial for the team to control the midfield. On the other hand, Karlsruher had loan Dino Drpic for fortifying the defense, but Maik Franz will have a long injury as he needs to undergo the surgery. More bad news is, they lost to Wehen in the DFB Porkal at home, it shows they still cannot pull out of the trouble from the first half of the season. However, it is lucky that they should not care about this match too much, as they have more important match to come, that is this match. The key of this match is the midfield. The winner of this match is because they can control the midfield.
Last round: Karlsruher win 1-0
My tipping: Match draw 1-1
So that's it for my tips. Have a good week!
Hamburger SV (4th) vs Bayern München (2nd) - Friday: What a restart! It is a close matchup as both teams are back in match form so quickly. Hamburger had sold Nigel de Jong to Manchester City recently so I think their midfield power is weakened a bit. However, the team is focusing on the team work and team chemistry so that I do not think there will a huge impact. The suspension of Ivica Olic is a huge impact indeed as he is the best form striker in the team. So it is quite hard for them to win. On the other hand, Bayern come back to action in style as they beated Stuttgart 5-1 in the Cup match 2 days ago. Franck Ribery, Luca Toni, and Bastian Schweinsteiger are all back in excellent form so they are the real threat to Hamburger and the real key of the match. Bayern only has Massimo Oddo suspended and I do not think it will bring too many impact to the team. Another piece of news that Willy Sagnol is officially retired but it also will not bring impact to the team. As Bayern has more good available players, I believe they will win even away from home.
Last round: Match draw 2-2
My tipping: Bayern win 2-1
Hannover 96 (13th) vs Schalke 04 (7th) - Saturday: Hannover seemed very quiet in the winter break so I think their recent form is a bit in doubt. As they have been eliminated from the DFB Porkal, this is their first formal competition after the winter break. It is doubtful that the regular starters like Jan Schlaudraff, Mikael Forssell, and Szabolcs Huszti are in form to play against Schalke. On the other hand, Schalke seems are back in form as they won in DFB Porkal 2 days ago. Kevin Kuranyi had a good start of 2009 by scoring one goal but I am still in doubt that he is back in top form or not. He has to prove himself again in this match. Same as Jefferson Farfan, he needs to prove himself that he is worth more than 10 million Euro, which Schalke paid PSV Eindhoven last season. I do not think Schalke will win easily, but base on better quality, I think Schalke still have better chance to win.
Last round: Schalke win 3-0
My tipping: Schalke win 1-0
1. FC Köln (11th) vs VfL Wolfsburg (9th) - Saturday: Köln is the other team which is quiet in the winter break, they only had signed 2 new midfielders so far. The warmup match is also tend to be under the raider, so I doubt about their form back to the formal competition. Novakovic will be the only reliable striker again as Lukas Podolski will not join the team until the coming summer. The midfield will be their key to win the match. On the other hand, Wolfsburg is in the top form as they won DFB Porkal against Hansa Rostock 5-1. Grafite is back in top match form as he scored 3 goals in the match. New defender Peter Pekarik may start the match as the original Wolfsburg defense is not trustable. The other new signing Yoshito Okubo maybe at the bench first as the attacking is good enough. I believe the match form will drive this match, and Wolfsburg will have the upper hand.
Last round: Wolfsburg win 2-1
My tipping: Wolfsburg win 2-1
Borussia Dortmund (6th) vs Bayer Leverkusen (5th) - Saturday: This is the blockbuster in the Saturday action. Both teams had played the DFB Porkal last night but the fate was different. Leverkusen had reached the Quarter Final in 6 years but Dortmund had failed to go further. Both teams have not changed too much in the transfer market so the original lineup will continue to be the key. Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels from Dortmund will be the most important players in the game as it will be the real test for them to stop the top form strikers such as Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kießling. On the other hand, Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta will be the most important player in the match as his stamina and dribbling skills can relieve the striking pressure a lot. It will be very even match so I tend to predict a draw for both teams.
