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Bundesliga Preview: Bayern hit the road for top-of-the-table clash
23 October 2014
Bayern Munich's top-of-the-table clash at Borussia Monchengladbach could not come at a better time for the Bavarian giants.
The defending Bundesliga champions are four points clear at the top and can extend that gap to seven with an away win and if other results go their way.
Pep Guardiola's men have won their last six matches in all competitions, scoring 24 goals in the process - a run highlighted by a stunning 7-1 UEFA Champions League success at Roma on Tuesday.
Arjen Robben scored twice in the victory and felt the nature of the win was a glowing reflection of his side's quality.
"I'm still convinced Roma have a very good team - they've shown that this season," Robben said afterwards.
"But we should pay a big compliment to us, to all the players, but also to the coaching staff who prepared this game in the way we played, the way we created chances and scored goals.
"There were some great goals."
Second-placed Monchengladbach have not been beaten in the league this season and won 3-0 at Hannover last time out.
Werder Bremen's bid for their first Bundesliga win this term continues when they host Cologne on Friday.
Werder sit bottom of the Bundesliga with just four points from eight matches and they have conceded 22 league goals this campaign.
Robin Dutt's side have flirted with relegation in recent times, finishing in the bottom half of the table in three of their last four seasons.
That is a far cry from the club's efforts between 2003-04 and 2009-10, in which Werder finished in the top three on six of seven occasions, a run that included their 2004 league triumph.
Theodor Gebre Selassie, Philipp Bargfrede and Santiago Garcia have all recently returned to training for Werder and could come into contention.
And Werder, thrashed 6-0 at Bayern last weekend, will at least take confidence from their excellent home record against Cologne, which has seen them win nine of the last 10 matches in Bremen - the visitors last succeeding in December 1995.
Also without a win are Freiburg, who with five draws in eight matches will be out to exit the relegation zone with victory at Augsburg.
Borussia Dortmund eased to a 4-0 win at Galatasaray on Wednesday, but their continental form - which has seen them win all three of their group matches - is in stark contrast to their Bundesliga struggles.
Dortmund have slipped to 14th, just one point above the relegation zone, after losing five of their first eight matches - making Saturday's home clash against Hannover crucial.
Bayer Leverkusen will hope to end a run of three straight league draws at home to Schalke, with both sides sure to be buoyed after mid-week UEFA Champions League wins.
Mainz and Hoffenheim remain undefeated and face off against Wolfsburg and Paderborn respectively.
Elsewhere, Hertha Berlin and Hamburg will hope to breathe life into stuttering seasons in the German capital, while Eintracht Frankfurt take on Stuttgart.
Anthony Ujah heaped further misery on winless Werder Bremen with the only goal in a 1-0 win for Cologne at the Weserstadion on Friday.
Robin Dutt's Bremen have endured a miserable campaign to date and missed a chance to climb off the foot of the Bundesliga table as they slipped to their fifth defeat of the season.
After an uninspiring first half, the game briefly came to life after the interval and second-half substitute Ujah made an almost immediate impact by finding the net in the 59th minute.
The hosts came close to a swift equaliser when Izet Hajrovic struck the post from 25 yards, but Cologne held on to climb into the top half ahead of the weekend's action and increase the pressure on Dutt.
There was little action of note in a first half that saw Bremen's Zlatko Junuzovic booked for simulation after he went down in the area having not been touched.
Junuzovic came close to putting his side in front after the interval, but Timo Horn pulled off a fine save to keep out the Austrian's volley.
Ujah was introduced in the 58th minute and wasted little time in bringing a save from Raphael Wolf with a shot low to the goalkeeper's right.
The striker then scored from Cologne's next attack, sweeping home a first-time shot after Dusan Svento had got to the byline and pulled the ball back.
Hajrovic thumped a left-footed strike against the post as Bremen sought a response, but there was little thereafter to concern Cologne, who face another struggling side in Freiburg next weekend in the Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund have been boosted by the news that Sven Bender did not suffer a fractured elbow in the midweek clash with Galatasaray.
The midfielder was forced off early in the second half of Dortmund's comprehensive 4-0 thrashing of the Turkish side in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Coach Jurgen Klopp originally thought the injury could be a severe one, but tests have eased those fears.
