Top Teams Meet in Title Showdowns

Wolfsburg have a score to settle on Saturday, having been thrashed in the corresponding fixture last season 5-1 by Stuttgart. Both squads, though, are coming off poor performances in their last matches. Stuttgart were thumped by Bayern Munich, 3-0 in a German Cup match on Wednesday. Wolfsburg were disappointing last Saturday against newly-promoted side Nuremberg, going down 4-0.

So, can coach Erik Gerets' Wolves stop the bleeding from their last fixture and continue to play the good soccer that has surprisingly catapulted them to the top of the Bundesliga? Well, the first doubts are already seeping into the psyches of the players. "We do not have the quality to stay at the top," confessed defender Patrick Weiser.

And if statistics from recent matches mean anything, then they don't bode well for Wolfsburg on Saturday. In the last seven meetings against Stuttgart, they have failed to win a single one. Also, the absence of suspended Argentine playmaker Andres D'Alessandro puts the Wolves' backs up against the wall.

Stuttgart want to rebound from its mid-week loss against Bayern Munich. It was a one-sided game that saw Matthias Sammer's side play unimaginative football. Their international defender Philip Lahm warned against another performance like that, "The way we played we would get beat by a lot of teams not just Bayern Munich." It will be up to him and the rest of the squad to put that defeat behind them and concentrate on the positive. For example, last weekend they took Rostock to task, winning handily 4-0.

Can Leverkusen knock off a tired Bremen side?

German champions Werder Bremen face Bayer Leverkusen in the day's second top match. Leverkusen are hoping to take advantage of a Bremen team that is reaching its physical limits. Bremen are participating in the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League and are playing its eighth match in 25 days.

Bremen did not do themselves a favor on Tuesday in their Cup match against second division Trier, needing to go to extra-time to advance to the next round. "Taking into account our hectic program we could have done without playing extra-time," admitted Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf. "It is certainly a disadvantage for us."

Meanwhile, a rested Leverkusen will look to record their first away win of the season. They have good memories from last season's meeting in Bremen where they mauled the north Germans, 6-2. That came, however, after Bremen already had locked up the Bundesliga title, but the fans still would like to see a little revenge.

Bayern Munich and Schalke look to the top

Second-place Schalke are taking a team-record Bundesliga six-game winning streak to Berlin. Since coach Ralf Rangnick took over on September 28, Schalke have won all eight games, including a UEFA Cup fixture and its German Cup match against Frankfurt on Tuesday. They are even on points with Wolfsburg, and if the chips fall correctly, Schalke will stand atop the Bundesliga on Monday for the first time since the 2000/2001 season.

Last week, they won on the road at Hamburg SV, who themselves had strung three victories together. "We are on a great run at the moment," said an enthused Ghanaian-born German international Gerald Asamoah. "As far as we are concerned it does not matter who is top of the table."

Quietly waiting in the shadows are Bayern Munich. Although Germany's most successful club has not had a banner season so far, they are in thick of the title chase, just one point off of the lead. They travel to Bochum on Sunday, a team they have had lots of success against. Of a total 29 away matches against the Ruhr club, they have won 15. Bochum can take solace in the fact that their neighbors, Schalke, Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach have all come away with wins against the Bavarian giants this season.

Munich vice-president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wants to see Munich at the top of the standings again--somewhere they haven't been for over 50 matches. "We need to rediscover the spirit of 2001," said the former Bayern star striker. "We should not get used to losing football matches." A win in Bochum will put them closer to the peak.

Staying out of the relegation zone

Borussia Mönchengladbach's new manager, Dick Advokaat, makes his home debut against Nuremberg. Nuremberg shocked Wolfsburg last week with a convincing 4-0 win and naturally want to keep the ball rolling. Gladbach could be a wall that gets in the way. In 21 games at Mönchengladbach, Nuremberg has only managed to win 3 times.

One of the biggest surprises this season has been promoted side Mainz. With an amazing 19 points in 12 matches they are well on their way to retaining their status in the first division. They travel to Hanover who have also raised a few eyebrows in the league. They have 20 points. This can be greatly attributed to their keeper Robert Enke who has shined this season. Last weekend, though, Bayern Munich overcame the goalie twice in a 2-0 win.

Borussia Dortmund, having been kicked out of the German Cup last week, must make a run now to get back to the top of the standings. This is imperative otherwise the already shaky financial foundation of the club could collapse. They travel to Kaiserslautern who are currently sitting in the relegation zone. Kaiserslautern have played poorly in the last few years against Dortmund, winning only one of the last seven meetings.

The fans of Freiburg are again forced to do anything and everything to protect their club from relegation. Last week on the road, Volker Finke's team was pummelled by Leverkusen 4-1. This week they host promoted side Bielefeld. It's not Bielefeld that is fighting for its life though. They won last week against Dortmund and are sitting comfortably in the middle of the standings. They have one of the hottest goalscorers in Delron Buckley who's found the net eight times this season.

The last match is a north German derby between Rostock and Hamburg on Sunday. Rostock are currently in the league cellar on 8 points and did nothing to help their cause last week, losing 4-0 to Stuttgart. If you thought a home game would be their chance to snap back, think again. They have lost all six games at home this season. Since Hamburg hired coach Thomas Doll four weeks back, Hamburg has won three matches. They certainly don't want the dubious distinction of being the first team this season to lose in Rostock.