Last round: Dortmund win 3-2
My tipping: Match draw 2-2
Hertha Berlin (3rd) vs Eintract Frankfurt (12th) - Saturday: The latest transfer from Hertha Berlin is they signed Marko Babic from Real Betis. He can relieve some pressure from the midfield and helps to improve the midfield creativeness. I believe they continue to be solid in defense so that Frankfurt will find a hard time to attack. As they did not have the DFB Porkal to play, I believe they are in the top level of stamina, but, they also are in doubt of the match form. On the other hand, Frankfurt is also their first formal compeition since the 2009 so I also think that their match form is not good enough. Plus their midfield and the attacks are still not trustable so that I think they find very hard to beat Hertha Berlin. New signed striker Leonard Kweuke may become the crucial player in the match, if he can relieve the pressure from Fenin, who is in low form all around in the first half of the season. As Hertha Berlin has the tougher defense, I believe they will win this one.
Last round: Hertha Berlin win 2-0
My tipping: Hertha Berlin win 3-0
1899 Hoffenheim (1st) vs Energie Cottbus (16th) - Saturday: The latest news is Hoffenheim had loan Boubacar Sanogo from Werder Bremen. It is very doubtful for me if he can replace Vedad Ibisevic, who scored 18 goals in Bundesliga but has the season ending injury. This is because Sanogo is very poor in finishing so that he may bring more harm to Hoffenheim. However, as Timo Hildebrand had joined the club, I believe the team is becoming solid in defense. Even Ibisevic is injured, I believe Demba Ba and Carlos Eduardo are too much for Cottbus. On the other hand, Cottbus had signed so many players in order to improve the overall strength, but I do not believe the effect will come to the team in this match. The key of Cottbus is still the attacks. If they cannot give any pressure to Hoffenheim in attacks, they will go back home with empty handed.
Last round: Hoffenheim win 3-0
My tipping: Hoffenheim win 2-0
VfB Stuttgart (10th) vs Borussia Möchengladbach (18th) - Saturday: Stuttgart had a very slow restart after the winter break as they were beaten 5-1 against Bayern 2 days ago. It is humiliating for them and it also proves that they are not ready. They must pick up the pace soon so that they will bring surprise for us in this match. Mario Gomez is the only player who is ready for the restart and he will be the most important player in this match. The defense must wake up now and concentrate to the game play. So this is the other factor they must watch out for. Gladbach is the other team right now. They made so many changes in the winter break showed they made the last ditch effort to save themselves from relegation. I seriously doubt their team chemistry so that I predict to see there are only 11 individual players on the field, not an one team. The new goalkeeper Logan Bailly will be the most important player in the team, and let's see how long he can hold.
Last round: Stuttgart win 3-1
My tipping: Stuttgart win 3-0
Werder Bremen (8th) vs Arminia Bielefeld (14th) - Sunday: Werder Bremen showed that they are ready for the season restart with a hard fought win against Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the DFB Porkal match. Hugo Almeida, Claudio Pizarro, and Diego are back in form so that they will be the main factor to drive the team to win the match. The only concern is the defense. New signed defense midfielder Alexandros Tziolis needs to be further proven his ability and the influence in the team. Also, Per Mertesacker is still the only player who can trust in the entired defensive line. On the other hand, Bielefeld needs to rely on Vlad Munteanu to create goals against Werder Bremen, but I concern if the other players can match him to finish his creativeness. I believe Munteanu will have a busy time in this match as he is the only player who can trust in attack. So this match Werder Bremen can effectively control the midfield and keep pressure on the opponent.
Last round: Match draw 2-2
My tipping: Werder Bremen win 3-0
VfL Bochum (17th) vs Karlsruher SC (15th) - Sunday: This is the critical relegation avoiding match. Bochum is very desperate to seek for their second win of the season and now here comes a chance. New signed striker Diego Klimowicz will be very important for Bochum and the whole team are looking for his scoring ability to lead them to win. However, the departure of Tomasz Zdebel will hurt the team a lot, so that it is very crucial for the team to control the midfield. On the other hand, Karlsruher had loan Dino Drpic for fortifying the defense, but Maik Franz will have a long injury as he needs to undergo the surgery. More bad news is, they lost to Wehen in the DFB Porkal at home, it shows they still cannot pull out of the trouble from the first half of the season. However, it is lucky that they should not care about this match too much, as they have more important match to come, that is this match. The key of this match is the midfield. The winner of this match is because they can control the midfield.
Last round: Karlsruher win 1-0
My tipping: Match draw 1-1
So that's it for my tips. Have a good week!
Friday, January 23, 2009
German Bundesliga second half season team by team preview (Part 3)
Last time I have already previewed the 7th to 12th teams in the table. This time I will preview the bottom 6 teams, which they are in trouble in fighting for relegation survival.
