Zagreb 2 - 3 Werder Bremen

All the Goals!

Round 3 Review

Bochum 2 – 1 Hamburg

B: Sestak (45) Imhof (83)
H: van der Vaart (pen 86)

Hamburg failed to finish their chances again. This time they were punished for their failure by a resolute Bochum side. While the tempo of the game was dictated by Hamburg, who owned possession at 61%, it was a late first half injury time goal from newcomer Stanslav Sestak, who mopped a poor challenge by Nigel de Jong, which opened the scoring in this affair. Hamburg’s failure to convert was compounded in the second half, when Vincent Kompany was sent off wrongly for a mild indiscretion in the middle. The game stagnated at that point. It was finished off in the 82nd, when Canadian Daniel Inhof, who had just entered the game, unleashed a scorcher into the right hand corner of the net. A makeup call for the Kompany sending-off gave Hamburg a late life line, but Bochum was able to retain the lead and go top of the table for a few hours.

Leverkusen 3 - 0 Karlsruhe

K: Franz (19 og)
L: Friedrich (27) Gekas (35)

While goalkeeper Markus Millar was prone to some baffling errors early in this contest, he proved invaluable to Karlsruhe, who was lucky to escape with just a three goal deficit. 30 shots to 5 was the final tally and Tranquillo Barnetta and Bernd Schneider were able to control the midfield. An early own goal by Maik Franz was followed shortly by a clean up by Friedrich of ping-pong defending by Karlsruhe, and shortly thereafter by last year’s Bundesliga’s top scorer Theofanis Gekas’s first goal for his new club.


Bayern Munich 3 – 0 Hanover 96

B: Toni (28) van Bommel (69) Altintop (86)

Want to know who was the most impressive person in this game? It was 96 keeper Robert Enke. Yes he was on the losing end of a thoroughly deserved 3 nil score line, but he was fantastic. This score could well have been 15-0 if not for his refusal to quit.

But the first chinks in the armor are starting to show at Bayern. First Lucio is starting to inch forward in attack more than he should. Hitzfeld either needs to reiterate his desire that Lucio remember he is not an attacking mid or face a future where an overwhelmed DeMichelis is facing off against counter attacking machines such as Stuttgart and Schalke. Meanwhile, Luca Toni left with a thigh injury which depletes Bayern’s striking corp even further, leaving an untested 19 year old Sandro Wagner to fill the gap while Toni, Klose and Podolski recover from injury. While Bayern’s formidable midfield can handle scoring in the near future, the lack of a first-rate stiker may make it easier for trainers to move a central defender up to counterbalance Ribery, Altintop and Schweinsteiger.

Borussia Dortmund 3 – 0 Energie Cottbus

D: Kringe (44) Klimowicz (70, 84)

Cottbus, whose attacking woes continue, took charge of this affair early; however, their lack of flair and finishing allowed Dortmund to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Without the worries of their backline hindering them, Thomas Doll’s side was able to carve apart Cottbus defense with Argentine Klimowicz providing the late death-knell with two fine strikes.

Stuttgart 1 – 0 Duisburg

S: Gomez (34)

Everybody's favorite Spanish German returned from his pre-season injury and lifted the holders to their first victory of the season with a composed goal when surrounded by three defenders in the 34th minute. It was a rather tepid affair that bogged down in the midfield and showed little lack of initiative.

Arminia Bielefeld 2 - 0 Hertha Berlin

AB: Masnanidis (52) Wichniarek (90)

A stagnant first half gave way to a more robust second; and, Bielefeld was able to take advantage of two defensive errors by the visitors to go second in the table. In the 52nd minute, the referee caught a back-pass to the keeper and awarded an indirect kick from six yards. Kucera slotte the ball to Masnanidis who blasted home the decider. A late tip in of a ball that was bound for the next after bad positioning by Jaroslav Drobny led to Wichniarek's 3rd goal in 3 games.

Frankfurt 1 - 0 Hansa Rostock

F: Meier (3)

For a team that is sponsored by a company called Kik, Hansa Rostock seems to do little of it. Eintracht scored an early goal off a corner kick by Alexandre Meier to get a deserved win. It is their best start to a season since 1999.

Nurnberg 0 - 1 Werder Bremen

F: Harnik (69)

Werder registered their first win of the season at Nurnberg. While the cup holders are severely lacking creativity at the moment, Bremen seemed to find a possible solution to their striker situation. Injuries have hit Bremen hard in the midfield and up-front. But a game with little initiative was changed when listless Markus Roseborg was subbed off for newcomer Martin Harnik in the 61st minute. His impact was immediate as Bremen started to gel offensively and the game opened up. He scored within eight minutes of his debut and missed several chances afterwards.

