The Big Matches
Schalke takes on Mainz on Tuesday. Mainz has risen to sixth in the table, leaping over Schalke in the process. They have been playing very well and consigned VfB to a 3-1 defeat. Their opponents Schalke recently sacked their longest serving manager Huub Stevens due to a long run of poor results which saw them fall from second in the Bundesliga table to seventh.
They are coming into this match on the back of yet another loss. This time, they lost to Freiburg 1-3. Mainz will be looking to take advantage of a side which seems to have self-destructed. Schalke will hope that Jens Keller, in his first match as the coach of the senior side, can somehow motivate his players to win the match.
Dortmund and Hannover play each other in another big match. Hannover fell to a loss to Düsseldorf last week. Their away form is poor. At home, they could have perhaps beaten Dortmund. However, how well they can do in the Signal Iduna Park is doubtful. The upset could happen in this one though if Hannover is able to replicate their home form.
Also, Bayer Leverkusen takes on Wolfsburg in another all-Bundesliga tie. Leverkusen is coming into this one after dismantling Hamburg 3-0. Wolfsburg lost to Frankfurt 0-2. Leverkusen needs minimum possession to win games and Lorenz Günther Köstner will be wary of that. Any mistake will be punished brutally. Leverkusen should win this.
The Bavarian Derby and the ‘other Munich side’
Once again, the cup sees a Bavarian derby involving Bayern. The opponent is Augsburg. The two recently played in the league in an exciting match. Bayern won 0-2 but the match could have gone either way had Augsburg taken their chances. Augsburg’s Markus Weinzierl will likely use the same tactics and hope that he can cause a massive upset. Bayern meanwhile will not be in the mood to give anything away. They will want to treat their fans to yet another spectacular win.
Bayern’s bitter rivals 1860 München, coming into this one on the back of a draw in the 2.Bundesliga after being behind 0-1, takes on VfL Bochum. Bochum is a candidate for relegation into the 3.Liga at the moment while 1860 is in seventh place in the second division. Losing this match might be good for Bochum as survival is important at the moment in the 2.Bundesliga.
Potential Upsets?
SC Freiburg is fifth in the Bundesliga table currently. They beat Schalke at the weekend. They take on Karlsruher. The extremely erratic Stuttgart takes on FC Köln while Kickers Offenbach takes on Dusseldorf. If the expected teams win the matches, then seven of the final eight could be from the Bundesliga. However, considering that Hoffenheim and Bremen were knocked out in the first round, the exits of Freiburg, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf are definitely possible.
Make sure to catch the action this week. Potential upsets could be on the cards!
