By Rich
Schalke and Leverkusen played a 1:1 tie on Friday, changing little in the 1. Bundesliga’s table going into Saturday’s matches. Schalke’s goal came 34 minutes into the match, off a free kick from Leon Goretzka, but was offset by Leon Bailey’s first Bundesliga goal for Bayer Leverkusen, in the 61st minute. This was the first time in 4 years that Leverkusen failed to win when visiting Gelsenkirchen, but the valuable point moves them even with Hertha and local rival Gladbach in the top half of the table. Leverkusen is also benefiting from a broad talent pool: 9 different players on the squad have scored goals so far this season, a league high. Struggling 1. FC Köln has signed a Bundesliga legend: former Bayern and Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro is playing in the Bundesliga again, just months after leaving Werder Bremen for a third time. Pizarro will not only help teammate Jhon Cordoba on attack, but is also looking ahead to the World Cup next summer, and a season playing for Cologne will help him stay in shape. League leader Borussia Dortmund is traveling to Augsburg on Saturday, and it will likely be the first match for Jadon Sancho on Dortmund’s first squad. The England U17 international joined the club over the summer and is set to become the club’s first-ever English player. He has been training with the first squad since coming over from Manchester City, but will spend the month of October on England’s U17 squad for their World Cup in India. Saturday will also include Bayern München’s first match since firing trainer Carlo Ancelotti after the club’s defeat in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. Ancelotti’s assistant, Willy Sagnol, is in charge of the team for the time being, and will be looking to preserve the club’s undefeated record during Oktoberfest. Sagnol played for Bayern for almost 9 years, and his playing career was ended by an Achilles injury when he was just 31. During his time as a player, he contributed to 5 Bundesliga titles, 4 DFB Cups and a Champions League victory. Although only 3 points behind Dortmund, this is Bayern’s worst season start since 2010-2011, when Dortmund won the title and Bayern finished third. Saturday’s biggest game will be the derby between Hamburg and Bremen, who will face off for the 107th time in the Bundesliga, and their fixture has been played more than any other in the Bundesliga’s history: Bremen has won 38 times, and Hamburg 34.
Schalke and Leverkusen played a 1:1 tie on Friday, changing little in the 1. Bundesliga’s table going into Saturday’s matches. Schalke’s goal came 34 minutes into the match, off a free kick from Leon Goretzka, but was offset by Leon Bailey’s first Bundesliga goal for Bayer Leverkusen, in the 61st minute. This was the first time in 4 years that Leverkusen failed to win when visiting Gelsenkirchen, but the valuable point moves them even with Hertha and local rival Gladbach in the top half of the table. Leverkusen is also benefiting from a broad talent pool: 9 different players on the squad have scored goals so far this season, a league high. Struggling 1. FC Köln has signed a Bundesliga legend: former Bayern and Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro is playing in the Bundesliga again, just months after leaving Werder Bremen for a third time. Pizarro will not only help teammate Jhon Cordoba on attack, but is also looking ahead to the World Cup next summer, and a season playing for Cologne will help him stay in shape. League leader Borussia Dortmund is traveling to Augsburg on Saturday, and it will likely be the first match for Jadon Sancho on Dortmund’s first squad. The England U17 international joined the club over the summer and is set to become the club’s first-ever English player. He has been training with the first squad since coming over from Manchester City, but will spend the month of October on England’s U17 squad for their World Cup in India. Saturday will also include Bayern München’s first match since firing trainer Carlo Ancelotti after the club’s defeat in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. Ancelotti’s assistant, Willy Sagnol, is in charge of the team for the time being, and will be looking to preserve the club’s undefeated record during Oktoberfest. Sagnol played for Bayern for almost 9 years, and his playing career was ended by an Achilles injury when he was just 31. During his time as a player, he contributed to 5 Bundesliga titles, 4 DFB Cups and a Champions League victory. Although only 3 points behind Dortmund, this is Bayern’s worst season start since 2010-2011, when Dortmund won the title and Bayern finished third. Saturday’s biggest game will be the derby between Hamburg and Bremen, who will face off for the 107th time in the Bundesliga, and their fixture has been played more than any other in the Bundesliga’s history: Bremen has won 38 times, and Hamburg 34.
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