"The scans in Istanbul didn't show any damage, so it looks like nothing is broken," Klopp said.
"It could have been a pinched nerve," he added, as well as stating that Bender had been unable to move his arm at first, with the condition of the injury improving since Wednesday.
Ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga meeting with Hannover, Klopp revealed that centre-back Mats Hummels was withdrawn in Istanbul as a precaution, while Erik Durm returned to full training on Thursday.
Robin Dutt has been sacked as head coach of Werder Bremen after their winless start to the Bundesliga continued on Friday.
Bremen have failed to take maximum points in nine league games this season, with a 1-0 defeat to Cologne proving Dutt's final game in charge.
With the club propping up the Bundesliga after taking just four points from a possible 27, former Under-23 coach Viktor Skripnik takes charge as part of a coaching team that also includes ex-Bremen players Torsten Frings and Christian Vander.
Skripnik - another former Bremen player - will take charge of his first game against Tuesday in the DFB-Pokal against Chemnitzer before returning to top-flight duties against Mainz.
Having spent eight years as a defender at the Weserstadion before joining the coaching staff, Skripnik said in a statement on the club's official website that he was confident of turning Bremen's fortunes around while general manager Thomas Eichin added the decision was designed to add some momentum into their campaign.
"We want to thank Robin Dutt and his team for their work with SV Werder in the past few months," he said.
"However, following recent results, we believe that the team needs a new impetus to get out of the current situation."
Former Bayer Leverkusen boss Dutt had been in charge at the Weserstadion since May 2013 and ensured a 12th-place finish in his debut campaign.
Jurgen Klopp knows Borussia Dortmund can ill afford a DFB Pokal defeat at St Pauli on Tuesday given the "critical situation" they are in.
Dortmund's dismal start to the Bundesliga season continued when they suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Hannover on Saturday.
Klopp's side are fourth-bottom of the table after losing six of their first nine league matches and the charismatic coach could do with a timely tonic when they travel to Bundesliga 2 side St Pauli for a second-round tie.
The 47-year-old called on his players to respond to their latest setback as they attempt to progress.
"The fear of not winning is certainly there," Klopp told reporters on Monday. "Sometimes we lack the necessary rest to perform.
"But we have to work. The preparation has been normal despite the critical situation that we've found ourselves in.
"We know the nature of this competition, that we're out if we lose. A couple of the players are over-worked, but there are no new injuries."
Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka is facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury against Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga club have revealed that Switzerland international Xhaka suffered a ligament and capsule tear in his right ankle late on in Sunday's goalless draw with the champions.
Coach Lucien Favre had already made three substitutions, so Xhaka returned to the field after receiving treatment and limped through the closing stages.
Gladbach stated on Monday that Xhaka is set to miss "upcoming games", but it is not clear how long the 22-year-old will be sidelined for.
Xhaka has been an ever-present for Gladbach this season, featuring in all 15 competitive games for Favre's side.
Gladbach, now third in the Bundesliga, face a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB Pokal on Wednesday ahead of a home league game against second-placed Hoffenheim at the weekend.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has risked a fresh row with Borussia Dortmund by reaffirming Bayern Munich's interest in Marco Reus.
Bayern chairman Rummenigge angered Dortmund back in August by claiming Reus had a €25million release clause in his contract that comes into effect next year.
Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern's honorary life president, added further fuel to the fire when he suggested that Reus was ready to leave Signal Iduna Park.
Earlier this month, Rummenigge stated that Bayern had discussed the possibility of a move for Reus and he has once more revealed the German champions' admiration for the 25-year-old - just three days before the clubs meet in the Bundesliga.
"We know in Munich that he has a lot of quality," Rummenigge told Sport Bild.
"And we know his clause. For us a young German national player of such quality is interesting.
Franck Ribery played down an incident that saw a spectator strike him with a scarf in Bayern Munich's DFB-Pokal cup win at Hamburg.
The France international was making his first start of the season after suffering with back and knee injuries and he contributed Bayern's third goal in a comfortable 3-1 success for the holders at the Imtech Arena.
