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Post by arover on Feb 25, 2008 14:28:38 GMT
| Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 21 5 5 0 19 4 7 3 1 19 7 27 44 2 Werder Bremen 21 9 0 2 32 14 3 4 3 14 14 18 40 3 Bayer Leverkusen 21 6 3 1 20 5 5 2 4 19 16 18 38 4 Hamburg 21 6 4 0 17 6 4 4 3 13 10 14 38 5 Schalke 04 21 6 3 2 19 10 3 5 2 15 13 11 35 6 Karlsruhe 21 5 3 2 14 11 4 3 4 12 17 -2 33 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 21 6 2 2 12 10 2 6 3 13 15 0 32 8 VfB Stuttgart 21 7 1 3 19 12 3 0 7 13 23 -3 31 9 Wolfsburg 21 4 4 3 17 13 4 2 4 18 19 3 30 10 Hannover 96 21 4 2 4 17 21 4 3 4 14 15 -5 29 11 Borussia Dortmund 21 5 2 3 19 12 3 2 6 15 24 -2 28 12 Hertha Berlin 21 6 2 3 13 13 2 1 7 10 15 -5 27 13 VfL Bochum 21 4 5 1 23 17 3 0 8 9 18 -3 26 14 Hansa Rostock 21 5 2 4 13 12 1 1 8 6 18 -11 21 15 Arminia Bielefeld 21 4 2 5 14 13 1 1 8 6 31 -24 18 16 Nuremburg 21 3 3 4 14 12 1 2 8 9 22 -11 17 17 MSV Duisburg 21 2 1 8 12 20 3 1 6 10 14 -12 17 18 Cottbus 21 3 2 6 16 17 0 6 4 7 19 -13 17
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Post by Bismarck on Feb 27, 2008 19:43:58 GMT
BERLIN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart were knocked out of the German Cup by second division strugglers Carl Zeiss Jena on Tuesday, losing their quarter-final on penalties after extra time ended at 2-2.
In Tuesday's other quarter-final, Borussia Dortmund eased past second division 1899 Hoffenheim 3-1.
Stuttgart looked to be heading for victory at 2-1 up in the second period of extra time but Robert Mueller took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Sven Ulreich in the first minute of injury time and stroked the ball into the empty net.
Antonio da Silva missed the decisive penalty, firing Stuttgart's fourth over the bar, and Torsten Ziegner then stepped up to make it 5-4 to the eastern German club and book their place in the semi-finals.
Striker Tobias Werner had given Jena a surprise lead in the 32nd minute, latching on to a long cross from the right and nodding past Ulreich.
Faced with some resolute defending, the Bundesliga champions had to wait until the 81st minute before Mario Gomez levelled.
The tall striker then netted again with a header in the fourth minute of extra time before Jena's last-gasp equaliser and the penalty drama.
In Dortmund, Giovanni Federico put the home side ahead after 20 minutes.
The Italian midfielder struck from 20 metres after good work from Tinga and the Brazilian extended Dortmund's lead three minutes later, nodding in from close range.
Hoffenheim's Francisco Copado scored from the penalty spot just before halftime to make it 2-1, before Mladen Petric made the match safe for Dortmund in the 54th minute.
In Wednesday's two quarter-finals, Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich play city rivals TSV 1860 Munich and VfL Wolfsburg take on Hamburg.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 2, 2008 3:50:26 GMT
BERLIN, March 1 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich ended their Gelsenkirchen curse with a 1-0 win at Schalke 04 on Saturday, while Werder Bremen kept up the chase with a 2-0 victory at home to Borussia Dortmund.
Miroslav Klose struck in the 14th minute to give Bayern their first Bundesliga win away to Schalke since October 1998 and their first victory at the Arena AufSchalke, the club's home since 2001.
With 22 games played, Bayern lead with 47 points followed by Werder on 43 after two goals from Markus Rosenberg saw them home against Dortmund.
Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg SV, in third and fourth place with 38 points apiece, are both in action on Sunday. Hamburg host Eintracht Frankfurt, while Leverkusen visit VfL Bochum.
Schalke drop to sixth place with 35 points and little realistic chance of getting back in the title race.
The match between Energie Cottbus and VfB Stuttgart, set for Saturday, was postponed after storm winds of 130 km/h were forecast.
Bayern were outstanding for the first hour against Schalke, regularly carving through the home defence and hardly giving their opponents so much as a sight of goal.
That will be worrying for Schalke coach Mirko Slomka with an eye on Wednesday's Champions League return leg against Porto, when they will defend a 1-0 lead at the Estadio do Dragao, with a place at the quarter-finals at stake.
The goal began with a great piece of work from Bastian Schweinsteiger, who found Franck Ribery running into the penalty area with a clever pass inside.
The French playmaker took the ball on and crossed to the near post, where Klose, arriving late, surprised the Schalke defence to score with what looked to be his hip.
Klose headed against the bar in the 38th minute and early in the second half Ribery again strolled through the defence only to land a chip over the keeper and just wide.
Luca Toni brought a sharp save with a header in the 60th minute and, following up, Daniel van Buyten managed to head against the bar from two metres.
