Bundesliga wrap: Bayern stay perfect, Dortmund falter

20 October 2012 20:47

Bayern Munich won for a record eighth straight time to start the Bundesliga season as champions Borussia Dortmund slipped further behind.

The league leaders breezed past Fortuna Duesseldorf in a 5-0 win at the Esprit Arena as Franck Ribery starred and Thomas Mueller bagged a double in the club's best start to a season.

Some poor defending was at the heart of the hosts' defeat as Mario Mandzukic was left in acres of space to set Bayern on their way to the win with a simple first-half strike from Ribery's cross.

Luiz Gustavo bundled in a second and Mueller added another two after the break, the first from Ribery's brilliant work down the right flank.

Bayern's perfect start to the season was completed with Rafinha netting the final goal in the rout.

Dortmund suffered another telling blow to their ambitions for a third consecutive Bundesliga title as they fell 2-1 to Schalke in the Revierderby at Signal Iduna Park.

A sublime strike from Ibrahim Afellay opened the scoring for the visitors with 14 minutes gone, and Marco Hoeger had Dortmund on the ropes with a second goal three minutes into the second half.

Robert Lewandowski responded eight minutes later with a header, but that was about the best a below-par Dortmund side could offer, as they now face a daunting 12-point gap to leaders Bayern Munich.

Second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt continued to surprise with a 3-1 win over Hannover, their sixth victory from eight games.

The hosts went 2-0 up and added the insurance courtesy of Alexander Meier's 83rd-minute strike after Mohammed Abdellaoue had made it 2-1 shortly before half-time.

Last-placed Wolfsburg lost for a fourth consecutive league game, going down 2-0 at home to Freiburg after a penalty to Daniel Caligiuri and a Julian Schuster strike.

Bayer Leverkusen stretched their unbeaten run in the league to five games with a come-from-behind 2-2 draw at home to Mainz.

The visitors went ahead with both their goals coming in the second half but Gonzalo Castro had the last say for Leverkusen with the equaliser three minutes from time.

Werder Bremen moved to within two points of fourth place with a 4-0 win against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Kuranyi backs Schalke to win derby

20 October 2012 14:33

Former Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi is hopeful Huub Stevens' side can cause an upset in Saturday's derby against Borussia Dortmund.

The Dynamo Moscow man believes Schalke face a difficult task in getting a good result at Signal Iduna Park, but is nonetheless confident they can come out victorious.

"It's hard to describe the importance of the derby. It's the most important game of the season for the fans," Kuranyi told Goal.com.

"Every team will have to be at their best in order to get a good result away against Dortmund. I think BVB have not spilled any points at home since March, when they met Stuttgart.

"However, Schalke have a great team with a lot of potential, and they can do something against Dortmund. It's about time for them to win again after two years without a derby victory."

The striker heaped praise on Borussia Dortmund and believes they can still win the Bundesliga title, despite a slow start to the campaign.

"Dortmund might have spilled a few points this season, but they play good football like we've come to get used to from them," Kuranyi said.

"They're one of the league's top teams alongside Bayern (Munich) and Schalke.

"BVB can still win the Bundesliga. They've shown last season that they're hard to beat once they get going.

"I hope Schalke can play a role in the title race as well by upsetting Bayern and Dortmund, starting on Saturday."

Schalke derby excites Klopp

19 October 2012 17:16

Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp is eagerly anticipating Saturday's Bundesliga clash against Ruhr rivals Schalke at Signal Iduna Park.

The 45-year-old expects a great atmosphere at the weekend, with the Revierderby seen as one of the biggest games in Germany, and hopes his team can produce something special for the occassion.

"We need a bit of magic and good team on the field that want to do everything," the former Mainz boss told reporters.

"It's a special game between two teams with exceptional quality, played in a special atmosphere. We must be able to take the pressure."

Club captain Sebastian Kehl, meanwhile, has stressed that Dortmund remain the best team in the region, regardless of the league table.

"We are the number one in the region. Borussia have much more potential. I hope that we will prove this in Saturday's game," Kehl told Kicker.

"We are currently missing a few points to give my comments a bit more body, but we've not had a bad start. A win at the weekend could set things in motion again."

Dortmund sit fourth in the Bundesliga table with 12 points from seven games, trailing third-placed Schalke by two points.

Bundesliga preview: Draxler, Reus to resume hostilities

18 October 2012 13:52

Teenage German midfielder Julian Draxler says he will be ready to play for Schalke against Borussia Dortmund in the Revierderby.

Draxler fractured his wrist during Schalke's 2-2 draw against Montpellier in the Champions League a fortnight ago but has started training with a splint to shelter the injury, in the hope he could be available for the 35-kilometre trip to Dortmund.

If the 19-year-old gets on the pitch during Saturday's match, he will most likely resume hostilities with Dormund's Marco Reus for the first time since Draxler stamped on the then-Borussia Moenchengladbach player in 2011, earning a six-game suspension although the Schalke youngster is unfazed.

"He (Reus) will try and show the best for his team, as I will give the best for my team," Draxler told German newspaper Bild.

Schalke head into the Revierderby in fourth spot in the Bundesliga standings with 14 points, just two ahead of Dortmund, who are fifth, and with both teams averaging over two goals per match this season, it looms as a stunning clash.

Last season's second-division champions Greuther Furth will get Round 8 underway on Friday with their trip to Hoffenheim, while league-leaders Bayern Munich travel to another promoted club, Fortuna Dusseldorf, on Saturday.

Bayern have streaked ahead of the rest of the league, having won every game so far, and lead second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, the third club to move up from the German second division, by five points.

Frankfurt host fifth-placed Hannover on Saturday, in the third match involving two teams in the top seven positions on the table.

If Bayern win again, the games involving Schalke, Dortmund, Frankfurt and Hannover will take on extra significance as they will know defeat could see them drop at least eight points behind the Bavarian club, which could be insurmountable even with three quarters of the season still to be played.

In other Saturday games, Wolfsburg host Freiburg, Leverkusen take on Mainz and Werder Bremen are up against Gladbach.

The clash between Nuremburg and Augsburg headlines the Sunday fixtures as both teams need a win to move away from the relegation zone, while Hamburg host Stuttgart.