Uberprufung der Bundesliga: Bayern two games from glory, Wolfsburg woes deepen, BVB win thriller

The Bundesliga seems to be practically sealed at the top of the table with Bayern needing just 3 wins from their final 9 games to claim their 28th league title. That quest continued on Saturday when confidence deprived Hamburg travelled to Bavaria on their own mission to preserve their 50 year stay in Germany’s top flight. Elsewhere on Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen welcome Borussia Moenchengladbach to the BayArena in the late kick off looking to propel themselves back into the top 4, while Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt would fight it out on Sunday to finish the weekend in another of the three coveted spots. At the other end of the table, Werder Bremen would play Cologne on Monday hoping to put some daylight between themselves and the drop zone. Wolfsburg will have been looking for something positive against Hoffenheim to halt their slide towards trouble.

Mainz 0-1 Schalke

Mainz will have been disappointed not to have stuck the knife further into Hamburg hearts last week and cut them adrift, only managing a 0-0 draw away from home. Schalke will have been slightly happier but will feel they had more to offer than a 1-0 victory at the Veltins Arena over Hertha Berlin. There would only be one goal in this and it would again be for Schalke. Daniel Calligiuri proving to be the difference maker for Domenico Tedesco’s side as they kept up their push for second place.

Bayern Munich 6-0 Hamburg

Bayern kept up their 20 point lead atop the Bundesliga last weekend thanks to a 4-0 win over Freiburg. Hamburg were able to keep in touch with their relegation rivals with their goalless home draw with Mainz. They wouldn’t be as fortunate here though and Franck Ribery began the rout on just 8 minutes. Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead on 12 minutes and made it 3-0 on 19 minutes. Hamburg were in deep trouble but Bayern weren’t in the mood to slow down. With 8 games left now in the domestic season in Germany, Bayern now only need 2 wins to wrap up the Bundesliga title and they look hell bent on doing just that. Arjen Robben made it 4-0 on 55 minutes and Ribery got his second with 9 minutes to play. Lewandowski claimed his hat-trick in stoppage time to add an exclamation mark on the scoreline and put Bayern within touching distance of being crowned champions.

Hannover 1-3 Augsburg

Both these sides were on the wrong end of results last week. Manuel Baum will not have been best pleased with his side’s 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Hoffenheim, while Hannover went down 1-0 in Frankfurt. This game would be a cracker and it took only 2 minutes for Michael Gregoritsch to open the scoring for Augsburg. Salif Sane equalised on 37 minutes but Gojka Kacar put the visitors ahead again 2 minutes into stoppage time. With Hannover pushing for another equaliser, Gregoritsch was able to get his second of the game to clinch the result with 9 minutes remaining.

Hertha Berlin 0-0 Freiburg

These were another couple of sides looking to bounce back from defeats. Hertha Berlin went to Schalke but were unable to prevent a 1-0 defeat, while Freiburg were powerless to stop Bayern from putting four past them without replay. This was never going to be a classic and so it proved, with both sides failing to breach the others net and the game ultimately ended goalless.

Hoffenheim 3-0 Wolfsburg

Julian Nagelsmann will have been thrilled to put some distance between his 7th placed side and  8th placed Augsburg last week with a comfortable 2-0 win. Wolfsburg slide towards the relegation play-off place continued when they were beaten 2-1 at home by Bayer Leverkusen. Things wouldn’t get much better for them here when Nico Schulz opened the scoring for the home side in the 17th minute. It would take until the 77th minute for Serge Gnabry to double the lead. But things went from bad to worse for Wolfsburg when Joshua Guillavogui put through his own net to compound his team’s misery and ensure they are now level on points with Mainz.

Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Borussia Moenchengladbach

Bayer Leverkusen were troubled more than they would have liked to have been during their 2-1 win over lowly Wolfsburg, while Dieter Hecking’s Gladbach played out a fascinating 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen at home. Things would go much more to plan for Heiko Herrlich’s boys here though and Lucas Alario gave them a deserved lead on 39 minutes. A tight game would get a decisive goal, which came through Julian Brandt for the home side with practically the last kick of the game.

VfB Stuttgart 0-0 Red Bull Leipzig

VfB Stuttgart were able to all but confirm their safety for this season with a 3-2 win over bottom side Cologne last week, while Red Bull Leipzig played out a tight 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund at home. This game would also be a tight affair, with Stuttgart having most of the shots but Leipzig seeing most of the ball. Still, neither side was able to break the deadlock though and would have to settle for a point from a goalless draw.

Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

Dortmund had to settle for a point from a close encounter in Leipzig last week, while high flying Eintracht Frankfurt were able to strengthen their claim for a Champions League spot with a 1-0 home win over Hannover. This one was a slow burner but ended up being the game of the weekend. Marco Russ gave Dortmund an early lead, putting through his own net on 11 minutes. It took until the 75th minute for the game to have its next goal and it would be Frankfurt equaliser, Luka Jovic restoring parity. Michy Batshuayi scored his first goal in six games to regain the lead for Dortmund just 2 minutes later. However, it looked as if Niko Kovac’s side had snatched a late equaliser thanks to Danny Blum a minute into stoppage time. But there was a cruel twist on the cards for Frankfurt when Batshuayi scored a winner for the home side with the last kick of the game.

Werder Bremen 3-1 Cologne

Bremen kept their continued to put some breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone last week when they drew 2-2 in Gladbach. Cologne’s relegation to 2.Bundesliga looks virtually sealed now after their 3-2 home defeat at the hands of VfB Stuttgart. Their slim survival hopes were dealt a blow on 33 minutes when Milos Veljkovic put the home side ahead. Yuya Osako drew Stefan Ruthenbeck’s side level on 53 minutes but fell behind again just 5 minutes later through Milot Rashica. With Cologne looking for another equaliser Bremen would capitalise late on when Matthias Eggestein sealed the points for the home side, to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone and ensure Cologne were left 8 points adrift of safety.

Game Week 27 Fixtures

Friday 16th March

Freiburg vs. VfB Stuttgart (19.30)

Saturday 17th March

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Mainz (14.30)

Augsburg vs. Werder Bremen

Hamburg vs. Hertha Berlin

Borussia Moenchengladbach vs. Hoffenheim

Wolfsburg vs. Schalke (17.30)

Sunday 18th March

Borussia Dortmund vs. Hannover (12.30)

Cologne vs. Bayer Leverkusen (14.30)

Red Bull Leipzig vs. Bayern Munich (17.00)