Bayern almost had cause to regret their generosity as Schalke missed two good chances to equalise when Marcelo Bordon headed over from a perfect position and Rafinha shot straight at Oliver Kahn from close range.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 2, 2008 3:51:01 GMT
March 1, 2008
Karlsruhe 3-1 VfL Wolfsburg Hansa Rostock 1-1 Arminia Bielefeld Schalke 04 0-1 Bayern Munich Werder Bremen 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
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Post by arover on Mar 3, 2008 14:25:23 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 22 5 5 0 19 4 8 3 1 20 7 28 47 2 Werder Bremen 22 10 0 2 34 14 3 4 3 14 14 20 43 3 Hamburg 22 7 4 0 21 7 4 4 3 13 10 17 41 4 Bayer Leverkusen 22 6 3 1 20 5 5 2 5 19 18 16 38 5 Karlsruhe 22 6 3 2 17 12 4 3 4 12 17 0 36 6 Schalke 04 22 6 3 3 19 11 3 5 2 15 13 10 35 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 22 6 2 2 12 10 2 6 4 14 19 -3 32 8 Hannover 96 22 5 2 4 19 22 4 3 4 14 15 -4 32 9 VfB Stuttgart 21 7 1 3 19 12 3 0 7 13 23 -3 31 10 Wolfsburg 22 4 4 3 17 13 4 2 5 19 22 1 30 11 Hertha Berlin 22 7 2 3 15 13 2 1 7 10 15 -3 30 12 VfL Bochum 22 5 5 1 25 17 3 0 8 9 18 -1 29 13 Borussia Dortmund 22 5 2 3 19 12 3 2 7 15 26 -4 28 14 Hansa Rostock 22 5 3 4 14 13 1 1 8 6 18 -11 22 15 Arminia Bielefeld 22 4 2 5 14 13 1 2 8 7 32 -24 19 16 Nuremburg 22 3 3 4 14 12 1 2 9 10 24 -12 17 17 Cottbus 21 3 2 6 16 17 0 6 4 7 19 -13 17 18 MSV Duisburg 22 2 1 8 12 20 3 1 7 10 16 -14 17
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 10, 2008 15:15:07 GMT
BERLIN, March 9 (Reuters) - Hamburg SV missed a chance to go second in the Bundesliga when they drew 0-0 at Nuremberg on Sunday, while Bayer Leverkusen boosted their Champions League hopes with a 2-0 win over Hanover 96.
Hamburg played poorly against relegation candidates Nuremberg and only came away with a point thanks to a penalty save from Frank Rost at the end of the first half.
The result completed a great weekend for leaders Bayern Munich, who are seven points clear after their 2-0 win at home to Karlsruhe on Saturday.
Bayern have 50 points from 23 games, followed by Werder Bremen on 43, who suffered a humiliating 6-3 defeat at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
Hamburg stay third on 42, followed closely by Leverkusen on 41 after goals from Theofanis Gekas and Tranquillo Barnetta saw them to a comfortable win at home to Hanover.
Nuremberg are third from bottom.
While Bayern are now clear favourites for the title, the race for European places is too close to call. The top two in Germany qualify directly for the Champions League, with the third-placed team going through to the final qualifying round.
Hamburg lost 1-0 away to Leverkusen in the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie this week and once again on Sunday they looked short of ideas away from home.
Rafael van der Vaart was a fraction wide with a freekick midway through the first half and the Dutchman wasted another good chance from a set-piece in the 40th minute.
They were lucky not to fall behind three minutes later when Collin Benjamin tripped Peer Kluge to give away a penalty. Zvjezdan Misimovic side-footed the spot-kick towards the corner but Rost saved comfortably.
Leverkusen had no such problems in a lively display against Hanover.
They moved ahead when Gekas chipped the keeper beautifully in the 30th minute and 10 minutes later Barnetta played a one-two with the Greek striker before smashing in at the near post.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 10, 2008 15:16:07 GMT
March 7, 2008
Dortmund 1-1 Hertha: Pantelic earns Hertha draw
March 9, 2008
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Hannover 96 Nurnberg 0-0 Hamburg SV March 8, 2008
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 VfL Bochum Arminia Bielefeld 0-2 Schalke 04 VfB Stuttgart 6-3 Werder Bremen Bayern Munich 2-0 Karlsruhe
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 12, 2008 11:30:49 GMT
BERLIN, March 11 (Reuters) - VfB Stuttgart won 1-0 away to Energie Cottbus on Tuesday to move back into contention for a place in Europe next season.
Fernando Meira got the only goal for last season's Bundesliga champions when he headed in from a corner with half an hour gone.
Stuttgart have little hope of a successful title defence after a dreadful start to the season but their latest win, in a match postponed from March 1 because of a storm warning, puts them right back into the race for UEFA Cup berths.
With 23 games played they move up to sixth place with 37 points. The top five places in Germany give definite access to Europe, while sixth place might be enough depending on who wins the main Cup competition.
Stuttgart remain 13 points behind leaders Bayern but are now within a point of Schalke 04 in fifth place and five points behind Hamburg SV in the third and final Champions League spot.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 16, 2008 22:57:00 GMT
Bayer Leverkusen jumped ahead of slumping Werder Bremen into third place behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and Hamburg SV with a 4-1 home victory against Nuremberg on Sunday. Bremen squandered their chance to capitalise on Bayern's shock 2-0 defeat at Energie Cottbus on Saturday, beaten 1-0 at home by VfL Wolfsburg, their third league defeat in the last four matches.