Game of the Week

Wolfsburg 1 - 1 Schalke

W: Krzynowek (35)
S: Altintop (86)

A raucous crowd watched a draw between the Royal Blues and the Wolves at the Volkswagen Arena. The 1-1 final was just deserts for both sides, who each took advantage of questionable calls and dominated stretches of the match. Felix Magath might feel let down to lose two points so late in the game, but he can take heart that his revolution at Wolfsburg is starting to take shape and his defense could well see him challenge for a spot in Europe by the end of the campaign. Meanwhile, Schalke have pulled draws in their first two away matches of the year, but still hasn’t found a sound tactical formation to rely upon.

The game’s outcome turned from a question of how could Schalke possibly draw to a question of how could Schalke not win in the last 30 minutes. Part of the change was due to the second yellow awarded to Wolfsburg’s new midfielder Josué in the 51st. The more significant reason for the change in fortunes was Schalke’s trainer Mirko Slomka’s tactical switches eleven minutes later.

Schalke dominated possession in both halves as Wolfsburg was willing to play counter. However, during the first half, Schalke were unable to translate possession into chances, with Josué marking 19 year-old playmaker Ivan Rakitic out of the game, while Madlung, Schäfer and Simunek created a fortress around the final third, so that Schalke were only able to get three shots off in the first half.

While the defending of Wolfsburg has to be commended, the poor midfield lineup by Slomka has to be noted. He decided to play without any wide men, as he sat three central midfielders behind Rakitic resulting is a 4-3-1-2, where halfbacks Pander and Rafinho provided depth but only halfway into Wolfsburg’s side. Jones and Ernst found a role within this structure as a runner and ball-winner respectively; however Bosnian Zlatan Bajramovic was unable to provide any significant contribution to his side as he jogged complacently about the pitch, invading Kevin Kuranyi’s space in the 18 and providing no decent width or passing.

Wolfsburg, on the other hand, made good work of their few chances. Their goal came when simulation by Wolfsburg’s lone striker Radu led to a freekick on the edge of the box, which Jacek Krzynowek curled around the wall perfectly to catch keeper Manuel Neuer flatfooted. In the second half, Marcelinho came alive and began to command the midfield, especially immediately after Josué was sent off. The chances started coming for Wolfsburg and they looked to finish off the game when substitute Edin Dzeko pulled the ball down the by-line and fed a ball to Marcelinho, which may go down as one of the worst missed of the season, who flailed on an attempt at an open net. The miss took the air out of Wolfsburg.

Soon after, Slomka replaced Asamoah with Halil Altintop and the worn out Jermain Jones with Mesut Özil. Özil immediately provided width on the left, and Bajramovic moved back into a deeper setting role, which suited him better. This freed up space for the speedy Altintop and the skillful Rakitic who took advantage of to force midfield prepotency. With Rakitic free from Josué’s excellent marking he was ever-present in the later stages of the game. He almost leveled the game on a number of occasions including a blinding shot from outside the 18 that bounded off the wood onto the line and out where Kevin Kuranyi brilliantly controlled the ball but sent the rebound high.

Schalke had 33 shots in the game, most of them in the late stages of the second half. The one that leveled was set up by a poor clearance by Madlung; however, it was a perfectly timed run by Bordon, who Kuranyi had tried to freed, that left Madlung in an awkward position, only able to stab the ball clear. It landed to Altintop who placed his effort into the far right corner of the net. Schalke would have many more chances to win, but could never break down Wolfsburg defense again.

Bayern 3 - 0 Hannover 96

Extended Highlights from FCB TV

Bochum Goes Top of the Table

Bochum 2 – 1 Hamburg

B: Sestak (45) Imhof (83)
H: Van der Vaart (pen 86)

Bochum goes top of the table. See the match report on ESPN.

Round 3 Preview

Goal.com has a good preview of Round 3.

Predictions

Bochum 2-1 HSV

I have a feeling that HSV's inability to finish might hurt them against Bochum. And you don't stop Tommy Bechman. Tommy Bechman decides you've had enough. :)

Stuttgart 2-0 Duisburg

The Swabians have to get off the mark and should do it at home against Duisburg, even without Cacau and Gomez.

FC Bayern 5-1 Hannover

Hitzfeld is forced to play a 4-5-1. Woe is him. Hannover will press and get caught on the counter which will open the floodgates.