However, the match ended on a sour note when a Hamburg supporter ran onto the pitch and hit Ribery with a scarf, before making a hand gesture towards the 31-year-old and being led away by stewards.
The incident drew an immediate apology from Hamburg on Twitter, while Ribery himself brushed aside the altercation.
"Fortunately nothing much happened," he told German TV station ARD.
"It was a difficult situation, I didn't see him coming."
Ribery's goal came via a deflection from Johan Djourou and, though he admits there was an element of luck, he was happy with the team's performance.
"It was my first game from the start so it wasn't easy," he added. "I'm delighted the team played so well, and I think I had a good game too.
"I was a bit lucky with my goal, but it was super for me and the team. We have to keep it up, all of us together."
The ex-Barcelona coach was happy to see his team did not make the same mistakes they made earlier this campaign
Pep Guardiola has voiced his delight with Bayern Munich's 3-1 DFB Pokal win over Hamburg on Wednesday evening and feels the Bavarians have learned from their previous encounter with HSV.
The Bundesliga champions were held to a scoreless draw at the Imtech Arena earlier this season, but there was to be no repeat in the German Cup.
Robert Lewandowski's opener was followed by further goals from David Alaba and Franck Ribery before Pierre-Michel Lasogga struck a late consolation for the hosts and Guardiola was pleased with what he saw.
"We learned our lessons from the 0-0 draw in Hamburg a few weeks ago. We knew we had to play fast and put pressure on them early on," Guardiola said at a press conference.
"In the cup it's easy for you as a coach because you know: you lose, you're out. But from the very beginning we played very well and then got the first goal by Robert.
"Especially I am pleased with our performance in the second half. Usually if you start the second half with a 2-0 lead, you play a little more neglectful - but we did very well.
"So we are pleased, we are into the last 16. Until March next year we have this competition in our pocket.
"Now we regenerate and think about our next opponent: BVB [Borussia Dortmund]."
Bayern meet Eintracht Braunschweig in the round of 16 on March 3 or 4, 2015.
Schalke 1 Augsburg 0: Draxler limps off as Di Matteo´s side triumph
31 October 2014
Schalke recovered from the early setback of losing Julian Draxler to injury to run out 1-0 winners against Augsburg.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's first-half strike proved enough to take Schalke up to seventh in the Bundesliga, but the loss of Draxler to an apparent hamstring injury after just 10 seconds took the shine off things.
With a key UEFA Champions League trip to Sporting Lisbon to come on Wednesday, Di Matteo will hope the winger's problem is not too serious.
Huntelaar broke the deadlock at the Veltins-Arena after 37 minutes with a close-range finish from Atsuto Uchida's cross, capping a spell of dominance from the hosts.
The Dutchman had a chance to double Schalke's advantage on the hour mark, but saw his shot from inside the box blocked.
Augsburg, who were 2-0 winners over Freiburg last time out, rarely threatened the hosts' lead, with Raul Bobadilla's wayward long-range effort compounding their frustration.
Indeed, the visitors almost conceded a second three minutes from time, Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker indebted to goalkeeper Marwin Hitz for sparing him the embarrassment of an own goal.
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola will give Arjen Robben every chance to be fit for Saturday's crunch Bundesliga tie with Borussia Dortmund.
The winger missed last weekend's goalless draw at Borussia Monchengladbach and Wednesday's 3-1 German Cup win at Hamburg with a thigh injury.
But Guardiola hinted that he could be involved for the champions at the Allianz Arena.
"He's a bit better, but it remains to be seen whether he'll feature," said the Spaniard.
Dortmund have finished as runners-up behind Bayern for the past two seasons, having previously topped the table twice themselves.
However, Guardiola insists he will be treating this the match just like any other game.
"It's not a final, it's just about getting three more points," added the Bayern boss.
Bayern are currently four points clear at the summit and five ahead of their big rivals, but Guardiola has urged his side to respect their opponents, though.
"Dortmund are an impressive side, we have to be wary of their quick counter-attacks," he added.
"There is no doubt Borussia Dortmund will be dangerous if we lose possession."
Dortmund have already beaten Bayern 2-0 in the German Super Cup at the start of the season and prevailed 3-0 at the Allianz Arena towards the end of last term.