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Post by arover on Mar 17, 2008 13:20:27 GMT
| Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 24 6 5 0 21 4 8 3 2 20 9 28 50 2 Hamburg 24 8 4 0 22 7 4 5 3 13 10 18 45 3 Bayer Leverkusen 24 8 3 1 26 6 5 2 5 19 18 21 44 4 Werder Bremen 24 10 0 3 34 15 3 4 4 17 20 16 43 5 Schalke 04 24 7 3 3 21 12 4 5 2 17 13 13 41 6 VfB Stuttgart 24 8 1 3 25 15 4 1 7 15 24 1 38 7 Wolfsburg 24 5 4 3 20 13 5 2 5 20 22 5 36 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 24 6 3 2 13 11 3 6 4 15 19 -2 36 9 Karlsruhe 24 6 3 3 17 13 4 3 5 12 19 -3 36 10 Hannover 96 24 5 3 4 21 24 4 3 5 14 17 -6 33 11 Hertha Berlin 24 7 2 3 15 13 2 3 7 11 16 -3 32 12 VfL Bochum 24 5 6 1 26 18 3 1 8 10 19 -1 31 13 Borussia Dortmund 24 5 3 3 20 13 3 2 8 15 27 -5 29 14 Hansa Rostock 24 5 4 4 14 13 1 2 8 7 19 -11 24 15 Cottbus 24 4 2 7 18 18 0 6 5 7 22 -15 20 16 Arminia Bielefeld 24 4 2 6 14 15 1 3 8 9 34 -26 20 17 Nuremburg 24 3 4 4 14 12 1 2 10 11 28 -15 18 18 MSV Duisburg 24 2 2 8 13 21 3 1 8 11 18 -15 18
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 18, 2008 4:23:42 GMT
ZAGREB, March 17 (Reuters) - Hamburg SV have put Croatia coach Slaven Bilic on top of their wish-list and the Bundesliga club are keen to sign him immediately after the Euro 2008 tournament in June, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Monday.
'They made it clear that they want me to take over the team from this summer. However, we haven't talked about any concrete details yet,' Bilic told the popular daily.
Bilic said he was also in talks with the Croatian Soccer Association (HNS) about his coaching future.
'I wouldn't like to use media as a means of communication with my employer and anyhow, there is nothing new yet. It is true that the Hamburg offer is an honour for me,' Bilic said.
HNS president Vlatko Markovic said earlier this month he would like to keep Bilic at the helm but was aware that the 39-year-old former international defender would receive more lucrative offers from European clubs.
Bilic took over as coach after the 2006 World Cup and led the country to top spot in their qualifying group for this year's European Championship in Austria and Switzerland, ahead of Russia and England.
Croatia face Austria, Poland and Germany in Group B at the June 7-29 tournament.
Hamburg are second in the German championship, five points behind leaders Bayern Munich, and their Dutch coach Huub Stevens is leaving to take over at PSV Eindhoven at the end of the season.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 18, 2008 4:24:20 GMT
BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - Argentina's Martin Demichelis was reinstated to the Bayern Munich squad after apologising for the insubordination that led to his suspension on Friday, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said on Monday.
Hitzfeld, who conceded the defender was sorely missed in Saturday's shock 2-0 defeat at lowly Energie Cottbus, said Demichelis had got a reprieve and would be ready to play in Bayern's German Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
'He apologised,' Hitzfeld told reporters. 'That's the end of the story. He'll be in the squad on Wednesday.'
However, Demichelis, suspended after refusing Hitzfeld's request to play in midfield instead of defence, was quoted in German newspaper Kicker on Monday as saying: 'It's more like I would expect him to apologise.'
The 27-year-old said he plays in defence for Argentina and does not want to play defensive midfield even though that was his position for the first few years after joining Bayern from River Plate in 2003.
'I thought I would tell him after training (on Friday) what my thoughts were,' Demichelis told Kicker. 'It should be possible for a player to talk to his coach like that. But then I found out I'd been suspended. That made me sad.
'I don't feel like I did anything wrong,' he said. 'I didn't want to cause chaos. The coach is right when he says players can't pick and choose where they play. But I have my opinion and hope he respects it. I'm a defender.'
Hitzfeld had suspended Demichelis indefinitely after he refused his request to fill in for suspended defensive midfielder Mark van Bommel.
He said Demichelis had been a stabilising factor in central defence for Bayern this season and his absence might have contributed to the stunning loss at Cottbus - only the second Bundesliga defeat in 24 matches this season.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 19, 2008 10:13:50 GMT
BERLIN, March 18 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich defender Lucio said on Tuesday he was interested in moving to a club in Spain, Italy or England.
'I've said the world's three best leagues in Spain, Italy and England would interest me,' the Brazilian said in an interview with Munich's Abendzeitung newspaper.
'If interest comes from these countries I'd like that very much and would be delighted if a transfer would work out,' said Lucio, who joined Bayern from Bayer Leverkusen in 2004.
The newspaper said Barcelona were ready to pay at least €15million for the 29-year-old, whose contract runs until 2010.
'They (Bayern) have said they want to hold on to me,' Lucio said. 'But that's what all clubs tell their players with long-term contracts.
'On the other hand if there's interest from another club in a player, then you talk about it and find an agreement that's good for everyone involved.'
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 21, 2008 11:40:09 GMT
FRANKFURT, March 20 (Bundesliga) - Eintracht Frankfurt maintained their push for European football next season with a come-from-behind win over strugglers Energie Cottbus on Thursday. Following on from their stunning victory over Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich last weekend, Cottbus took the lead at the Commerzbank Arena thanks to Timo Rost's strike shortly after the interval.