Nürnberg 1-3 Werder Bremen

While Nurnberg looked better last week, it seems to me that Werder is due for an explosion. And their loss wasn't as comprehensive as the scoreline seemed, since they did control play in the first half.

Bayer 3-2 Karlsruhe

Bayer finally gets on the scoresheet but Karlsruhe will not roll over.

Dortmund 1-2 Energie Cottbus

Talk about an immovable force against and unstoppable object. BVB can't defend and Cottbus can't score. But so terrible is Doll's squad that I can't see the keeping Energie off the board.

Arminia 0-2 Hertha BSC

Hertha will take advantage of Bielefeld's hangover from letting in two goals in the final 3 last week.

Frankfurt 3-1 Rostock

And in contrast, Frankfurt will ride that comeback to a comfortable victory against lowly Hansa.

Wolfsburg 0-3 Schalke 04

Wolfsburg is getting better, but Schalke is looking to be the team that can truly upset Bayern's run at the title. And they have the defenders to mark Marcelinho out of the game.

Round 2 Review

Karlsruhe 1 – 2 Hannover 96

K: Franz (37)
H: Hanke (55) Balitsch (75)

Mike Hanke set up and scored a goal as Hannover turned over a deficit, which is something they were unable to do all of last year. In only their second win at Karlsruhe ever, the form of talisman Arnold Bruggink seemed to return as they controlled tempo and possession. However they were given a scare early when Maik Franz was pushed down, but got up, found space and finished a superb Hajnal cross.

Schalke 4 – 1 Dortmund

S: Bordon (11) Pander (31) Asamoah (59) Kuranyi (78)
D: Valdez (66)

It’s not often that a 4-1 loss can be said to flatter to deceive for the team on the losing end, but that was definitely the case of this massive derby match. Schalke dominated the play, possession (53%), shots (20-9) and shots on target (11-4) and even that doesn’t tell a comprehensive enough story about their domination of this match. Thomas Doll must already be feeling pressure, not for losing his first two games comprehensively, but for the fact that his back line is incapable of marking. England might have been wise to view this game and understand Christian Pander’s lethal ability from range.

Werder Bremen 0 – 4 Bayern Munich

BM: Ribéry (pen 31) Toni (51) Altintop (79) Ottl (87)

See Below

Hertha Berlin 3 – 1 Stuttgart

H: Chahed (pen 51) Fathi (65) Okoronkwo (80)
S: Hitzlsperger (15)

Stuttgart was seriously missing striker Mario Gomez and playmaker Cacau for this game. They outshot HSB 20-12 but only 2 of those attempts were on target. Had those two been available their chances would have been better taken. As it was, it was the home side that made half of their dozen opportunities go on target. But they needed a bit of simulation to level the game after Hitzlsperger’s blast in the 15th minute. Lucio blatantly dove in the box after the break to earn a penalty that Chahed finished. Fathi, then, outjumped Stuttgart from a Lucio corner to break their backs and Okoronkwo finished the game on the counter. It’s a poor start to the season for last year’s champions.

Bielefeld 2 -2 Frankfurt

B: Kucera (68) Wichniarek (80)
F: Meier (87) Russ (89)

A forgettable first half was followed by a raucous second. Bielefeld scored in the 68th and 80th, running at Frankfurt’s right flank with Kucera and Wichniarek getting hold of solid crosses from Bohme and Eigler, respectively. They were looking to top the table, when with three minutes to go, Frankfurt scored twice via Meier and Russ. A sudden turn of events saw both teams through with four points on two played.

Hansa Rostock 1 – 2 Nurnberg

R: Orestes (63)
N: Galásek (16) Kluge (25)

Hansa showed susceptibility from long range as Galasek and Kluge scored from 35 and 20 yards each in a first half which Nurnberg thoroughly dominated. Vittek and Christeas could have put the game out of reach, but their inability to finish off Rostock led to a turn in fortunes. Hansa was able to take control of the game for a short time in the second half and scored their first of the season on a header by new centerback Orestes. But Nurnberg closed up the midfield and walked away with the victory.

Duisburg 1 – 3 Wolfsburg

D: Lavric (88)
W: Marcelinho (41) Madlung (52) Radu (72)

Marcelinho was the story of the match as he scored and set up the other two goals as Felix Magath won for the first time at the helm of the Wolves. While Duisburg had control for the early part of the first half, a poorly cleared ball led to a stunning goal by the Wolfsburg captain. After that they took the game to the visitors and scored on two plays orchestrated by Marcelinho: an in-swinger that Madlung got his head to and a beautifully times pass that Radu finished.