Hannover 96 (13th):
Transfer In: Nil
Transfer Out: Nil
Preview: They are the only 2 teams which did not take any actions in the winter transfer (the otehr is Hertha Berlin). I believe they are confident about the team squad and do not want to affect any team chemistry. Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forrsell are performing very well so far so that I am not too worried about the attacking. However, they are facing the injury crisis in the defense line, so I personally am very concerned about the squad depth in the defensive line. I believe they are going to have a huge test in the defense in the second half of the season and even I believe they will not be relegated, I believe they find a very hard time to fight for survival.
Arminia Bielefeid (14th):
Transfer In: Vlad Munteanu (MF - VfL Wolfsburg - on loan); Kevin Kerr (MF - Arminia Bielefeld II)
Transfer Out: Siyabonga Nkosi (MF - Maccabi Netanya); Stefan Aigner (MF - 1860 München); Nils Fischer (DF - Wuppertaler SV Borussia - on loan); Bernd Korzynietz (DF - MSV Duisburg - on loan)
Preview: I believe Bielefeld had identified the problem so that they loan Munteanu in order to improve the creativity in the midfield for creating more goals, as they only managed to score 15 times in the first 17 games. Kerr is still doubtful if he can create anything practical in the team or maybe the team just fancy him that he can do anything special. The attacking will be very crucial for them as this is their weakest point in the whole team. Meanwhile, I believe Munteanu will be the crucial player as he maybe the leader in the attacking force. There is still some hope for them to avoid relegation, if the attacking is significantly improved.
Karlsruher SC (15th):
Transfer In: Marco Engelhardt (MF - 1. FC Nürnberg); Giovanni Federico (FW - Borussia Dortmund - on loan)
Transfer Out: Nil
Preview: In these 6 teams mentioned in this article, I believe Karlsruher did the best job in the transfer market. They pinpointed the problem and solved it well. Engelhardt is an effective midfielder and he can help the team to control the midfield well, as they never did it right in the first half of the season. Ferderico on the other hand, is very effective striker and he can convert the chances into goal effectively. However, the only concern of Ferderico is the match fitness. If he can keep himself fit on the field, I believe he can help the striking force and relieve Josh Kennedy. So even they had a long sreak without winning, I believe they are the first team who can pick up the pace and avoid the relegation.
Energie Cottbus (16th):
Transfer In: Jan Rajnoch (DF - FK Mlada Boleslav); Nils Petersen (FW - Carl Zeiss Jena); Ovidiu Burca (DF - Beijing Guoan - loan return); Adi (FW - SK Austria Kärnten)
Transfer Out: Igor Mitreski (MF - Germinal Beerschot - on loan)
Preview: Cottbus is the other team who can point out the problem, but it is very doubtful that those new players can solve the problem. Only scoring 12 goals in 17 games is the primarily problem they must think about, so they sign Adi, who is reported that he can bring the scoring ability from Austria to Germany. Petersen, the other new striker, is still doubtful for improving the scoring problem as he played for the lower division team as well. However, their morale and the attitude are one of the best within all 18 teams in the Bundesliga, so I believe it is their biggest advantage to bring the team out of trouble again, just like in 2007-2008 season. So, Cottbus is the other team I feel optimistic in the relegation fight.
VfL Bochum (17th):
Transfer In: Diego Klimowicz (FW - Borussia Dortmund)
Transfer Out: Tomasz Zdebel (MF - Bayer Leverkusen); Danny Fuchs (MF - 1. FC Kaiserslautern - on loan); Marc Sand (FW - SK Austria Kärnten - on loan)
Preview: I believe Bochum should have done more in the winter transfer market. Only Klimowicz is not enough to fix the problem in the team. They only managed 1 win in 17 games because they do not have efficient midfield attack and the effective striking force. Even Zdebel is only an ordinary player in the Bundesliga, he is very important in the team and now he is gone, I do doubt their leadership in the field. So I do believe Bochum is very hard to avoid the relegation without the leadership, or I can say relegation is inevitable for them.