But the hosts restored parity through substitute Caio dos Santos before Marco Russ grabbed the decisive goal to secure three points for Eintracht and move them up to sixth, two points behind Schalke who occupy the final UEFA Cup place.
Cottbus remain just one place above the drop zone however, and are also the only team yet to win away from home in the top flight this season.
Eintracht had the first real chance of the match after 15 minutes when visiting goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel was called upon to stop a long-range strike from Ioannis Amanatidis.
The Greek striker also sent a header over the bar soon after while team-mate Martin Fenin failed to get his shot beyond Tremmel.
Amanatidis continued to waste chances firing wide of the mark in the 39th minute before Marcus Weissenberger also missed the target from 25 yards.
Home keeper Oka Nikolov saw his first action shortly before the interval, catching Ervin Skela's weak shot.
But Nikolov was caught napping three minutes into the second half when Rost struck a feeble 30-yard effort which somehow trickled past the custodian and into the net.
The goal sparked Eintracht to life and Caio pulled the home side level after 59 minutes. The Brazilian midfielder picked up a pass from Fenin before powering the ball home from 18 yards.
Russ then fired the hosts in front just five minutes later, with Caio turning provider for the defender to fire in a neat shot from the centre of the area.
Michal Papadopulos almost pulled Cottbus level with a header which skimmed the crossbar, while Jiayi Shao had one last chance for the visitors moments before the final whistle but could only push his shot past the left post.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 23, 2008 12:24:16 GMT
Wrexham(Evening Leader) - Italy striker Luca Toni scored twice to steer Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Bayern (53) went seven points clear at the top after second-placed Hamburg SV drew 1-1 at VfL Wolfsburg in a match featuring four red cards in the final 10 minutes.
Leverkusen are third with 44 points from 25 games. Werder Bremen, fourth on 43, visit Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday.
Toni broke free from his marker to convert a short pass from Miroslav Klose in the 17th minute in front of a sellout crowd of 69,000 at Bayern's Allianz Arena.
The towering striker doubled the lead on 59, heading in a Philipp Lahm cross at the far post as the league's top scorer took his tally for the season to 16 goals.
Bayern controlled the game but were let down by poor finishing from Klose and Lukas Podolski.
'The team performance was outstanding,' coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. 'We dominated them, kept the pressure on.
'We had four chances for a third goal but were a bit frivolous. We were almost punished.'
Visiting Leverkusen pulled a goal back in the 83rd minute when Russia striker Dmitri Bulykin latched on to a through ball from Paul Freier to beat keeper Oliver Kahn.
Kahn had produced a brilliant save in the 29th minute, diving to his right to stop a deflected shot from Bernd Schneider.
'Leverkusen played well in the first half but they only got that one chance that Kahn stopped,' said Hitzfeld.
Hamburg, unbeaten in nine matches, lost ground at the top after the north German derby at Wolfsburg.
The visitors went ahead after 14 minutes when Bastian Reinhardt headed in a corner. Danijel Ljuboja grabbed the equaliser for Wolfsburg in the 52nd.
Wolfsburg's Alexander Madlung and Hamburg substitute Vincent Kompany were sent off for second cautions in the 80th and 87th minutes respectively.
Grafite of Wolfsburg and Hamburg's Joris Mathijsen also received red cards after clashing in the 90th.
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Post by arover on Mar 25, 2008 13:34:49 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 25 7 5 0 23 5 8 3 2 20 9 29 53 2 Hamburg 25 8 4 0 22 7 4 6 3 14 11 18 46 3 Bayer Leverkusen 25 8 3 1 26 6 5 2 6 20 20 20 44 4 Werder Bremen 25 10 0 3 34 15 3 5 4 18 21 16 44 5 Schalke 04 25 7 3 3 21 12 5 5 2 19 14 14 44 6 VfB Stuttgart 25 9 1 3 29 16 4 1 7 15 24 4 41 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 25 7 3 2 15 12 3 6 4 15 19 -1 39 8 Wolfsburg 25 5 5 3 21 14 5 2 5 20 22 5 37 9 Karlsruhe 25 6 3 3 17 13 4 4 5 13 20 -3 37 10 Hannover 96 25 5 3 4 21 24 4 4 5 15 18 -6 34 11 VfL Bochum 25 5 6 1 26 18 3 2 8 11 20 -1 32 12 Hertha Berlin 25 7 2 4 16 15 2 3 7 11 16 -4 32 13 Borussia Dortmund 25 5 4 3 21 14 3 2 8 15 27 -5 30 14 Hansa Rostock 25 5 4 4 14 13 1 2 9 8 23 -14 24 15 Arminia Bielefeld 25 4 3 6 15 16 1 3 8 9 34 -26 21 16 Cottbus 25 4 2 7 18 18 0 6 6 8 24 -16 20 17 Nuremburg 25 3 5 4 15 13 1 2 10 11 28 -15 19 18 MSV Duisburg 25 2 3 8 14 22 3 1 8 11 18 -15 19
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 26, 2008 4:47:15 GMT
Werder Bremen were held to a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday in a further blow to their championship ambitions.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich (53 points) widened their lead at the top to seven points on Saturday with their 2-1 win over third-placed Bayer Leverkusen (44), while second-placed Hamburg SV (46) were held to a 1-1 draw at VfL Wolfsburg.
