By Rich

Eintracht Frankfurt’s 11-game unbeaten streak came to an end on Friday after a 1:2 loss to hosts SV Werder Bremen. Frankfurt striker Andre Silva scored the match’s goal just 9 minutes in with a header off the far post, but the 2nd half of the match belonged to Bremen. The hosts’ first goal came in the 47th minute, when Theodor Gebre Selassie found the far corner of the net. The game’s winning goal came in the 62nd minute, when Maximilian Eggestein passed the ball to Josh Sargent, who then fired the ball past Frankfurt goaltender Kevin Trapp. The winning goal was Sargent’s 3rd in the league this season, 1 shy of the 4 goals he scored last season, and all 7 of Gebre Selassie’s Bundesliga goals have come at home for Bremen. Although the victory does not change Bremen’s relative position in the table, it does now bring them tied on points with Hoffenheim going into the rest of the weekend’s contests. Competition at the top of the table will heat up again on Saturday when Bayern host Köln, Leipzig host Gladbach, and Wolfsburg host Hertha. Just 2 points separate Bayern and Leipzig, with Wolfsburg just 5 points further behind. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski is continuing his chase of Gerd Müller’s single-season goal record, and just needs 8 more goals to reach Müller’s record from 1972. Lewandowski has scored in all but 4 of his league outings this season, and will face a club on Saturday that is in a dangerous 14th place and that has lost its last 2 matches. Leipzig have the best home record this season, with 9 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, and would become champions if they win the remaining 12 matches, as they will be hosting Bayern on Matchday 27. Although Leipzig’s opponents have not won in their last 4 matches, the Foals are unbeaten in their last 6 away games. Hertha will face a tough opponent in Wolfsburg on Saturday, as Wolves striker Wout Weghorst has 14 goals to date, and that is combined with one of the strongest defenses in the league, including a new club record of 6 straight clean sheets. Wolfsburg have only lost twice all season, away at Bayern and at Dortmund, while Hertha are vulnerable just outside the relegation zone. Looking ahead to Sunday, Mainz will have an opportunity to escape the automatic relegation spot they currently occupy when they host Augsburg. Mainz have picked up 4 points in their last 2 matches, thanks in part to new hero Kevin Stöger, who is now the club’s top scorer, despite having only made 3 Bundesliga starts for Mainz in the current season.

By Rich

​Tim Civeja is a 19-year-old central midfielder for FC Augsburg. Civeja was born on January 4, 2002 in Dachau, Germany, and spent his youth career playing for TaF Glonntal until 2015, and FC Augsburg’s youth academy from 2015 to 2020. He made his professional debut for Augsburg on January 16, 2021, coming on as a substitute for Rani Khedira in the 87th minute in a 0:2 away loss against SV Werder Bremen. Civeja has also made 2 appearances for Germany’s U18 and U19 squads since 2019. Although born in Bavaria, Civeja is of Albanian descent and holds both German and Albanian citizenship.