Borussia Möchengladbach (18th):
Transfer In: Tomas Galasek (MF - Banik Ostrava); Logan Bailly (GK - K.R.C. Genk); Dante (DF - Standard Liege); Christian Dorda (DF - Borussia Möchengladbach II); Tony Jantschke (MF - Borussia Möchengladbach II); Paul Stalteri (DF - Tottenham Hotspur)
Transfer Out: Soumaila Coulibaly (MF - released); Sebastian Svärd (MF - Hansa Rostock - on loan); Sascha Rösler (MF - 1860 München); Alexander Voigt (DF - SpVgg Greuther Fürth); Sharbel Touma (FW - released); Uwe Gospodarek (GK - released); Marcel Ndjeng (MF - released)
Preview: From this long list I can see Gladbach are really panic in the relegation fight. It seems they have placed their last chip in the gambling table. This is not a good moment to change so drastically in the winter transfer market as the team needs to rebuild the chemistry. Those new players are quite good on quality so their experience can improve the team in certain extent. However, it is really doubtful that they can get along to each other in a such a short period of time. Now time is the biggest enemy of Gladbach and they do not have time to test the new tactics and the players anymore. In some extent they can fight back in the game but generally they cannot avoid relegation.
So that's it in my team by team preview. As the season is getting closer to start, I will make the matchday prediction weekly.
Hannover 96 (13th):
Transfer In: Nil
Transfer Out: Nil
Preview: They are the only 2 teams which did not take any actions in the winter transfer (the otehr is Hertha Berlin). I believe they are confident about the team squad and do not want to affect any team chemistry. Jan Schlaudraff and Mikael Forrsell are performing very well so far so that I am not too worried about the attacking. However, they are facing the injury crisis in the defense line, so I personally am very concerned about the squad depth in the defensive line. I believe they are going to have a huge test in the defense in the second half of the season and even I believe they will not be relegated, I believe they find a very hard time to fight for survival.
Arminia Bielefeid (14th):
Transfer In: Vlad Munteanu (MF - VfL Wolfsburg - on loan); Kevin Kerr (MF - Arminia Bielefeld II)
Transfer Out: Siyabonga Nkosi (MF - Maccabi Netanya); Stefan Aigner (MF - 1860 München); Nils Fischer (DF - Wuppertaler SV Borussia - on loan); Bernd Korzynietz (DF - MSV Duisburg - on loan)
Preview: I believe Bielefeld had identified the problem so that they loan Munteanu in order to improve the creativity in the midfield for creating more goals, as they only managed to score 15 times in the first 17 games. Kerr is still doubtful if he can create anything practical in the team or maybe the team just fancy him that he can do anything special. The attacking will be very crucial for them as this is their weakest point in the whole team. Meanwhile, I believe Munteanu will be the crucial player as he maybe the leader in the attacking force. There is still some hope for them to avoid relegation, if the attacking is significantly improved.
Karlsruher SC (15th):
Transfer In: Marco Engelhardt (MF - 1. FC Nürnberg); Giovanni Federico (FW - Borussia Dortmund - on loan)
Transfer Out: Nil
Preview: In these 6 teams mentioned in this article, I believe Karlsruher did the best job in the transfer market. They pinpointed the problem and solved it well. Engelhardt is an effective midfielder and he can help the team to control the midfield well, as they never did it right in the first half of the season. Ferderico on the other hand, is very effective striker and he can convert the chances into goal effectively. However, the only concern of Ferderico is the match fitness. If he can keep himself fit on the field, I believe he can help the striking force and relieve Josh Kennedy. So even they had a long sreak without winning, I believe they are the first team who can pick up the pace and avoid the relegation.
Energie Cottbus (16th):
Transfer In: Jan Rajnoch (DF - FK Mlada Boleslav); Nils Petersen (FW - Carl Zeiss Jena); Ovidiu Burca (DF - Beijing Guoan - loan return); Adi (FW - SK Austria Kärnten)
Transfer Out: Igor Mitreski (MF - Germinal Beerschot - on loan)
Preview: Cottbus is the other team who can point out the problem, but it is very doubtful that those new players can solve the problem. Only scoring 12 goals in 17 games is the primarily problem they must think about, so they sign Adi, who is reported that he can bring the scoring ability from Austria to Germany. Petersen, the other new striker, is still doubtful for improving the scoring problem as he played for the lower division team as well. However, their morale and the attitude are one of the best within all 18 teams in the Bundesliga, so I believe it is their biggest advantage to bring the team out of trouble again, just like in 2007-2008 season. So, Cottbus is the other team I feel optimistic in the relegation fight.