Schalke 04, who beat Hertha Berlin 2-1 on Sunday, are fifth.
Werder had been in the top three and on course for the Champions League until their recent slump.
Brazil playmaker Diego celebrated his first match back after a three-match suspension by converting a penalty in the 70th minute for Werder, his 11th goal of the season after Bielefeld defender Oliver Kirch put the hosts in front in the 14th minute.
In Berlin, Gerard Asamoah (12) and Jermaine Jones (23) scored early to put Schalke 2-0 in front. Sofian Chahed converted a penalty in the 67th. The defeat ended Hertha's six-match unbeaten streak.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 29, 2008 16:07:14 GMT
Germany striker Lukas Podolski will consider his future at Bayern Munich once the season is over after getting fed up with his role as a substitute.
'I've had it up to here with being on the bench,' Podolski told Bild newspaper.
'I'll think about my future at the end of the season. We have to see whether it makes sense for either side.'
Podolski, who has a contract running until 2010, joined Bayern from Cologne for 10 million euros ($15.76 million) in 2006.
The 22-year-old has made just two starts for Bayern in the Bundesliga this season. He has made another 14 league appearances as a sub and has so far failed to score, although he has notched five goals in the UEFA Cup.
He is the club's third choice striker behind Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni yet remains an important part of the Germany squad and won rave reviews for a 32-minute appearance as a substitute in Wednesday's 4-0 win over Switzerland.
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Post by Bismarck on Mar 30, 2008 14:45:05 GMT
Lukas Podolski scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season to earn Bayern Munich a 1-1 draw away to Nuremberg on Saturday and take the leaders a step closer to a 21st league title.
Nuremberg took the lead via a dream strike from Zvjezdan Misimovic late in the first half of the Bavarian derby, before Podolski came off the bench to give Bayern a valuable point on a day when none of the top sides could win.
With eight games left to play, Bayern remain seven points clear with 54 points from 26 matches. Hamburg SV are second on 47 after they snatched a 1-1 draw at home to Arminia Bielefeld.
Schalke moved up to third on 45 after a 0-0 draw away to Karlsruhe in their final warm-up for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Barcelona.
Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt and slip to fourth on 44, ahead of Werder Bremen on goal difference after they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Duisburg, who started the day in bottom place.
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Post by arover on Apr 1, 2008 14:15:14 GMT
| Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 26 7 5 0 23 5 8 4 2 21 10 29 54 2 Hamburg 26 8 5 0 23 8 4 6 3 14 11 18 47 3 Schalke 04 26 7 3 3 21 12 5 6 2 19 14 14 45 4 Bayer Leverkusen 26 8 3 2 26 8 5 2 6 20 20 18 44 5 Werder Bremen 26 10 0 4 35 17 3 5 4 18 21 15 44 6 VfB Stuttgart 26 9 1 3 29 16 4 2 7 15 24 4 42 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 26 7 3 2 15 12 4 6 4 17 19 1 42 8 Wolfsburg 26 5 5 3 21 14 6 2 5 21 22 6 40 9 Karlsruhe 26 6 4 3 17 13 4 4 5 13 20 -3 38 10 Hannover 96 26 5 4 4 21 24 4 4 5 15 18 -6 35 11 VfL Bochum 26 5 7 1 29 21 3 2 8 11 20 -1 33 12 Hertha Berlin 26 7 2 4 16 15 2 3 8 12 18 -5 32 13 Borussia Dortmund 26 5 4 3 21 14 3 3 8 18 30 -5 31 14 Hansa Rostock 26 5 4 5 14 14 1 2 9 8 23 -15 24 15 Cottbus 26 5 2 7 20 19 0 6 6 8 24 -15 23 16 MSV Duisburg 26 2 3 8 14 22 4 1 8 13 19 -14 22 17 Arminia Bielefeld 26 4 3 6 15 16 1 4 8 10 35 -26 22 18 Nuremberg 26 3 6 4 16 14 1 2 10 11 28 -15 20
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 5, 2008 11:34:17 GMT
Outgoing champions VfB Stuttgart will be without Mario Gomez, the Bundesliga's most coveted player when they try to revive their season at home to second-placed Hamburg SV on Saturday.
Gomez, who led Stuttgart to the title last year and has scored 24 goals in 27 games in all competitions this term, will be out for around two weeks with a leg muscle tear.
'It's bitter for us as Mario has been in great form recently,' Stuttgart manager Horst Heldt told the club's website this week.
'We're convinced the team can cover for the loss, though. We managed it last season when Mario was injured.'
The injury occurred in the same week that the club put a price tag of 50 million euros ($78.20 million) on the Germany striker, a figure that will be treated as merely the start of negotiations by his many suitors from Spain.
Gomez's absence coincides with a frustrating time for Stuttgart, who are back up to sixth place after spending most of the season around mid-table, or even lower.
They now stand just three points behind Schalke 04 in the third and final Champions League place, well within striking distance with eight games left to play.
Hamburg have serious personnel problems themselves as they look ahead to Saturday.
Forwards Paolo Guerrero and Ivica Olic are likely to miss out through injury, while David Jarolim starts a four-match ban for grabbing an opponent's genitals in last weekend's draw with Arminia Bielefeld.
Hamburg have won just one of their last four league games, a run that has seen them slip seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
Bayern themselves are not in action until Sunday when they host mid-table Bochum.
