Werder Bremen v Hannover 96
This match will be the 50th duel between the two teams in the Bundesliga. Only against Bayern Munich have Hannover lost more often (30 losses) than against Werder Bremen (25 losses). Hannover have, however, won three of their five last meetings with Bremen (L1, D1).Hannover haven't managed to win at Bremen for almost ten years now (L6, D3). Their last victory there came back in March 2003 (2-1). Away to no other BL team have Hannover currently gone without victory in nine straight games.
Bremen have lost three of their last four BL matches (D1). They have also been the worst performing team in the second half of this season so far (L2 with a goal difference of 2-8).
Hannover have lost their last four away games and have also lost 13 of their last 15 away games (W2).
Only Hoffenheim have conceded more goals (43) than Bremen and Hannover (37 each) this season.
Bremen lost both of their Friday night games so far this season. They haven't won on a Friday for almost three years (D2, L5). Their last victory on a Friday came on February 5th 2010 (2-1 against Hertha BSC Berlin).
Scoring two goals and one assist, Hannover midfielder Szabolcs Huszti was the man of the match during the last encounter between these two teams on matchday three. However, the Hungarian was sent off after scoring the winning goal in the second minutes of injury time. He was shown two yellows at the same time for excessive celebration (he both took off his jersey and climbed on the fence; the referee's decision was considered as harsh although it was perfectly compliant to rules).
Hannover striker Mohammed Abdellaoue will face his favourite opponent, having scored four goals (four appearances) against Bremen. The Norwegian has scored once every 55.5 minutes so far versus Werder Bremen.
Bremen captain Clemens Fritz and his teammate Marko Arnautovic will miss the game as they both were sent off last week against Hamburg (two yellows each).
Hannover defender Sebastien Pocognoli will miss the game as he was sent off in his BL debut last week (straight red). His teammate Andre Hoffmann will also miss the match due previously picking up his fifth yellow.
FC Schalke 04 v SpVgg Greuther Furth
Schalke won 2-0 at Furth in the first half of the season. It was the first BL duel between the clubs with the goals scored by Julian Draxler and Lewis Holtby (now a Tottenham player).Schalke have been performed much worse than they did in their first 19 games of last season (2011/12: 40 points, goal difference +21; currently only 29 points; goal difference +3).
Only five teams in BL history had gained 9 points or fewer from their first 19 games of a season (like Furth currently). None of them managed to avoid relegation.
Schalke have won only one of their last nine competitive matches (5-4 over Hannover on MD 18, D4 L4).
Furth haven't won any of their last 17 BL matches (D6 L 11). The run is the longest winless streak in the German top flight this season. The last team to go on a longer run was Kaiserslautern in 2011/12 (21 games without win).
In Bundesliga history only Tasmania Berlin (0.44) have a worse goal per game average than Furth (currently 0.58).
Lewis Holtby signed for Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. The 22-year-old midfielder had appeared in 99 BL matches for Schalke, and had been involved in 11 goals this season (scoring four and assisting seven).
Schalke keeper Timo Hildebrand has saved just 43.5% of the shots on target he has faced. This is the worst average of all starting goalkeepers since Opta began to collect this kind of data in 2006/07.
Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar hasn't scored a Bundesliga goal in 343 minutes. No other player has missed as many as 13 big chances this season. Huntelaar has netted only five times during this campaign. Last season, he had managed 16 goals after 19 BL matches.
Two legendary Schalke players will face their former club. Furth coach Mike Büskens played 257 BL games for Schalke, scoring 13 goals and offensive player Gerald Asamoah played 279 league games, netting 44 times.
VfL Wolfsburg v FC Augsburg
Against no other Bundesliga team have Wolfsburg average so few points per game than against Augsburg (0.33).Since the beginning of German Bundesliga in 1963, Wolfsburg are the only current BL club who have never won a competitive match against Augsburg (D1 L2).
