By Rich
Bayer Leverkusen extended its winning streak with a win Friday evening over host Stuttgart, and also became the first visiting team to win in the Mercedes-Benz Arena this season. Leverkusen’s first goal came in the 21st minute when Kai Havertz received a pass from Leon Bailey and shot the ball into a bottom corner of the goal. The match’s 2nd goal came when Lars Bender headed the ball into a corner in the 80th minute. The win moves Leverkusen momentarily into 4th place in the table, tied in points with Gladbach and just a point behind Schalke. Coincidentally, Gladbach will host Schalke on Saturday, and this will be one of the weekend’s decisive contests. Gladbach lost last weekend to Wolfsburg, but coach Dieter Hecking expects to have standout midfielder Christoph Kramer back, who missed the Wolfsburg match due to a blow to the head he suffered against Bayern. Schalke are unbeaten in their last 8 matches, including the unforgettable comeback from a 0:4 deficit against Dortmund to tie the game, and this is their longest unbeaten streak in 8 years. Schalke’s Leon Goretzka is again injured and will be replaced by USA international Weston McKennie. Two more players to watch in this match are Gladbach’s Jannik Vestergaard and Matthias Ginter, who are the league’s top-scoring defenders, with 3 goals each. A win for either club would put them into 2nd place should Leipzig fail to defeat visiting Mainz. Leipzig will hope to bounce back from their mid-week loss in the Champions League and last week’s 0:4 loss against Hoffenheim, and the big question is whether Emil Forsberg and Dayot Upamecano will be fit to play. Leipzig is unbeaten at home this season, and Mainz is still looking for their first away win under coach Sandro Schwarz. The Boateng brothers, Jerome and Kevin-Prince, will face off on Saturday when Bayern travels to Frankfurt. It will be the brothers’ 6th meeting on the pitch and the 4th in the Bundesliga. Kevin-Prince has had a successful week already, having been recognized Thursday for his work in fighting racism in football and scoring a goal against his previous club, Hertha Berlin, last weekend. Borussia Dortmund, looking to end their 7-match winless streak when they host Bremen, will play without Maximilian Philipp, who sustained a knee injury against Leverkusen, but with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who returns from an internal suspension.
Bayer Leverkusen extended its winning streak with a win Friday evening over host Stuttgart, and also became the first visiting team to win in the Mercedes-Benz Arena this season. Leverkusen’s first goal came in the 21st minute when Kai Havertz received a pass from Leon Bailey and shot the ball into a bottom corner of the goal. The match’s 2nd goal came when Lars Bender headed the ball into a corner in the 80th minute. The win moves Leverkusen momentarily into 4th place in the table, tied in points with Gladbach and just a point behind Schalke. Coincidentally, Gladbach will host Schalke on Saturday, and this will be one of the weekend’s decisive contests. Gladbach lost last weekend to Wolfsburg, but coach Dieter Hecking expects to have standout midfielder Christoph Kramer back, who missed the Wolfsburg match due to a blow to the head he suffered against Bayern. Schalke are unbeaten in their last 8 matches, including the unforgettable comeback from a 0:4 deficit against Dortmund to tie the game, and this is their longest unbeaten streak in 8 years. Schalke’s Leon Goretzka is again injured and will be replaced by USA international Weston McKennie. Two more players to watch in this match are Gladbach’s Jannik Vestergaard and Matthias Ginter, who are the league’s top-scoring defenders, with 3 goals each. A win for either club would put them into 2nd place should Leipzig fail to defeat visiting Mainz. Leipzig will hope to bounce back from their mid-week loss in the Champions League and last week’s 0:4 loss against Hoffenheim, and the big question is whether Emil Forsberg and Dayot Upamecano will be fit to play. Leipzig is unbeaten at home this season, and Mainz is still looking for their first away win under coach Sandro Schwarz. The Boateng brothers, Jerome and Kevin-Prince, will face off on Saturday when Bayern travels to Frankfurt. It will be the brothers’ 6th meeting on the pitch and the 4th in the Bundesliga. Kevin-Prince has had a successful week already, having been recognized Thursday for his work in fighting racism in football and scoring a goal against his previous club, Hertha Berlin, last weekend. Borussia Dortmund, looking to end their 7-match winless streak when they host Bremen, will play without Maximilian Philipp, who sustained a knee injury against Leverkusen, but with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who returns from an internal suspension.
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