The Bavarians will be strong favourites to take a step closer to a 21st league title, provided they do not suffer too much fatigue against Getafe in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.
The other three teams pushing for Champions League place are Schalke, who are third on 45 points, and Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen, who have 44 apiece.
Schalke let slip a priceless opportunity when they went down 1-0 at home to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
The Germans missed a stack of chances in a second half they dominated and they will have to show more nerve in front of goal when they host Hansa Rostock on Saturday.
Werder Bremen, shocked 2-1 at home to Duisburg last weekend, aim to make amends when they visit Hertha Berlin on Saturday. Leverkusen face a tricky game away to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
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Post by arover on Apr 7, 2008 13:12:49 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 27 8 5 0 26 6 8 4 2 21 10 31 57 2 Schalke 04 27 8 3 3 22 12 5 6 2 19 14 15 48 3 Hamburg 27 8 5 0 23 8 4 6 4 14 12 17 47 4 Werder Bremen 27 10 0 4 35 17 4 5 4 20 22 16 47 5 VfB Stuttgart 27 10 1 3 30 16 4 2 7 15 24 5 45 6 Bayer Leverkusen 27 8 3 2 26 8 5 2 7 21 22 17 44 7 Wolfsburg 27 6 5 3 24 16 6 2 5 21 22 7 43 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 27 7 3 3 16 15 4 6 4 17 19 -1 42 9 Karlsruhe 27 6 4 3 17 13 4 4 6 13 21 -4 38 10 Hannover 96 27 5 4 4 21 24 4 4 6 17 21 -7 35 11 Borussia Dortmund 27 6 4 3 23 15 3 3 8 18 30 -4 34 12 VfL Bochum 27 5 7 1 29 21 3 2 9 12 23 -3 33 13 Hertha Berlin 27 7 2 5 17 17 2 3 8 12 18 -6 32 14 Cottbus 27 5 2 7 20 19 1 6 6 9 24 -14 26 15 Arminia Bielefeld 27 5 3 6 16 16 1 4 8 10 35 -25 25 16 Hansa Rostock 27 5 4 5 14 14 1 2 10 8 24 -16 24 17 Nuremberg 27 3 6 4 16 14 2 2 10 14 29 -13 23 18 MSV Duisburg 27 2 3 9 14 23 4 1 8 13 19 -15 22
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 8, 2008 14:08:39 GMT
Bayern Munich moved nine points clear in the Bundesliga with seven games to play when they recovered from an early goal and the dismissal of Mark van Bommel to win 3-1 at home to VfL Bochum on Sunday.
Bayern, heading for a 21st German league title, were rocked when Mimoun Azaouagh fired the ball in from 25 metres and their situation soon got worse with Van Bommel's red card but goals from Lucio, Franck Ribery and Christian Lell saw them home.
Bayern have 57 points from 27 games, followed by Schalke 04 on 48 after their 1-0 win at home to Hansa Rostock on Saturday.
Hamburg SV, beaten 1-0 at resurgent VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, drop to third with 47, ahead of Werder Bremen on goal difference after their 2-1 win at Hertha Berlin.
Stuttgart, last season's champions, climb to fifth on 45 points, with Bayern Leverkusen sixth on 44 after they suffered a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 11, 2008 1:13:29 GMT
Schalke 04 have no time to dwell on a Champions League defeat by Barcelona as their chances of a return to the competition next season may well rest on Saturday's Bundesliga match away to Werder Bremen.
Bayern Munich, who are at home to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday in a dress rehearsal for the Cup final, enjoy a nine-point lead with seven games left in the Bundesliga and seem all but certain of a 21st league title.
Behind them, there is an almighty scrap going on for the remaining two Champions League places and it is only going to get uglier this weekend, with four of the five teams involved in direct competition.
Schalke are in second place on 48 points as they prepare for the trip to Werder, who are a point behind them in fourth.
On Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen, who have drifted to sixth place on 44 points, host resurgent VfB Stuttgart, who are a point better off in fifth.
Third-placed Hamburg SV, who are ahead of Werder on goal difference, have a good chance to press their Champions League claims by winning at home to strugglers Duisburg on Saturday.
Playing Werder just three days after a 1-0 defeat sealed their fate in the Champions League is a tough assignment for Schalke but coach Mirko Slomka will take heart from the way his team put the Catalans under intense pressure in the first half.
'The result was a real shame but when you have Barcelona under so much pressure at their own ground you know you've played a good match,' Slomka told reporters.
Werder put a bad run behind them to win 2-1 against Hertha Berlin last weekend.
They expect to have Torsten Frings in midfield, despite the fact that he was forced to miss training this week with a toe injury. Tim Borowski is more doubtful with a thigh problem.
Hamburg could be strengthened against Duisburg by the return to the starting line-up of Juan Pablo Sorin, who managed a brief appearance as a substitute in last weekend's 1-0 defeat by Stuttgart, after a long absence with a knee injury.
Leverkusen have lost their last three league games and badly need a win against last season's champions Stuttgart to re-energise their bid for Europe.
Their hopes of a place in the semi-finals of this season's UEFA Cup were all but ended by a 4-1 defeat by Zenit St Petersburg in the home leg, meaning the club are already looking beyond Thursday's almost hopeless return in Russia.
'We'll rest a few players in Europe,' Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller told reporters with the team in Russia. 'The Stuttgart game is enormously important.'