VfL Bochum (17th):
Transfer In: Diego Klimowicz (FW - Borussia Dortmund)
Transfer Out: Tomasz Zdebel (MF - Bayer Leverkusen); Danny Fuchs (MF - 1. FC Kaiserslautern - on loan); Marc Sand (FW - SK Austria Kärnten - on loan)
Preview: I believe Bochum should have done more in the winter transfer market. Only Klimowicz is not enough to fix the problem in the team. They only managed 1 win in 17 games because they do not have efficient midfield attack and the effective striking force. Even Zdebel is only an ordinary player in the Bundesliga, he is very important in the team and now he is gone, I do doubt their leadership in the field. So I do believe Bochum is very hard to avoid the relegation without the leadership, or I can say relegation is inevitable for them.
Borussia Möchengladbach (18th):
Transfer In: Tomas Galasek (MF - Banik Ostrava); Logan Bailly (GK - K.R.C. Genk); Dante (DF - Standard Liege); Christian Dorda (DF - Borussia Möchengladbach II); Tony Jantschke (MF - Borussia Möchengladbach II); Paul Stalteri (DF - Tottenham Hotspur)
Transfer Out: Soumaila Coulibaly (MF - released); Sebastian Svärd (MF - Hansa Rostock - on loan); Sascha Rösler (MF - 1860 München); Alexander Voigt (DF - SpVgg Greuther Fürth); Sharbel Touma (FW - released); Uwe Gospodarek (GK - released); Marcel Ndjeng (MF - released)
Preview: From this long list I can see Gladbach are really panic in the relegation fight. It seems they have placed their last chip in the gambling table. This is not a good moment to change so drastically in the winter transfer market as the team needs to rebuild the chemistry. Those new players are quite good on quality so their experience can improve the team in certain extent. However, it is really doubtful that they can get along to each other in a such a short period of time. Now time is the biggest enemy of Gladbach and they do not have time to test the new tactics and the players anymore. In some extent they can fight back in the game but generally they cannot avoid relegation.
So that's it in my team by team preview. As the season is getting closer to start, I will make the matchday prediction weekly.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
German Bundesliga second half season team by team preview (Part 2)
Last time I had previewed the teams from 1st to 6th in the second half of the season. In this second part, I will preview the teams from 7th to 12th:
FC Schalke 04 (7th):
Transfer In: Danny Latza (MF - Schalke 04 II); Marvin Pourie (FW - Liverpool Reserves and Academy)
Transfer Out: Albert Streit (MF - Schalke 04 II); Gustavo Valera (MF - released); Peter Lovenkrands (FW - released); Ze Roberto (MF - Flamengo - on loan); Markus Heppke (MF - Rot-Weiß Oberhausen); Marvin Pourie (FW - 1860 München - on loan)
Preview: I do not believe they did change anything at all in the winter transfer in order to improve their poor performance in the first half of the season. From their transfer moves, I believe they are reforming the team for the 2009-2010 season as they released a lot of unused players. They only signed 2 young players and I do not believe they will have any chance to start the match. So the attacking problem of the team will still remain as Kevin Kuranyi and Jefferson Farfan will be still on the field and they do not perform so well at all. However, there is a good news that they do not need to get distracted for the European matches so that their fitness is their biggest advantage. So, I believe they will stay in this position at the end of the season.
Werder Bremen (8th):
Transfer In: Alexandros Tziolis (MF - Panathinaikos - on loan)
Transfer Out: Carlos Alberto (MF - Vasco da Gama - on loan); Said Husejinovic (1. FC Kaiserslautern)
Preview: Werder Bremen only fine tune their squad in the winter transfer market. They made the correct move to loan the defensive midfield, Tziolis from Greece. However, is it enough? The problem of the defense is not really solved yet as I predict the new comer will be the reliever of Torsten Frings, who is the starting defensive midfielder. On the other hand, the centre defender does not change so that Per Mertesacker is still the key of success. Claudio Pizarro, Aaron Hunt, and Markus Rosenberg will be the important factor of attacking because Diego need the target for his excellent through balls. As their defense is not improve too much, I believe they will keep focus on the "scoring one more goal than you" tactics in the remaining of the season.
