By Otto
RB Leipzig consolidated their position in the 1. Bundesliga’s top 4 squads with a 3:0 win over hosts Hannover on Friday. The first goal came at the very end of the first half, when Marcel Halstenberg converted a penalty after Matheus Cunha was fouled by Kevin Akpoguma. The next 2 goals came from defender Willi Orban, who nodded in a corner from Halstenberg in the 64th minute, followed by yet another header in the 85th minute from yet another corner from Emil Forsberg. Leipzig standout Timo Werner missed his first match of the season due to a head cold, and the loss came in Thomas Doll’s first match as coach at Hannover. On Saturday, the league’s 2nd-place club will travel to Leverkusen without goaltender Manuel Neuer, who hurt his right hand in training on Friday. He will be replaced by Sven Ulreich as the club starts the 2nd half of the season 6 points behind Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund, for their part, will try to keep the league’s top scorer, Luka Jovic, from adding to his goal total. Hosts Frankfurt are currently in 5th place and looking for a spot in European competition, and have defeated Dortmund in 3 of their last 4 encounters in Frankfurt. On the other hand, Frankfurt have lost all of their matches against the league’s top clubs this season, while Dortmund have won 9 of their last 10 contests. Frankfurt may have to play without captain David Abraham, who injured his calf in last week’s 2:2 draw against Bremen, while Dortmund is only missing center-back Manuel Akanji. Another match to watch on Saturday will be that between Hertha and Wolfsburg, who are tied in the table at 28 points each. Hertha’s draw against Schalke last week extended their at-home unbeaten streak to 4 matches, while Wolfsburg, who narrowly avoided relegation at the end of last season, have suffered back-to-back losses to Schalke and Leverkusen. Wolfsburg may have to play without Swiss forward Admir Mehmedi (injury), but hope to benefit from the services of USA international and former Hertha player John Brooks. Later on Saturday, struggling FC Schalke 04 will host 3rd-place Borussia Mönchengladbach. Schalke have scored just 24 goals so far this season, ahead of only Mainz, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Nürnberg, and Stuttgart, and their record to this point is their worst in 20 years. Gladbach, conversely, are unbeaten in their last 6 contests against Schalke, and are anticipating the return of Thorgan Hazard, who sat out Matchday 19 with an injury. Sunday’s early game, host Augsburg score a 3-0 win over Mainz with Finnbogason getting a hat trick. The late game host Stuttgart was tied 2-2 with SC Freiburg. This friday night Leverkusen went to Mainz and won 5-1.
RB Leipzig consolidated their position in the 1. Bundesliga’s top 4 squads with a 3:0 win over hosts Hannover on Friday. The first goal came at the very end of the first half, when Marcel Halstenberg converted a penalty after Matheus Cunha was fouled by Kevin Akpoguma. The next 2 goals came from defender Willi Orban, who nodded in a corner from Halstenberg in the 64th minute, followed by yet another header in the 85th minute from yet another corner from Emil Forsberg. Leipzig standout Timo Werner missed his first match of the season due to a head cold, and the loss came in Thomas Doll’s first match as coach at Hannover. On Saturday, the league’s 2nd-place club will travel to Leverkusen without goaltender Manuel Neuer, who hurt his right hand in training on Friday. He will be replaced by Sven Ulreich as the club starts the 2nd half of the season 6 points behind Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund, for their part, will try to keep the league’s top scorer, Luka Jovic, from adding to his goal total. Hosts Frankfurt are currently in 5th place and looking for a spot in European competition, and have defeated Dortmund in 3 of their last 4 encounters in Frankfurt. On the other hand, Frankfurt have lost all of their matches against the league’s top clubs this season, while Dortmund have won 9 of their last 10 contests. Frankfurt may have to play without captain David Abraham, who injured his calf in last week’s 2:2 draw against Bremen, while Dortmund is only missing center-back Manuel Akanji. Another match to watch on Saturday will be that between Hertha and Wolfsburg, who are tied in the table at 28 points each. Hertha’s draw against Schalke last week extended their at-home unbeaten streak to 4 matches, while Wolfsburg, who narrowly avoided relegation at the end of last season, have suffered back-to-back losses to Schalke and Leverkusen. Wolfsburg may have to play without Swiss forward Admir Mehmedi (injury), but hope to benefit from the services of USA international and former Hertha player John Brooks. Later on Saturday, struggling FC Schalke 04 will host 3rd-place Borussia Mönchengladbach. Schalke have scored just 24 goals so far this season, ahead of only Mainz, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Nürnberg, and Stuttgart, and their record to this point is their worst in 20 years. Gladbach, conversely, are unbeaten in their last 6 contests against Schalke, and are anticipating the return of Thorgan Hazard, who sat out Matchday 19 with an injury. Sunday’s early game, host Augsburg score a 3-0 win over Mainz with Finnbogason getting a hat trick. The late game host Stuttgart was tied 2-2 with SC Freiburg. This friday night Leverkusen went to Mainz and won 5-1.
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