Bundesliga Review: Bayern comeback downs Dortmund, Wolfsburg march on
1 November 2014
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich sealed a 2-1 comeback win over Borussia Dortmund to extend their rivals' woeful start to the season.
Marco Reus headed home to conclude a superb first-half counter attack from Dortmund on Saturday - a perfect riposte from the visitors after talk this week of Bayern's interest in the Germany international had soured pre-match relations between the two clubs.
Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller then kept the league leaders at bay until Robert Lewandowski shot into the bottom corner to haul back his former employers.
Neven Subotic hauled down fellow substitute Franck Ribery to hand Bayern an 85th-minute penalty and Arjen Robben made no mistake, sending Weidenfeller the wrong way to win it.
Pep Guardiola’s team now hold a four-point lead at the summit, with Dortmund languishing third-from-bottom after their fifth consecutive Bundesliga defeat.
Bayern's closest challengers, Wolfsburg, stormed to a resounding 4-0 win over struggling Stuttgart.
A mix-up between Oriol Romeu and Antonio Rudiger allowed Ivan Perisic to give Wolfsburg a 15th-minute lead and Robin Knoche converted Kevin De Bruyne's free-kick in first-half stoppage time to double their advantage.
De Bruyne scored his fourth goal in as many games shortly after the restart and Perisic completed his brace two minutes from time to make it six victories in succession in all competitions for Dieter Hecking's men.
Hamburg lifted themselves out of the bottom three as Rafael van der Vaart's 26th-minute penalty secured a 1-0 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, while Werder Bremen are now level on points with Dortmund thanks to their first win of the campaign, 2-1 at Mainz.
The home side took a third-minute lead as Shinji Okazaki latched onto Koo Ja-cheol's throughball to steer into the net right footed.
But Franco Di Santo nodded Bremen level a minute before the interval and the former Chelsea striker sealed the success five minutes later with a fine finish from an angle.
In Saturday's other game, Hannover moved level on points with fifth-placed Leverkusen as a late own goal from Eintracht Frankfurt defender Alexander Madlung proved to be the only strike of the match.
Bundesliga Review: Monchengladbach stay unbeaten, Freiburg off the bottom
2 November 2014
Borussia Monchengladbach maintained their unbeaten record this season with a 3-1 Bundesliga victory over Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Patrick Herrmann played a key role at Borussia-Park, with two goals and an assist, as Lucien Favre's side completed a 17th game without defeat in all competitions.
It was Herrmann who provided the cross for Andre Hahn to open the scoring in the 12th minute.
Anthony Modeste finished off a neat move to draw Hoffenheim level on the half-hour, but the hosts reclaimed the lead within two minutes as Herrmann flicked a Hahn cross over Oliver Baumann.
Herrmann then doubled his tally seven minutes after half-time with an opportunistic finish.
Havard Nordtveit had a low free-kick saved by Baumann, but the loose ball dropped to Herrmann, who made no mistake from 10 yards.
Freiburg lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a 1-0 victory over Cologne, their first win of the campaign.
Vladimir Darida's 50th-minute penalty proved decisive at the RheinEnergie Stadion, lifting Christian Streich's side above Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund into 16th.
Paderborn, meanwhile, moved into seventh place with a 3-1 win over Hertha Berlin at the Benteler-Arena.
Salomon Kalou grabbed his fourth goal of the season after 41 minutes to cancel out Marvin Bakalorz's opener.
However, Paderborn were not to be denied and pulled clear in the second half through a header from Elias Kachunga and Alban Meha's powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is likely to return for Bayern Munich this year, having missed the start of the campaign with a knee injury.
Following Germany's World Cup success in Brazil, Schweinsteiger picked up a minor ankle issue in Bayern's close-season preparations before irritation around the patellar tendon kept him from returning to competitive club action.
Schweinsteiger has been ruled out of the early stages of Bayern's Bundesliga defence as a result, but chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed the midfielder was set to return before the turn of the year.
Rummenigge expects the Germany captain to be back in training at Bayern during this month's international break.
"He is likely to come back in 2014," he told Kicker.
"All is okay. He may get back into the team's training in the next international break."