Hamburg 1 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen

HSV: van der Vaart (pen 64)

Hamburg dominated their opening home match of the season with Rafael van der Vaart not letting his desire to go to Valencia get in the way of his duties as captain. While he did slot home a penalty in the 64^th minute for the only goal of the match, he was the most dominating presence on the pitch for the entirety of the match. Had it not been for the woodwork and the work of Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler, the final tally could have been much greater. Hamburg keep pace with Bayern Munich, while Leverkusen head to round three as the only team in the Bundesliga not to score.

Energie Cottbus 1 – 2 Bochum

C: Skela (49)
B: Bechmann (14, 42)

Well the good new for Cottbus was that they did manage to score: a long range blast from Ervin Skela. The bad news is that they lost again. It was Danish hitman Tommy Bechman, who now leads the Bundesliga in scoring, with his second and third of the season to get Bochum four points.

Review of Bayern/Bremen Match

Werder Bremen 0 – 4 Bayern Munich

If the idea of Bayern being unstoppable was being bandied about after the Ligapokal and a home victory over a promotion side, then a road win over one of the teams one would expect to contend for the title, must assuredly seal the deal. While Bayern have looked impressive, there is still a long way to go for a club that has rebuilt itself over the summer. The thorough victory over rival Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion, where they had one only once in the last seven encounters, does give credibility to their return to glory as one of the best teams in Europe.

Make no mistake about it; Otto Hitzfeld is not without problems that could derail his juggernaut. First, he needs to sit a striker. So far injury has actually come to his advantage, because Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski are both nursing injuries at the moment. Hitzfeld’s team controls play in a dynamic way when they play a 4-5-1. The formation allows Ze Roberto and Van Bommel to set back and protect the backline, while also allowing their attacking mids of Schweinsteiger, Altintop and Ribery to move forward expansively. When both return, he is most likely going to revert to the 4-4-2 which was employed early in this game, which stymied both Schweinsteiger and Ribery and allowed Diego to control the pace of the game. They also need to work out their backline, which while conceding only one shot on target in two games, is working with a questionable centerback in Lucio and one young halfback until Sagnol returns from injury. Had Schaaf been keener, he could have exploited the defense a little more. But he didn’t act in time and missed his chance.

In the first half, Bayern played a 4-4-2. Ze Roberto played in a more advanced position, Ribery was played out on the wing and Schweinsteiger seemed to settle back for crosses to the two big men. It was during the first 30 minutes of the game that Werder actually controlled the game and Diego was the most influential man on the pitch. He was getting decent support from his midfielders, although little out wide; however, forwards Almeida and Sanogo were poor. Sanogo would get better as the game progressed, but Almeida seems to be a good player against lesser sides. Had Schaaf been willing to test the game early, he would have either replaced Almeida or made Sanogo move to a midfield position. This would have allowed them to run at Bayern’s defense rather than forcing themselves to try and pick out the two strikers who couldn’t control the ball. Once Toni was taken down in the box and Ribery converted, they were chasing the game and unlikely to keep Bayern at bay for the rest of the game.

In the second half, Hamit Altintop came on for Miroslav Klose and the game opened up. What space Diego had in the first half, was lost to him when Ze Roberto and Van Bommel settled deeper. This allowed Ribery to move into the center and gave Schweinsteiger liberty to move forward. With Altintop’s pace added, they took control of the game. While the next two scores were on counterattacks that took advantage of Naldo forward position, they were unlucky to score on a half-dozen chances.

The third goal, which can be seen below, was pure magic. Ribery trapped the ball at the edge of his own box, between foot and shin. He then flicked it past Christian Schulz, ran to the half-way line before releasing the ball to Luca Toni. As he continued his run, he allowed Altintop to splint in behind him. Toni picked up on this and slotted the ball to Altintop who blasted a shot to the lower right corner.

Highlights: Bremen v. Bayern

Week 1: Review

Stuttgart 2 - 2 Schalke

VS: Khedira (63) Pardo (pen 67)
04: Kobiashvili (25) Rakitic (76)

An affair that lived up the hype, this draw between last year’s top two saw Schalke take a lead in the 25^th when Kobiashvili fired in a shot from the top of the box. Sami Khedira, who was just called up to the National team for the first time this week, leveled the game in the 63^rd, when a clumsy Bordon tackle left him free in the box. Minutes later Manuel Neuer saved a blinding shot from Cacau. He then tried to clean up the ball but got caught out too far where he hacked down Ciprian Marica, which led to a penalty. Wunderkind Ivan Rakitic leveled the game for the visitors when he came on as a substitute and created a chance for himself as he ran at the Stuttgart defense. He finished off the play with a low shot to the left and Schalke have a moment to build upon as they try to erase years of last moment frustrations.

