PREVIEW: WEEKEND GERMAN ACTION Clint Waddell - Thursday, October 29, 2009
Kenny Cooper and the Lions will try to bounce back from their midweek cup blowout when Kaiserslautern come to town while Steve Cherundolo and Hannover will hope to keep their momentum as they visit Cologne.
Hamburger SV - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Following a string of good outings for the Foals, Michael Bradley will most likely be in the starting line-up once again on Saturday, as Borussia Mönchengladbach travel to Hamburg.
Bradley played 90 solid minutes against Cologne last weekend and is expected to retain his starting position in central midfield. The team will be looking for him to create more chances on offense, as its duo of strikers - Roberto Colautti and Raul Bobadilla - have run into a scoring dry spell.
Gladbach hasn't won a game since August and are currently one spot above relegation. The team desperately needs a successful result as the mood has gone bad in recent weeks, with several players speaking out to the German media about their limited playing time.
Coach Michael Frontzeck will have his work cut out for him again this week as Hamburg is undefeated in the Bundesliga and level on points with first-place Leverkusen.
Frontzeck will most likely travel with a full team, although captain Filip Daems appearance is doubtful as he recovers from his knee injury. Marcel Meeuwis and Paul Stalteri might also miss the match due to injury.
Jerome Boateng should be returning to the starting line-up for Hamburg, taking over for Czech David Rozehnal, who must sit out due to his red card in last week's game against Schalke.
Also missing for the hosts are forwards Jose Guerrero and Mladen Petric who are recovering from ACL and ankle injuries, and midfielder Romeo Castelen with a knee problem.
FC Cologne - Hannover 96
Steve Cherundolo will take his usual position in the Hannover defense as the team travels to the Rhine to take on FC Cologne.
As has been the case the entire season, Hannover is once again plagued with injuries ahead of its away game on Saturday. Good news for 96 is that Robert Enke is planning on returning to goal after being absent for most of the season due to a stomach infection.
Christian Schulz is also banged up following last week's victory over Stuttgart, picking up a broken nose and a broken finger. However, it looks like he will be prepared to line-up next to Cherundolo in defense.
For Cologne, Portuguese international Maniche will be making his return to Bundesliga action after missing the last three games due to a red card he received for unsportsmanlike conduct in the game against Leverkusen.
Cologne currently has the best defense in the league, having only allowed seven goals in 10 games. They also haven't conceded a goal since the end of September, making the match-up even more difficult for Hannover, which will once again be without injured strikers Mikael Forssell, Mike Hanke and Jan Schlaudraff.
With muscle injuries to Pierre Womé and Christopher Schorch, FC Cologne will either have to start midfielder Fabrice Ehret in the back line, or bring in Canadian Kevin McKenna.
Sal Zizzo is out for the season with a knee injury.
1860 Munich - FC Kaiserslautern
Kenny Cooper will most likely start for the Lions as they take on Kaiserslautern at home on Sunday, with Luis Robles having to watch the game from the bench for the Red Devils.
After a disappointing 0-3 loss to Schalke at home in the German Cup, Cooper and 1860 Munich will look to get things back on track as they try to move further away from the relegation zone. Cooper started the match against Schalke and is expected to get the nod again and team up with Benjamin Lauth up top.
Kaiserslautern were also kicked out of the German Cup on Wednesday as they lost 3-0 to Bremen, but they are in much better position in the second league, sitting in second place with 18 points.
Kaiserslautern is looking to get on the scoreboard again after being shut out at home last week by Düsseldorf. A win will keep them ahead of third place St. Pauli, who is trailing by just a point in the standings.
Cooper hasn't hit the back of the net in league play since the third game of the season and will be looking to use his chance in the starting line-up to prove himself.
Daniel Bierofka is still in rehabilitation for a groin injury and won't be suiting up for 1860. Kaiserslautern will have a complete squad heading to Munich.
TuS Koblenz - MSV Duisburg
David Yeldell will be taking his usual spot between the posts as TuS Koblenz hosts fellow German Cup drop-outs MSV Duisburg.
Both teams looked awful in mid-week German Cup matches, conceding nine goals between them and not scoring any themselves. After having to retrieve the ball from his net four times against Hoffenheim, Yelldell and the Koblenz defense will be focused on picking up the third shutout of the year.
Koblenz is looking to get out of the relegation zone and a home win this week just might catapult them past a few lower-half teams. With only nine goals this season, the team from Uwe Rapolder will be looking to use the home advantage to get some points on the board.
After the midweek debacle against Augsburg in the German Cup, where they lost 5-0, Duisburg will want to use this game to solidify its place in the upper half of the standings.
Duisburg is without forward Sandro Wagner, who suffered a knee injury last month and will be out of action until March and Mihai Tararache who underwent knee surgery earlier this month.
Koblenz is still without defender Martin Hudec who is recovering from a broken ankle and midfielder Lars Bender with a thigh problem.
FC Heidenheim - FC Ingolstadt 04
After participating in Ingolstadt's shut-out of Dresden last weekend, Ian Joy will likely maintain his starting position as the team travels to 15th place Heidenheim.
The Bavarian team showed a significant improvement in the back from their previous loss, effectively shutting down the Dresden attack, however were unable to must a goal of their own in being forced to settle for a point in front of the home crowd.
They should have an easier time finding their way onto the board against Heidenheim, as the promotees have allowed a pair of goals in each of their previous two outings, both 2-1 losses.
While "Die Schanzer" have slipped to tenth place on their current three-game winless run, a tight upper half of the standings still has them only three points off of the top three and still looking at a season-long fight for promotion back into the 2. Bundesliga.
Ingolstadt coach Horst Köppel can count on a full squad for the trip, however the hosts will be without central defender Tim Göhlert, who will sit the game on yellow card suspension.
Notes
Bryan Arguez will likely not suit up for last-place Hertha on Friday as they try to take advantage of demoralized Borussia Dortmund, who are surely still reeling from their embarrassing German Cup collapse.
Jermaine Jones is still recovering from a broken leg and will not be a part of Schalke's squad as they host league leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Matt Taylor will hope to see time on the field for FSV Frankfurt when they pay a visit to Union Berlin on Friday afternoon.
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