Bayern's final game before the mid-season break comes against Mainz at the Coface Arena on December 19.
Schalke star Julian Draxler is to undergo surgery on his torn hamstring and will not play again until 2015.
Draxler pulled up after just 10 seconds of his side's 1-0 Bundesliga victory over Augsburg last Friday, with Schalke general manager Horst Heldt saying on Saturday that he did not expect the 21-year-old to return this year.
And the Gelsenkirchen club confirmed Heldt's fears on Monday, announcing that the Germany international requires an operation after he was examined by national team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt.
"The first half of the season is over for Julian Draxler," a Schalke statement read.
"The midfielder has a partial tear of his semimembranosus muscle in his right hamstring.
"He made his way to Stuttgart this afternoon and will be operated on as soon as an appointment with the relevant doctor is sorted."
Draxler has made eight Bundesliga appearances for Schalke this season and this fresh injury blow appears to be an aggravation of the problem he sustained while on international duty in September.
Bundesliga Preview: Dortmund out to end slump, Bayern head to Frankfurt
5 November 2014
Second-bottom Borussia Dortmund will attempt to arrest their dreadful Bundesliga form against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Jurgen Klopp's men are in the midst of a poor run in the league having lost their last five encounters.
The most frustrating defeat came at the weekend as Bayern Munich came from a goal behind to beat their biggest rivals.
Dortmund endured no such issues in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday when continuing their 100 per cent start to this European campaign with a 4-1 win over Galatasaray.
However, they will face a tough test on Sunday when a Monchengladbach side riding high in third make the trip.
Bayern, meanwhile, are aiming to keep up their unbeaten record at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
The champions have enjoyed a typically dominant beginning to the season, winning seven and drawing three of the opening 10 encounters.
They showed their fighting spirit last weekend, too, as Robert Lewandowski cancelled out Marco Reus' opener for Dortmund.
Arjen Robben then completed the comeback, slotting home a penalty to secure the spoils for Pep Guardiola's side.
Wolfsburg, who sit level on points with Monchengladbach in second, are aiming to close the gap on the leaders by overcoming Hamburg in Sunday's other game.
Fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen head into their clash with Mainz on a high following Tuesday's impressive 2-1 Champions League win at Zenit.
Son Heung-min hit a double at Stadion Petrovskij to put Leverkusen in the driving seat to qualify from C.
Werder Bremen, currently sitting at the foot of the standings, face a crucial clash with 16th-placed Frieburg having edged to a 2-1 triumph at Mainz last time out.
Another of the league's struggling sides, Freiburg, entertain a Schalke outfit deprived of the services of the injured Julian Draxler, Hoffenheim will try to remain in the top four by overcoming Cologne, and Augsburg host Paderborn.
The 11th round of fixtures begins on Friday, when Hertha Berlin welcome Hannover.
The Italy international was the subject of a scathing attack from the Germany legend, but is insistent he will produce his best form at Signal Iduna Park
Borussia Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile says he will prove Lothar Matthaus wrong by scoring goals on a regular basis between now and the end of the season.
Matthaus recently questioned Dortmund's decision to spend big on the Italy international and Adrian Ramos, voicing his opinion that neither is good enough to replace Robert Lewandowski.
Nevertheless, Immobile attempted to shrugh off the former Bayern star's harsh comments and said he is determined to prove himself.
"Matthaus is a legend of the German game and he can say whatever he wants...," Immobile told Bild.
"When I start scoring on a regular basis, the problem will be solved automatically."
Immobile has netted just twice in eight league games, but has already scored three goals in as many Champions League appearances and he is desperate to prove his worth domestically, too.
"I now want to make my mark in the Bundesliga as well."
Dortmund take on Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend.
Hertha Berlin 0 Hannover 2: Another Olympiastadion win for Korkut´s men
7 November 2014
Hannover continued their fine recent record at Hertha Berlin with a deserved 2-0 triumph at the Olympiastadion on Friday.
Victors on their previous two Bundesliga visits to Berlin, Hannover made it three wins in a row to move up to fourth in the table ahead of the weekend's action.
Jimmy Briand opened the scoring a minute before half-time and Tayfun Korkut's men had several opportunities to extend their advantage before Hiroshi Kiyotake wrapped up the points late on.