Wolfsburg have only scored one goal in their three Bundesliga meetings with Augsburg. Against no other team have Augsburg conceded fewer goals in the Bundesliga.
Augsburg haven't lost any of their last three matches (W1 D2). The last time that the club enjoyed a longer streak of this kind was in 2011/12 (four games from MD 31-34).
Augsburg are currently eight points away from safety. Last season, the club had gained 3 more points than they have accumulated at this stage of the season (19 games).
Only in 2005/06 (21 points) and 2006/07 (20) have Wolfsburg gained fewer points from their first 19 games than this season (22).
Wolfsburg have dropped 18 points at home so far this season (D3 L4). Last season, they only dropped one more point at home (19) in the entire campaign (D2 L5).
Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking hasn't lost any of his five competitive matches as a coach against Augsburg (W3 D2) and is yet to see his team concede a goal against Augsburg in any of those games.
Four Augsburg players have a history with Wolfsburg. Ja-Cheol Koo and Giovanni Sio are actually both Wolfsburg players on loan at Augsburg. Daniel Baier made 16 BL appearances for the club and Simon Jentzsch played 142 times.
However, Giovanni Sio will miss the game due to suspension (red card on MD 17). The same goes for Wolfsburg midfielder Josue (red card).
Wolfsburg player Diego Benaglio is set to play his 150th BL match (currently 149). His teammate Simon Kjaer (49 matches) and Augsburg players Ja-Cheol Koo and Sascha Mölders (49 each) are all likely to play their 50th BL game.
1899 Hoffenheim v SC Freiburg
Freiburg haven't lost any of their last six BL meetings with Hoffenheim (W3 D3). Only against Nurnberg are they currently enjoying had a longer unbeaten streak (seven) in the German top flight.Freiburg haven't lost any of their three games at Hoffenheim (W1 D2). The only home victory for Hoffenheim in a competitive match versus Freiburg came on February 22th 2008 in the second division (2-0).
Hoffenheim have gained only two points in their last nine BL matches. Only in 2008/09 have they went on a longer winless streak in the Bundesliga (12 games).
Hoffenheim are eight points away from 15th position in the league. The club have not been in the automatic relegation positions since matchday three.
Freiburg haven't lost any of their last six away matches (W3 D3); like in 2000/01. They can set a new club record of seven unbeaten away matches within one season by avoiding defeat.
Freiburg have lost only one of their last 12 competitive matches (0-2 loss versus Bayern Munich in November, W6 D6).
However, Freiburgs' last two BL matches have both resulted in scoreless draws. In the Bundesliga there have never been more than three scoreless draws in a row. The last club to do this was Dusseldorf earlier in the season (MD2-MD4).
Never before have Hoffenheim conceded as many goals in their first 19 matches (43; currently the worst defensive performance in the German top flight).
Freiburg, on the other hand, have so far produced their best defensive performance in the Bundesliga, conceding only 18 goals (currently second-best defensive performance in top flight behind Bayern Munich (seven)).
Hoffenheim defender Daniel Williams will face his former club (14 BL matches for Freiburg, no goals). He won the German Youth Championship (17-19 year-olds) with Freiburg under coach Christian Streich.
Pavel Krmas hasn't lost any of his eight Bundesliga matches this season (W3 D5); conceding only three goals in these games (five clean sheets).
1. FSV Mainz 05 v FC Bayern Munich
Mainz have won two of their last three home games against Bayern Munich (L1). Only Dortmund and Hannover have also won two of their last three home games against Bayern.Only one of the 13 BL duels between Bayern and Mainz has resulted in a scoreless draw. The team scoring the opening goal have gone on to win 11 of the 13 matches (Bayern W8, Mainz W3).
Bayern have gained 48 points in their 19 matches. The gap between 18th position (Furth) and 1st position (Bayern) at this stage is bigger than it ever has been (39 points).
