Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

SOCCER-GERMANY Home | Live Odds | Scoreboard | Standings |

Bundesliga's top sides face road tests

Fri 5th, February 2010

Wolfsburg, Germany (Sports Network) - Bayern Munich hopes to extend its seven- match win streak Saturday when it visits Wolfsburg, the top match on a weekend where four of the Bundesliga's top five clubs face road tests.

First-place Bayer Leverkusen visits Bochum as it tries to hold off Bayern, third-place Schalke visits Freiburg and fifth-place Hamburg visits Koln.

Wolfsburg sits the highest in the table of any of the opponents for the title hopefuls, but is on a run of eight straight without a win.

Bayern is unbeaten in its last 13 Bundesliga matches, and has scored 23 goals and allowed just six during its current win streak.

"It's going very, very well for us at the moment, so we'll go to Wolfsburg full of confidence," said Bayern defender Philipp Lahm. "If we play to our potential, no other Bundesliga team can beat us.

"And if we do, we'll win in Wolfsburg."

Bayern rolled to a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Arena earlier this season. Arjen Robben scored two goals in that game, which was just days after he transferred from Real Madrid. Robben has been in top form recently, scoring in each of the club's last two matches.

Bayern will try to copy its early-season win when it visits Volkswagen Arena for the first time since losing there 5-1 a season ago, a victory that helped Wolfsburg win the Bundesliga.

New Bayern coach Louis van Gaal wasn't around for that defeat, and insisted it was not that important, but would use it as motivation if it helped.

"I don't really believe it's something the players still think about, but maybe I can make some use of it anyway," Van Gaal said.

Lahm insisted "that was then. This season, we're going there looking for the three points."

Van Gaal plans to leave Franck Ribery on the bench again, but the French star has appeared in the last two matches off the bench and is inching closer to a spot in the starting lineup.

"He's getting fitter and fitter, and I reckon we're stronger with Ribery," said Van Gaal, "but just now, I have to send out my very best team."

Thomas Muller, who along with Holger Badstuber and Daniel van Buyten signed new contracts this week, should continue starting until Ribery returns.

Wolfsburg settled for a 2-2 draw against Hamburg last week in the debut of new manager Lorenz-Gunther Kostner, who replaced fired former manager Armin Veh, but he insisted "we can't afford to be fearful" of Bayern.

Leverkusen, which holds a two-point cushion over Bayern, is searching for its fifth straight win when it visits Bochum.

"Just like us, Bochum are unbeaten since the league resumed," Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes said. "They have excellent team spirit and they are battlers."

Schalke is unbeaten in six but lost earlier this season to Freiburg at Veltins Arena 1-0.

"We want to show again in Freiburg how strong we are away from home," Schalke coach Felix Magath said.

Hamburg has been beaten just once on the road this season, while Koln has only two wins at home. Koln has won two straight, though - road wins over Wolfsburg and Eintracht.

"We've become more stable overall and finally settled into our own rhythm," Koln coach Zvonimir Soldo said.

Also Saturday, Hoffenheim will try to stay in the top half of the standings when it hosts Hannover, and Stuttgart hopes to climb into the top half when it visits Nurnberg. On Sunday, Mainz hosts Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund hosts Eintracht.

On Friday, Claudio Pizarro scored in the 81st as Werder Bremen defeated Hertha Berlin 2-1 to move within seven points of the top-five and a European berth.