It is important for Stuttgart, too. They got right back in contention with their win over Hamburg, a result that stretched their unbeaten run to eight matches in the league.
Bayern, meanwhile, will hope to land a psychological blow when they play Dortmund, less than a week before they meet again in the Cup final at Berlin's Olympiastadion on April 19.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 13, 2008 15:08:12 GMT
Werder Bremen swept to a 5-1 victory over Schalke 04 on Saturday to move up to second place behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
The goals came from Frank Baumann, Boubacar Sanogo, Markus Rosenberg and Ivan Klasnic, who scored twice, as Schalke once again paid the price for failing to take their chances.
Eliminated by Barcelona in the Champions League last eight on Wednesday due largely to their poor finishing, Schalke were no better as they dominated Werder in the first half hour.
Werder scored against the run of play in the 19th minute in front of a sell-out crowd of 42,100 when captain Baumann took advantage of poor Schalke defending to head in a cross from Finland defender Petri Pasanen.
Ivory Coast striker Sanogo doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, heading in after losing his marker, Schalke captain Marcelo Bordon. Kevin Kuranyi got one back for Schalke just before the break, stooping to head in a low corner.
Werder took control of a demoralised Schalke in the second half with Rosenberg scoring off a Tim Borowski cross in the 59th minute and Klasnic, coming off the bench to score twice.
'It was important that we played so well again,' Werder coach Thomas Schaaf told Premiere Television after his club's second successive win helped the fans forget a poor stretch earlier this year.
'Everyone played better and we took a big step forward. It wasn't a great match for us. It was a bit too chaotic in the first half. We're going in the right direction.'
Bayern Munich, who host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, are top of the table with 57 points, seven points clear of Werder. Schalke are third with 48 points.
The lopsided defeat reignited doubts about the future of Schalke coach Mirko Slomka.
'We were very good in the first half but unfortunately we wasted too many chances,' said Slomka. 'Unfortunately I don't have any answers for that. We'll have to work on that. Obviously everyone is extremely frustrated right now.'
Schalke midfielder Fabian Ernst called it 'brutal'.
'I haven't seen a match like that for a long time. We had three or four 100-percent chances that we didn't convert in the first half and at the other end every shot goes in. It's bitter,' he added.
Hamburg SV, beaten at home by relegation-threatened MSV Duisburg 1-0 a week after losing at VfB Stuttgart, are fourth on 47 points and could fall behind resurgent Stuttgart (45 points), who play at sixth place Bayer Leverkusen (44 points) on Sunday.
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Post by arover on Apr 14, 2008 11:31:30 GMT
| Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 28 9 5 0 31 6 8 4 2 21 10 36 60 2 Werder Bremen 28 11 0 4 40 18 4 5 4 20 22 20 50 3 Schalke 04 28 8 3 3 22 12 5 6 3 20 19 11 48 4 Bayer Leverkusen 28 9 3 2 29 8 5 2 7 21 22 20 47 5 Hamburg 28 8 5 1 23 9 4 6 4 14 12 16 47 6 VfB Stuttgart 28 10 1 3 30 16 4 2 8 15 27 2 45 7 Wolfsburg 27 6 5 3 24 16 6 2 5 21 22 7 43 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 28 7 3 3 16 15 4 6 5 18 21 -2 42 9 Karlsruhe 28 6 4 4 18 15 4 4 6 13 21 -5 38 10 Hannover 96 28 6 4 4 23 25 4 4 6 17 21 -6 38 11 VfL Bochum 28 5 8 1 30 22 3 2 9 12 23 -3 34 12 Borussia Dortmund 28 6 4 3 23 15 3 3 9 18 35 -9 34 13 Hertha Berlin 28 7 2 5 17 17 2 4 8 13 19 -6 33 14 Cottbus 28 6 2 7 21 19 1 6 6 9 24 -13 29 15 Hansa Rostock 28 5 4 5 14 14 2 2 10 10 25 -15 27 16 MSV Duisburg 28 2 3 9 14 23 5 1 8 14 19 -14 25 17 Arminia Bielefeld 28 5 3 6 16 16 1 4 9 10 36 -26 25 18 Nurnberg 27 3 6 4 16 14 2 2 10 14 29 -13 23
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 17, 2008 10:56:49 GMT
Italian international Luca Toni struck twice to help Bayern Munich move to the brink of a 21st league title with a 3-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
The visitors fell behind to a Benjamin Koehler goal in the first half but a Daniel van Buyten header and Toni's 19th and 20th Bundesliga goals of the season saw the Bavarians home.
Victory restored Bayern's 10-point lead at the top of the table with five games to play, meaning they could secure the title as early as the next round of league matches on the weekend of April 25-27.
'I can say it now, we're going to be champions,' Bayern manager Uli Hoeness told Premiere TV. 'We had that bit of luck you get when you're on a roll.'
Werder Bremen are second on 53 points after winning 2-1 at Hansa Rostock on Tuesday while Schalke 04 are in the third and final Champions League slot on 51 following their 5-0 victory over Energie Cottbus.
Hamburg SV, who drew 0-0 at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday, are fourth on 48 points, ahead of VfB Stuttgart on goal difference after the outgoing champions won 3-0 at home to bottom club Nuremberg on Wednesday.
Bayer Leverkusen's hopes of getting back in the race for Champions League places took a blow when they lost 1-0 at Arminia Bielefeld. They are sixth on 47 points.