The only team who have managed to win at Mainz over the last five months are Borussia Dortmund. Mainz have won seven of their last nine competitive home games (D1 L1).
The last time that Bayern failed to score in a game was on matchday 31 of last season. It was a scoreless draw against Mainz. Bayern have scored in each of their last 36 competitive games.
Bayern haven't lost any of their last 15 competitive matches. After losing against Leverkusen (1-2), they have won eleven of their 15 competitive matches (D4).
Bayern have conceded only seven goals in their first 19 BL games this season, which is a new BL low. They have gained 25 points on the road (only one goal conceded in these nine away games); which is also a new BL record.
Mainz have only conceded 21 goals in their 19 matches, equalling their club best (2010/11).
Mainz ‘keeper Christian Wetklo (76.0% shots saved) and Bayern ‘keeper Manuel Neuer (85.7%) lead Bundesliga goalkeepers for saved shot percentage.
Mainz defender Jan Kirchhoff will face his future club. The under-21 German national will move to Bayern in summer.
Mainz's top striker Adam Szalai (11 goals and two assists this season) will miss the game due to suspension (fifth yellow).
Bayern striker Mario Mandzukic has had a hand in all four goals which Bayern have scored in the second half of this season so far (three goals, one assist). His teammate Mario Gomez has played just six minutes in 2013.
Fortuna Dusseldorf v VfB Stuttgart
The last home victory for Dusseldorf against Stuttgart came in September 1989 (4-2). Stuttgart have won the last four matches at Dusseldorf with a goal record of 13-1.Stuttgart won the last duel at Dusseldorf in 1997 (4-0). Famous Stuttgart players Giovane Elber, Krassimir Balakov and Fredi Bobic (current Director of Sports at Stuttgart) were among the goal scorers.
Stuttgart have won six of their last ten duels against Dusseldorf (D2 L2). They have kept a clean sheet in five of those matches. The duel between the two on matchday three resulted in a scoreless draw.
Stuttgart have currently lost three BL matches in a row. Their two games in 2013 have both resulted in 2-0 defeats.
Dusseldorf have won three of their last four BL home games (L1 vs Augsburg on MD 18).
Like Stuttgart, Dusseldorf have lost their two BL games in 2013. Only Furth and Bremen have also lost all their BL games in 2013.
Stuttgart have collected 14 of their 25 points on the road. Only three BL teams have a better record on the road in 2012/13 than Stuttgart.
Dusseldorf have attempted only 167 goal shots; fewer than any other team in the Bundesliga. However, they have a shot conversion rate of 17.8% (only three teams better).
No other BL keeper made as many saves as Stuttgart keeper Sven Ulreich (80) and Dusseldorf keeper Fabian Giefer (79). The two have also kept out the most big chances (Giefer 14, Ulreich 13).
Dusseldorf striker Stefan Reisinger has scored five goals in his last seven BL games; from only ten shots.
Stuttgart player Martin Harnik has a history with Dusseldorf. He scored 13 goals (two assists) in 30 games in 2009/10 (in the second division). However, Harnik will miss the match against his former club due to suspension (red card).
Hamburger SV v Eintracht Frankfurt
This will be the 89th BL meeting between Hamburg and Frankfurt. Only against Stuttgart (41) have Hamburg won as many games as against Frankfurt (41).Frankfurt haven't won a game at Hamburg since November 1998 (7L, 2D). They have failed to score in their last three away matches at Hamburg.
Frankfurt won 3-2 at home against Hamburg on MD3. Only in 1965/66 did they win two BL matches against Hamburg in the same season (2-0 A, 1-0 H).
Hamburg have won their last four BL home games. The last home loss came against Bayern Munich (0-3).
Frankfurt have won only one of their last seven away games (D1 L5 and a 2-0 victory at Wolfsburg in December).
Frankfurt have already gained 33 points. They gained 34 points in their entire 2010/11 campaign which ended in relegation.
