Who'll Head Into the Break on Top?

The first half of the 2004/2005 Bundesliga season has seen its share of surprises -- some pleasant, some not. Wolfsburg led the league more than half of the time but have faded of late.

The promoted sides Mainz, Nuremberg and Bielefeld all have played better than average soccer, doing what they have to do to retain their position in Germany's top division. On the flip side, traditional clubs like Dortmund, Kaiserslautern and Mönchengladbach are struggling to avoid relegation.

Everyone measures themselves against Bayern

But when all is said and done, everyone turns their attention to Bayern Munich. Level on points with Schalke 04, Felix Magath's side host third place Stuttgart on Saturday. With a victory, Munich will assure themselves of spending the winter break at the top of the standings.

Magath plays down the importance of the 'winter championship,' but admits that it is "psychologically important." In the online magazine kicker, Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn added that "(It) is definitely an advantage if you are in first place at the winter break."

Stuttgart has a score to settle with their ex-coach Magath. The two clubs met a month ago in a German Cup match which Bayern handily won, 3-0. Since their departure from that competition, Stuttgart have won three of four Bundesliga contests, including a 5-2 demolition of Bochum last Saturday.

Schalke 04 have an easier task at hand. Last place Freiburg (10 points) comes to town, and the difference between the two clubs could hardly be greater at the moment. Schalke are brimming with confidence and the word "Championship" is no longer taboo in Gelsenkirchen. Under Ralf Rangnick, who took over for Jupp Heynckes on Sept. 29, Schalke have won an impressive nine of ten Bundesliga matches.

Freiburg are floundering at the bottom of the standings. They have lost four in a row, including a 6-0 shellacking at the hands of champions Bremen at home last weekend. In Freiburg, the word "relegation" is no longer taboo, as if they have already accepted their fate.

Berlin and Hanover soaring

That Berlin are in the top half of the standings should not come as too great a surprise. The team from the capital has always had talent. Hanover is another matter, though. Yet Erik Gerets' club has shown little respect for the expectations of the experts and on 28 points currently hold down fourth place.

The two teams pride themselves on stingy defenses, both having only given up a league-leading 15 goals. American Steven Cherundolo, one of Hanover's goal scorers in the team's win over Hamburg last weekend, says one lapse may make the difference in the match. "I think a free kick or a corner kick, one defensive mistake could decide the game. We need to keep their key player Marcelinho under control."

Dortmund showing nerves?

At the bottom of the standings, 17th place Rostock meet Dortmund. Dortmund have only made headlines off the field this year. Debts, management changes and quarrels with the coach.

On the field, coach Bert van Marwijk has failed to find a recipe to lead the club forwards. A paltry one win in five games has sent Dortmund to dangerously low depths -- only three points from the drop zone. The loss to local rival Schalke on Sunday only added fuel to the fire that is already burning hot at the Ruhr Valley club.

Rostock coach Jörg Berger, called into save the team from relegation, summed it up for his side: "The most important thing is, is that we don't lose too much ground going into the winter break. We have to keep pace with the rest."

Bochum are another club currently in the relegation zone. Peter Neururer's club made it to the UEFA Cup last season but have failed to pick up where they left off as the successes have been far and few between. Hamburg want to wrap up the first half of the season with a win which would firmly place them in the middle of the pack.

Defending champions Bremen host Kaiserslautern who are trying to turn things around. Bremen are not very generous to Kaiserslautern, having only lost six games to the "Red Devils" at Bremen.

This will be a test for Lautern coach Kurt Jara's side who have won their last two matches against weaker opponents (Mainz and Freiburg). Bremen head Thomas Schaaf wants to see his team continue its strong play of late, capped most recently by a 2-0 win against FC Valencia in a key Champions League match on Tuesday.

For Mainz and Nuremberg its the first-ever match-up in the top division. Mainz (22 points) are a safe distance from relegation but are slowly dropping after a hot start. Mainz have yet to lose a home game this season, something Nuremberg (18 points) would surely like to change.

Leverkusen picking up steam

On Sunday, Champions League contestant Leverkusen travel to Mönchengladbach. Leverkusen have played excellently in European club competition but they are not yet hitting on all cylinders in the Bundesliga.

Gladbach striker Oliver Neuville knows this quite well. The former Leverkusen star says the opponent can be very unpredictable: "You can't be certain about Leverkusen. On a good day they can beat anyone, like the 3-0 win against Real Madrid. Then they go and lose three days late 2-0 in Mainz."

Nevertheless, they have won the last two fixtures and Gladbach is a very generous opponent for the team from the Rhine. Not since 1989 have Gladbach beaten Leverkusen at home!

The second Sunday game features Wolfsburg and Bielefeld. Wolfsburg have hit a slump of late, dropping their last three contests. Promoted side Bielefeld are also coming back to earth after soaring to sixth place in week 14. Now they have slid back to ninth.