Bayern can now turn their attentions to Saturday's German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund and have every reason to be confident of landing a domestic double.
While Bayern were flexing their muscles against Frankfurt, Dortmund were losing 3-1 at home to Hanover 96.
Bayern rode their luck in the first half against Frankfurt but responded in devastating style after the break.
The Frankfurt goal came in the 29th minute when Lucio left Koehler unmarked to head in a Patrick Ochs cross.
Frankfurt should have had a second at the end of the half when Martin Fenin went clear on goal only to take the ball too far round keeper Michael Rensing.
Bayern went close a couple of times before Van Buyten found space to head in the equaliser from a Bastian Schweinsteiger corner with an hour gone.
Toni then lost his marker to prod in a Schweinsteiger cross in the 74th minute and five minutes from time the Italian World Cup winner converted a fine cross from Jan Schlaudraff for the third.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 19, 2008 4:24:45 GMT
Borussia Dortmund require a spectacular reversal of fortune if they are to deprive Bayern Munich of the first half of a domestic double in the German Cup final at the Olympiastadion on Saturday (1800 GMT).
While Bayern stand on the brink of a 21st league title and their fans are still purring at the memory of a 5-0 win over Dortmund last weekend, their opponents could hardly be in worse shape.
They followed up that humiliation in Munich with a 3-1 defeat at home to Hanover 96 on Wednesday that left them just three places clear of the relegation zone.
'I need to see my team pick themselves up,' Dortmund coach Thomas Doll said after the game. 'We're in a sorry state.'
To add to the problems, Doll still does not know who will keep goal in the Berlin final.
Roman Weidenfeller was recently ruled out for the rest of the season while his understudy Marc Ziegler missed Wednesday's game with a knee injury.
Doll surprised everyone by picking fourth choice keeper Marcel Hoettecke to play Hanover and the 20-year-old looked at fault on the first two goals.
A first class goalkeeping display will be the minimum required on Saturday.
Bayern restored their 10-point lead at the top when Luca Toni scored his 19th and 20th league goals of the season to seal a 3-1 win in Frankfurt on Wednesday after the visitors had fallen behind.
'Luca was once again ice-cold in front of goal,' coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said of the Italian international.
'He showed his killer instinct.
'The mental strength of the player is incredible.'
Bayern have won the Cup 13 times and victory on Saturday - assuming they go on and win the league as well - would mean a seventh league and cup double, and their third in four seasons.
Dortmund have won the Cup twice, most recently in 1989.
Saturday's match will be a special one for Hitzfeld, who led Dortmund to European Cup glory in 1997 before starting his first spell in charge of Bayern.
Hitzfeld won the German Cup with Bayern in 2000 and 2003 and this will be his last chance to complete a hat-trick, as he will leave the club at the end of the season to take over as Swiss national team coach.
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Post by Bismarck on Apr 20, 2008 17:42:43 GMT
Luca Toni struck twice to earn Bayern Munich a 2-1 extra-time win over Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final on Saturday, giving the Bavarians a record 14th win in the competition and setting up a likely domestic double.
Toni had scored his first in the 11th minute and Bayern were heading for a regulation victory before Mladen Petric struck in the second minute of added time to level the scores and bring heroic Dortmund back from the brink at the Olympiastadion.
Bayern then struggled to keep Dortmund at bay before Toni wrongfooted Dortmund keeper Marc Ziegler in the 103rd minute to seal the win with the 35th goal of his debut season in Germany.
Dortmund finished with 10 men after Jakub Blaszczykowski received a second booking in the 108th minute.
Bayern hold a 10-point lead in the Bundesliga with five matches to play and should go on to complete their third league and cup double in four seasons.
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Post by arover on Apr 21, 2008 11:43:56 GMT
| Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 29 9 5 0 31 6 9 4 2 24 11 38 63 2 Werder Bremen 29 11 0 4 40 18 5 5 4 22 23 21 53 3 Schalke 04 29 9 3 3 27 12 5 6 3 20 19 16 51 4 Hamburg 29 8 5 1 23 9 4 7 4 14 12 16 48 5 VfB Stuttgart 29 11 1 3 33 16 4 2 8 15 27 5 48 6 Bayer Leverkusen 29 9 3 2 29 8 5 2 8 21 23 19 47 7 Wolfsburg 29 6 5 4 24 17 6 2 6 21 23 5 43 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 29 7 3 4 17 18 4 6 5 18 21 -4 42 9 Hannover 96 29 6 4 4 23 25 5 4 6 20 22 -4 41 10 Karlsruhe 29 6 4 4 18 15 5 4 6 14 21 -4 41 11 VfL Bochum 29 5 8 1 30 22 4 2 9 13 23 -2 37 12 Hertha Berlin 29 7 3 5 17 17 2 4 8 13 19 -6 34 13 Borussia Dortmund 29 6 4 4 24 18 3 3 9 18 35 -11 34 14 Cottbus 29 6 2 7 21 19 1 6 7 9 29 -18 29 15 Arminia Bielefeld 29 6 3 6 17 16 1 4 9 10 36 -25 28 16 Hansa Rostock 29 5 4 6 15 16 2 2 10 10 25 -16 27 17 Nuremburg 29 4 6 4 17 14 2 2 11 14 32 -15 26 18 MSV Duisburg 29 2 3 10 14 24 5 1 8 14 19 -15 25
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