Frankfurt signed Wolfsburg player Srdjan Lakic on loan. The striker hasn't scored in his last 25 BL matches (for Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim). He has been waiting for a BL goal for 1062 minutes.
Hamburg striker Artjoms Rudnevs has scored five goals in his last six BL matches. He has scored eight goals in 2012/13. No single Hamburg player reached eight goals throughout 2011/12.
Frankfurt striker Alexander Meier is a former Hamburg youth player. He also appeared in four BL matches for Hamburg in 2003/04. Meier has already scored five BL goals against Hamburg, which makes them his favourite opponents in the German top flight.
Hamburg defender Heiko Westermann has scored five of his 21 BL goals against Frankfurt. Against no other team has he managed more than two.
FC Nurnberg v Borussia Monchengladbach
Against no other club have Nurnberg won as many BL matches as against Monchengladbach (22).Nurnberg haven't won any of their last three BL matches (D2 L1).
Nurnbergs' coaching duo Michael Wiesinger and Armin Reutershahn are still been waiting for their first victory.
Monchengladbach haven't lost any of their last nine competitive matches (W5 D4). The last defeat came on November 17th (MD 12) at home against Stuttgart (1-2)
Nurnberg haven't lost any of their last six BL home games (W3 D3). The last time they went on longer BL home streak came in 2007/08 (ten unbeaten home games).
Monchengladbach haven't lost any of their last seven BL matches on a Sunday (W5 D2).
Monchengladbach have failed to win back-to-back matches in the BL this season.
Monchengladbach keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen had a save percentage of only 61% during the first 13 matches of this season. During the last six games, that has improved to 90%.
Nurnberg player Alexander Esswein is set to play his 50th BL appearance (currently 49). Midfielder Thorben Marx will make his 100th appearance in a competitive game for Monchengladbach if he plays.
Monchengladbach defensive player Havard Nordtveit has a history with Nurnberg. He appeared in 19 BL matches for the club in 2009/10.
Monchengladbach defender Martin Stranzl and Nurnberg coach Michael Wiesinger played together with 1860 München between 2001 and 2004. They were on the pitch together for 14 BL matches.
Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Dortmund
Only in 2008/09 did a team manage to catch up an 11 point deficit to eventually win the Championship when Wolfsburg caught up and overtook Hoffenheim.Leverkusen have won only one of their last eleven duels against Dortmund (D4 L6). Their only victory came on August 22nd 2010 at Dortmund (2-0).
Leverkusen haven't scored against Dortmund in their last three duels (280 minutes). They have never before gone on such a barren run against Borussia Dortmund.
Leverkusen haven't won any of their last five home games against Dortmund (D3 L2). Against no other current BL club have they been waiting for a home victory as long. Their last home victory against Dortmund came in May 2007 (2-1).
No other team have gained as many points in their last eight BL matches as Leverkusen (19). Dortmund however have themselves gained an impressive 17 points during this time.
Leverkusen have failed to score in only two BL games this season; last week at home against Freiburg (0-0) and on MD 3 at Dortmund (0-3 A).
In each of their last three competitive matches, Dortmund have managed to gain at least a two-goal advantage.
Leverkusen haven't lost any of their 15 competitive home games under the coaching duo Lewandowski/Hyypiä (W11 D4).
Leverkusen have conceded only one goal in their last six competitive home games.
Dortmund have lost only one of their last 24 away matches (W16 D7; with the loss at Hamburg).
Dortmund have scored in each of their last 14 BL away matches.
Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling has scored six goals with his current team against Dortmund in 13 games. Only Ulf Kirsten scored more goals for Leverkusen against Dortmund (eight in 22 matches).
Kiessling failed to attempt a shot last week against Freiburg. It was the first time that the striker went without a shot since 2011/12 (MD 27 against Schalke).
Kiessling has scored 13 goals this season; more than any other BL player. Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski has scored 12.
