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One more Bundesliga before Christmas. On Saturday it’s about the championship lead – and once again about the crisis club. The FC Schalke 04 competes with a well-known rescuer. Is that enough for the longed-for first victory in months?
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Berlin – The world footballer appears. Two days after his free program, Robert Lewandowski is playing for the championship lead with Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen. Deep in the west, the focus is on a “coach of the century”. Six games, six heads to watch out for.
FC Schalke 04 – Arminia Bielefeld (3.30 p.m.)
HUUB STEVENS: After separating from coach Manuel Baum, the focus is on Huub Stevens. The 67-year-old Dutchman is returning to the bottom of the table for two games. Before the game against fellow rivals Bielefeld, he wants to “clear their heads. The boys have to be there again with fun and joy. And a sense of achievement is the best medicine,” said Stevens. Schalke have been waiting for a win for 28 Bundesliga games and more than eleven months.
RB Leipzig – 1. FC Cologne (3:30 p.m.)
PETER GULACSI: With only nine goals conceded, Leipzig has the best defense in the league. One of the guarantors is goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. The Hungarian national goalkeeper has only conceded 25 goals in the league in the entire calendar year. The 30-year-old is not only the oldest regular player at RB, but also the starting point for the new Hungary axis. With Gulacsi, defender Willi Orban and the new midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, Leipzig has three Hungarian national players under contract from January.
Borussia Mönchengladbach – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (3.30 p.m.)
RAMY BENSEBAINI: Gladbach’s left-back has been missing for weeks. The Algerian had tested positive for the corona virus after an international trip in November. Even after his two-week quarantine, he was out of the question as a discharge for the dubbed Oscar Wendt. Coach Rose has now confirmed Bensebaini’s Covid 19 disease, who is now fine after a few symptoms. But the observation continues. “We have a great responsibility,” said Rose. Bensebaini will be back in January at the earliest.
1. FSV Mainz 05 – Werder Bremen (3.30 p.m.)
JAN-MORITZ LICHTE: According to his own statements, the 40-year-old coach of FSV Mainz 05 has not yet received any signals that he will not be able to continue anytime soon. The record of the relegation candidate before the all-important home game against Werder Bremen speaks against Achim Beierlorzer’s successor. In ten games he only got six points – the Rheinhessen’s weakest result in professional football. Twenty years ago Eckhard Krautzun scored six points in nine games – and then had to make way for Jürgen Klopp.
FC Augsburg – Eintracht Frankfurt (3.30 p.m.)
MARTIN HINTEREGGER: It may not be the first return to Augsburg for the Eintracht Frankfurt defender – but duels with the Swabians are still special for the Austrian international. After all, the 28-year-old left the FCA in strife in the summer of 2019, for which he had played a total of 79 games since 2016. When they see their old colleagues again, Hinteregger should be particularly motivated – especially since the goal-hungry defender has not yet scored this Bundesliga season.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – FC Bayern Munich (6.30 p.m.)
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI: After the favorite opponent Wolfsburg, against whom Lewandowski actually scores as he wants, now comes the opposite: Bayer Leverkusen. The world footballer has only scored four goals in 17 league games – against no other current Bundesliga team is the yield that bad. “I always have three points in my head. When I score, it’s nice, but the three points are important,” said the 32-year-old, pointing to a challenge against the Werkself. “The way they play is no coincidence. But I hope we’ll be first again tomorrow night. We are ready for this challenge.” After all: Lewandowski scored twice in the cup final in summer at 4-2.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201218-99-748242 / 2
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