Bayern Munich 3 - 0 Hansa Rostock

M: Toni (14) Klose (66, 85)

Luca Toni marked his fist game and first shot in the Bundesliga with a goal. Meanwhile, Franck Ribery marked his first game with a superb performance leading the charge on Rostock’s helpless keeper. But it wasn’t just about those two newcomers, as everyone was involved in the attack with Altintop, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Janssen, Van Bommel and Ze Roberto providing spectacular moments. Klose finished off the game with two late goals.

Bayer Leverkusen 0 - 0 Energie Cottbus

Cottbus’ offensive woes continue. They only scored 38 goals last season and 25 of those came from the Romanian pair Radu and Munteanu who left for Wolfsburg. Leverkusen commanded the run of play from start to finish but couldn’t finish their chances. New signing Theofanis Gekas, the leading scorer in the Bundesliga last year, was unable to open his account as goalkeeper Tomislav Piplica was the one bright spot for Cottbus.

Bochum 2 - 2 Werder Bremen

B: Sestak (47) Bechmann (49)
WB: Diego (pen 39) Sanogo (45)

Bremen’s pre-season twin problems of poor performances and injuries saw them throw away a 2-0 lead. Without Torsten Frings, Dusko Tosic, Carlos Alberto and Frank Baumann, they struck a first half lead when Diego converted off a penalty, which was give when goalkeeper Lastuvka kicked Sanogo. Sanogo scored six minutes later marking a solid first game. Trainer Marcel Koller must have seen something, because Bochum came out in the second half attacking down Bremen’s left flank and scored two goals within four minutes of the break to level the affair.

Hannover 96 0 - 1 Hamburg

HSV: Benjamin (23)

The two Dutch maestros, Van der Vaart for Hamburg and Bruggink for Hannover, looked flat and the game looked rather tepid as a result. Hamburg were happy to record the win on the opening day, since it took them eight games to record their first last year. The only goal came when newcomer Romeo Castelan chested down a cross to Benjamin, who finished with authority.

Frankfurt 1 - 0 Hertha Berlin

F: Amanatidis (31)

Frankfurt attacked down the wings and dominated the first 30 minutes of the game, finally capitalizing on their play when new captain Ioannis Amanatidis slotted home the only goal of the contest. The second half was a lackluster affair with Hertha having some chances through new signing Lucio, but the contest never seemed in doubt.

Wolfsburg 1 - 3 Bielefeld

W: Radu (84)
B: Wichniarek (38) Eigler (51) Kirch (80)

Bielefeld took advantage of a poor performance by the backline of Wolfsburg, who looked to have massive communications problems to post a 3-1 win at the Volkswagen Stadium. Jorg Bohme set up two goals, while Kirch cleaned up a Zuma attempt to put the game beyond reach.

Nurnberg 0 - 2 Karlsruhe
K: Hajnal (44, 74)

Tamás Hajnal adapted well, cleaning up two errors by the Nurnberg defense to shock last year’s cup winner; however, it was Michael Mutzel who controlled the attack for Karlsruhe. The MOM was undoubtedly goalkeeper Markus Miller who stifled Nurnberg, who dominated possession.

Dortmund 1 - 3 Duisburg

BVB: Kringe (86)
D: Ishiaku (8, 64) Tararache (pen 62)

Duisburg started the season with the biggest upset of the weekend. The newly promoted club went to Dortmund and won their first game at the German powerhouse is 30 years, bashing BVB 3-1. Nigerian Ishiaku scored twice on a shaky Dortmund defense that will need to be concern number one for Thomas Doll.

Round 1 Preview

August 10th

Stuttgart v. Schalke at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium

The season starts off with a huge encounter involving the top 2 teams from last season. Stuttgart’s young guns look to repeat, but will start this game without Mario Gomez, who was a difference-maker last year. Meanwhile, Schalke will use Mesut Özil rather than Ivan Rakitic as Lincoln’s replacement, hoping he can take the offensive impetus off of Kuranyi and that Lövenkrands is more involved in the buildup than he was during the Ligapokal.