VfL Wolfsburg (9th):
Transfer In: Yoshito Okubo (FW - Vissel Kobe); Peter Pekarik (DF - MSK Zilina)
Transfer Out: Vlad Munteanu (FW - Arminia Bielefeld - on loan); Bernd Korzynietz (DF - Arminia Bielefeld - loan return); Mame Niang (FW - Viking FK)
Preview: "Japan policy" is becoming the major transfer tactics from Wolfsburg side. This may because they are easy to purchase in terms of transfer fee and the competition of the transfer. Okubo is definitely has the ability to relieve Eden Dzeko and Grafite. However, it is all about the trust from Felix Magath if Okubo can play or not. So I guess Okubo will not have too many chance to perform himself in the football field. On the other side, Wolfsburg had made the correct decision on purchasing the young defender Pekarik. As the defense is the weakest link of Wolfsburg, they do need the central defender to relieve the pressure. I believe the defense will get improved at the certain extent, so that their position can be improved and they are the main top 5 challenger.
VfB Stuttgart (10th):
Transfer In: Timo Gebhert (MF - 1860 München)
Transfer Out: Pavel Pardo (MF - Club America); Manuel Fischer (FW - TuS Koblenz - on loan)
Preview: Report said Timo Gebhert is one of the most talented players in Germany, now it is time for him to prove himself how good he is. Generally Stuttgart feels satisfied about their performance and the lineup after Markus Babbel took control 3 months ago, so that they do not purchase so many players. Gebhert in a certain extent can relieve the pressure of the starter such as Sami Khedira and Thomas Hitzlsperger. However, I believe it is quite hard for him to get into the first team so I believe the effect of the change is very limited. On the other hand, the players who left the club are the unused players of Stuttgart, so I cannot see any huge impact to the team. I predict that Stuttgart will remain safe in the mid table but it is very hard to climb up the table to the top position.
1. FC Köln (11th):
Transfer In: Derek Boateng (MF - Beitar Jerusalem); Andre (MF - Nautico - loan return)
Transfer Out: Tobias Nickenig (DF - FC Vaduz)
Preview: Even the team had a very poor run before the end of the season's first half, I believe that the board are still happy with the performance and the table position. The purchase of Boateng and return of Andre is believed that the team would like to strengthen the midfield power, as this is the main reason why the team had a very poor run in first half of the season. I believe that Boateng can impact the team as Armando Petit cannot hold on the midfield in all 90 minutes as his fitness is not good enough. The departing player does not affect the team at all so that the team chemistry generally is affected by a bit in the beginning of second half of the season because the arrival of Boateng. So I predict the team will remain the position in the end of the season.
Eintract Frankfurt (12th):
Transfer In: Leonard Kweuke (FW - DAC Dunajska Streda - on loan)
Transfer Out: Aaron Galindo (FW -Club Deportivo Guadalajara)
Preview: Generally the team did not change at all. The main problem in the attack is Martin Fenin cannot find back his excellent form in 2007-2008 season, so that they have trouble in attacking. So that Frankfurt had loaned Kweuke to relieve the pressure from Fenin. However, it is doubtful for me that if he really does his job. Ioannis Amanitidis is the most important player in the team still, but I cannot see there is any players who can relieve him when he is not available to play, or he cannot perform well in the field. So this problem will still remain at the team and I think Frankurt will avoid the relegation as their first priority.
So this is the second part of the preview. The last part I will preview the bottom table team.
FC Schalke 04 (7th):
Transfer In: Danny Latza (MF - Schalke 04 II); Marvin Pourie (FW - Liverpool Reserves and Academy)
Transfer Out: Albert Streit (MF - Schalke 04 II); Gustavo Valera (MF - released); Peter Lovenkrands (FW - released); Ze Roberto (MF - Flamengo - on loan); Markus Heppke (MF - Rot-Weiß Oberhausen); Marvin Pourie (FW - 1860 München - on loan)
Preview: I do not believe they did change anything at all in the winter transfer in order to improve their poor performance in the first half of the season. From their transfer moves, I believe they are reforming the team for the 2009-2010 season as they released a lot of unused players. They only signed 2 young players and I do not believe they will have any chance to start the match. So the attacking problem of the team will still remain as Kevin Kuranyi and Jefferson Farfan will be still on the field and they do not perform so well at all. However, there is a good news that they do not need to get distracted for the European matches so that their fitness is their biggest advantage. So, I believe they will stay in this position at the end of the season.