Hertha have now lost six of their 11 league games this term and head into the international break on the back of successive defeats, while Hannover have won three matches in succession.
The visitors moved ahead when Briand met a right-wing corner with a sweetly struck half-volley that flashed past Thomas Kraft.
Leonardo Bittencourt came close to rounding off a fine Hannover move early in the second half, while Kiyotake had a goal chalked off for offside.
However, those two players then combined to put the game beyond the hosts.
After Marvin Plattenhardt had failed to control a pass, Hannover broke quickly and Bittencourt switched the play right to find Kiyotake, who cut back on to his left foot before finding the net.
Pep Guardiola is concerned by the threat posed by Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend as Bayern Munich look to maintain their unbeaten start.
The defending Bundesliga champions already enjoy a four-point gap at the top of the table after 10 games.
However, Guardiola expects Thomas Schaaf's side to give Bayern plenty to worry about on Saturday, despite having suffered four successive losses before welcoming the champions to the Commerzbank-Arena.
"Our rivals are only four points behind, we will try to keep this distance or increase it," the Spaniard told a media conference.
"They [Frankfurt] make many, many goals.
"They are difficult to analyse because they have played different systems under Thomas Schaaf, it's hard to say what they will do."
Bayern travel without defender David Alaba after he underwent successful surgery on a medial knee ligament injury suffered during their UEFA Champions League victory over Roma in midweek.
Guardiola was disappointed to lose the Austria international, hailing him as key to the way Bayern play.
"We do not have another player with his qualities," he added. "He can play in each position.
"There are not many players like him and nor are there many players with his attitude."
Bundesliga Review: Bremen win leaves Dortmund bottom, Bayern march on
8 November 2014
Werder Bremen grabbed a second win of the Bundesliga season to leave Borussia Dortmund bottom heading into their game on Sunday.
Having gone winless through their first nine games of the season, Robin Dutt's sacking - and Viktor Skripnik's promotion to head coach - has resulted in three straight successes for Bremen in all competitions.
A first triumph of the season at their Weserstadion home arrived on Saturday as they overcame Stuttgart 2-0.
Sebastian Prodl put the Swabians to the sword on the half-hour as he nodded in Zlatko Junuzovic's corner, despite Antonio Rudiger's best efforts on the line.
Junuzovic was also provider for the second, his short delivery smashed home by a turning Fin Bartels via the post.
Victory takes Bremen to the relatively heady heights of 15th, but Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund are now bottom ahead of a tough test at home to third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday.
At the opposite end of the standings, a Thomas Muller hat-trick inspired a dominant Bayern Munich to a comfortable 4-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.
A strong start from the visitors was rewarded midway through the first half when some good work from Franck Ribery allowed Muller to tap home.
Despite a couple of scares before the break, the visitors rarely looked troubled, and Muller was on hand to double the lead just after the hour, slotting home after again linking up with the imperious Ribery.
And the 25-year old completed his hat-trick three minutes later after being played in by Mario Gotze, with Xherdan Shaqiri's strike compounding the misery of Thomas Schaaf's side, who have now lost five on the bounce.
The win extends the champions' unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions, leaving them seven points clear at the top of the table.
Hoffenheim missed a chance to go fourth as they lost an action-packed tie at home to Cologne 4-3.
Adam Szalai gave the hosts a dream start with less than two minutes on the clock, but the response was almost as quick, Pawel Olkowski squaring the score.
Cologne came into the game having won two of their previous three and looked in control as Matthias Lehmann's free-kick and Anthony Ujah gave them a two-goal buffer.
However, Roberto Firmino struck twice before the break to take his tally to four goals from as many games since receiving a maiden call-up to Brazil's senior squad.
A frantic first half was never likely to be replicated after the break, and just one further goal ended up settling the result - Olkowski netting seven minutes from time to take Cologne into the safe haven of mid-table.
Bayer Leverkusen also failed to move into a Champions League spot as they were held 0-0 by Mainz at the BayArena.
Schalke's inconsistent campaign continues after a 2-0 defeat at Freiburg, while Augsburg went seventh with a 3-0 win over Paderborn.