August 11th

Bayern Munich v. Hansa Rostock at the Allianz Arena

Bayern’s €70 million men ease their way into the new season at home against newly promoted Hansa Rostock. Expect Ribery, Klose and Altintop to get their first starts, but concerns over LB linger with Jansen picking up a knock last week. Hitzfeld is expected to employ a 4-5-1 with Toni and Podolski still nursing injuries. Rostock brought in 7 players themselves; however, the most expensive signing was €250,000 for Brazilian Junior Alves. They will need to rely on veteran midfielder Stefan Beinlich to calm their nerves as only 5 players on trainer Frank Pagelsdorf’s side have Bundesliga experience.

Bayer Leverkusen v. Energie Cottbus at the BayArena

Leverkusen, who earlier this week was the first victim of the German Cup losing 1-0 to my favorite St. Pauli, will look to bounce back against last year’s surprise Energie Cottbus. Cottbus, who bucked the odds and finished 13th last campaign, returns with a foreign squad who has problems communicating. Leverkusen has a whole new back line in front of the higly-rated young keeper Rene Adler. Much of the early season could be shaky times for Michael Skibbe’s side.

Bochum v. Werder Bremen at Friendship Stadium

Bremen begins life after Klose with an away trip to Bochum. Bremen will start their season at the right time as many of the injuries that plagued them in pres-season are over. Carlos Alberto, Almieda and Naldo return to start the season. Questions about Rosenborg’s ability to replace Klose should be quickly answered, as Thomas Schaaf was smart enough to use him often late last year and he produced superbly. Bochum will sit back on Bremen and hope to catch them on the break, but the loss of the Bundesliga’s top scorer Theofanis Gekas will be a lot to overcome and whether Stanislav Šesták is up to replacing the Greek international is one of Bochum’s big question marks this season.

Hannover 96 v. Hamburg SV at the AWD Arena

Trainer Huub Stevens took over a near-bottom team last year and turned the fortunes of one of the most talented teams in the Bundesliga. They are now in the UEFA Cup and the most likely to return to their 2005 status. Talisman Rafael Van der Vaart is joined by new forward Mohamed Zidan and attacking midfielder Romeo Castelan to help him in attack. And the return of Vincent Kompany should provide defensive stability. Hannover’s fortunes rest on Dutchman Arnold Bruggink, who trainer Dieter Hecking has built the team around. He has plenty of support staff and Hanover could make a run for Europe this year.

Eintracht Frankfurt v. Hertha Berlin at the Commerzbank Arena

Hertha Berlin returns to the Bundesliga with new coach Lucien Favre, who has sold off 11 players and brought in only 3. Scary times for this giant of German football, who will have to rely on their impressive youth setup to keep them up. Frankfurt, a perennial yo-yo team, begins the season with new addition Mehdi Mahdavikia. The Iranian right-winger should provide more options in attack for Friedhelm Funkel’s side. This one would only be exciting if it were at the end of the season.

Wolfsburg v. Arminia Bielefeld at the Volkswagon Arena

Wolfsburg starts a new era under Felix Magath. He has faced his first crisis, losing his big signing defender Ricardo Costa for six months. But with Magath’s penchant for getting his teams in top condition, they should still be expected to improve. Ernst Middendorp returns for his third stint at Bielefeld after two years at Kaiser Chiefs. He has brought along Sibusiso Zuma and Rowen Fernandez from the famous South African side. Expect Zuma the Puma to be one of the revelations of this year’s campaign.

August 12th

Nurnberg v. Karlsruhe at the EasyCredit Stadium

Karslruhe comes in with a high powered offense, but their season hinges on whether the team that rocked the Zwei can produce a decent percentage of those goals in top flight. If Tamás Hajnal adapts to the league, the tiniest team in the Bundesliga may well stay up. Nurnberg has a smothering defense and should be able to handle Karlsruhe easy in the first game. What remains to be seen by the cup winners is if Ivan Saenko is ready to be a team player and Marek Mintál is fully back from injury to provide an attack.

Borussia Dortmund v. Duisburg at Westfalenstadion

Thomas Doll, who was so successful with HSV until last year, takes over the full campaign at the German giants. He seems to have held off Roma for defender Dedé and he has good attacking options with Mladen Petrić providing the service to Giovanni Federico. It looks to be a better year for BVB. Duisburg is the most likely team to go down and things are not starting well for Rudi Bommer’s side. They start the season without midfield engine Youssef Mokthari, who is out for four weeks.