Werder Bremen (8th):
Transfer In: Alexandros Tziolis (MF - Panathinaikos - on loan)
Transfer Out: Carlos Alberto (MF - Vasco da Gama - on loan); Said Husejinovic (1. FC Kaiserslautern)
Preview: Werder Bremen only fine tune their squad in the winter transfer market. They made the correct move to loan the defensive midfield, Tziolis from Greece. However, is it enough? The problem of the defense is not really solved yet as I predict the new comer will be the reliever of Torsten Frings, who is the starting defensive midfielder. On the other hand, the centre defender does not change so that Per Mertesacker is still the key of success. Claudio Pizarro, Aaron Hunt, and Markus Rosenberg will be the important factor of attacking because Diego need the target for his excellent through balls. As their defense is not improve too much, I believe they will keep focus on the "scoring one more goal than you" tactics in the remaining of the season.
VfL Wolfsburg (9th):
Transfer In: Yoshito Okubo (FW - Vissel Kobe); Peter Pekarik (DF - MSK Zilina)
Transfer Out: Vlad Munteanu (FW - Arminia Bielefeld - on loan); Bernd Korzynietz (DF - Arminia Bielefeld - loan return); Mame Niang (FW - Viking FK)
Preview: "Japan policy" is becoming the major transfer tactics from Wolfsburg side. This may because they are easy to purchase in terms of transfer fee and the competition of the transfer. Okubo is definitely has the ability to relieve Eden Dzeko and Grafite. However, it is all about the trust from Felix Magath if Okubo can play or not. So I guess Okubo will not have too many chance to perform himself in the football field. On the other side, Wolfsburg had made the correct decision on purchasing the young defender Pekarik. As the defense is the weakest link of Wolfsburg, they do need the central defender to relieve the pressure. I believe the defense will get improved at the certain extent, so that their position can be improved and they are the main top 5 challenger.
VfB Stuttgart (10th):
Transfer In: Timo Gebhert (MF - 1860 München)
Transfer Out: Pavel Pardo (MF - Club America); Manuel Fischer (FW - TuS Koblenz - on loan)
Preview: Report said Timo Gebhert is one of the most talented players in Germany, now it is time for him to prove himself how good he is. Generally Stuttgart feels satisfied about their performance and the lineup after Markus Babbel took control 3 months ago, so that they do not purchase so many players. Gebhert in a certain extent can relieve the pressure of the starter such as Sami Khedira and Thomas Hitzlsperger. However, I believe it is quite hard for him to get into the first team so I believe the effect of the change is very limited. On the other hand, the players who left the club are the unused players of Stuttgart, so I cannot see any huge impact to the team. I predict that Stuttgart will remain safe in the mid table but it is very hard to climb up the table to the top position.
1. FC Köln (11th):
Transfer In: Derek Boateng (MF - Beitar Jerusalem); Andre (MF - Nautico - loan return)
Transfer Out: Tobias Nickenig (DF - FC Vaduz)
Preview: Even the team had a very poor run before the end of the season's first half, I believe that the board are still happy with the performance and the table position. The purchase of Boateng and return of Andre is believed that the team would like to strengthen the midfield power, as this is the main reason why the team had a very poor run in first half of the season. I believe that Boateng can impact the team as Armando Petit cannot hold on the midfield in all 90 minutes as his fitness is not good enough. The departing player does not affect the team at all so that the team chemistry generally is affected by a bit in the beginning of second half of the season because the arrival of Boateng. So I predict the team will remain the position in the end of the season.
Eintract Frankfurt (12th):
Transfer In: Leonard Kweuke (FW - DAC Dunajska Streda - on loan)
Transfer Out: Aaron Galindo (FW -Club Deportivo Guadalajara)
Preview: Generally the team did not change at all. The main problem in the attack is Martin Fenin cannot find back his excellent form in 2007-2008 season, so that they have trouble in attacking. So that Frankfurt had loaned Kweuke to relieve the pressure from Fenin. However, it is doubtful for me that if he really does his job. Ioannis Amanitidis is the most important player in the team still, but I cannot see there is any players who can relieve him when he is not available to play, or he cannot perform well in the field. So this problem will still remain at the team and I think Frankurt will avoid the relegation as their first priority.
So this is the second part of the preview. The last part I will preview the bottom table team.
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