“Bayer Leverkusen gave themselves a four-point cushion in the Champions League spots after capitalising on a Mainz mistake to win a game that looked certain to end goalless. Both sides were in decent runs of form coming into this game, and won emphatically in the last round of fixtures: Mainz 4-2 at Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at home to lowly Wolfsburg.” Defensive Midfielder
Werder Bremen 1-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
“Borussia Mönchengladbach broke Bremen hearts with a surprise late equalizer after the home side failed to put the game to bed. Both sides came into this game locked in a relegation battle. Werder, sat in 15th because Kaiserslautern scored a 92nd minute earlier in the afternoon, were just two points above the drop zone coming into this game, and six points ahead of bottom side Gladbach. There was a degree of confidence in both camps pre-match, with Gladbach on a high after last weekend’s triumph against Hoffenheim, and Bremen likewise following their 3-1 success at Freiburg.” Defensive Midfielder
Hoffenheim 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
“Hard-working Hoffenheim punished a surprisingly unimaginative Dortmund side to deny the league leaders what would have been a record 12th away win of the season. These two teams came into this game on largely differing runs of form. Dortmund: top of the table by 12 points, 11 away wins in the league so far this season, and on a decent run. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, had fallen from credible Champions League contenders, to the mid-table positions they’ve made their home these last few seasons.” Defensive Midfielder