CM10: Life after Mario Gomez

[m_vaughan]

German sides handed English ties​

The tie of the round sees Liverpool take on Bayern Munich​

Bundesliga’s two remaining teams in the UEFA Champions League have both been handed English opposition in the quarterfinals of this season’s competition. Four time winners of this competition, Bayern Munich face off against Liverpool FC, who have won five European cups. VfB Stuttgart who recently took over top spot in the Bundesliga from Bayern, take on Manchester City.

Unknown waters
Manchester City Sporting Director Brian Marwood has hailed his club’s achievements this season and is confident about going further despite not having previous experience of the same. “We are in unknown waters but have nothing to lose as reaching this stage is an achievement enough. The team will therefore give it their best shot against a quality opposition in VfB Stuttgart." Prior to this season City had qualified for the old European Cup only once in the 1968-69 season when they failed to progress beyond the first round.

Like a final
Meanwhile Bayern Munich manager Louis Van Gaal has stated his side’s clash with Liverpool FC is “like a final” and believes both sides are capable of winning the competition. “Both teams have been here before and both are good enough to go all the way. It’s a shame we are meeting in the quarterfinal stage because in effect this is a like a final.”

Russian test for United
Defending champions, Manchester United, who are the third English side left in the competition, have been drawn against Russian outfit, CSKA Moscow. And manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes that the game in Russia is the crucial fixture for his team as they look to become the first team to successfully defend in the Champions League since in its current era. Should they get past the Russians then a mouth watering semi-final clash against either Liverpool or Bayern Munich awaits.

French-Spanish rivalry
2009 winners FC Barcelona are the only remaining Spanish side in the competition and they are up against the last French team in the competition, Stade Rennais. The winner gets a semi-final spot against the winner of Manchester City and VfB Stuttgart.

The first legs will be held on 5-6 April, 2009 with the return legs scheduled on 12-13 April, 2009.

​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Stuttgart vs Citeh, eh looks like a really good tie for you. But cant underestimate Citeh they have reached till here and surely can reach the semis. But I think you will win this one..

I feel Barca, United, Liverpool and Stuttgart to go through the semis..

 

[m_vaughan]

March 2011 Update 2

Results
19/03/2011 - Bundesliga Match 27
VfB Stuttgart 2-0 Schalke
53 - Khedira
66 - Delpierre
Markus Babbel's side moved four points clear at the top of the table with a comfortable 2-0 win over Schalke at the Mercedes Benz Arena. After a goalless first half, the hosts scored twice in the space of 13 minutes in the second and seal the game and the three points.

Bundesliga standings

Player Stats

April 2011 Fixtures

With Bayern losing track in the league, VfB Stuttgart have opened up a four point lead at the top of the standings. Whiz kid Sercan Sararer has signed a contract extension till 2015 and is now valued at ?16.5 million. Markus Babbel's side have been drawn with Manchester City of England in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Both Stuttgart and Manchester City are making their debut appearance in this stage of the competition.

Delpierre made a rare appearance for Stuttgart against Schalke but scored the second goal​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

YIPEE :happy:happy thats the win you needed to go to the top, nice to see Bayern losing their way in the Bundesliga and April quite an important month with some huge and very important fixtures. I feel Bundesliga is for yours to lose..

 

[m_vaughan]

April 2011 Update 1


02/04/2011 - Bundesliga Match 28
Werder Bremen 1-0 VfB Stuttgart
7 - Borowski
In what was an even game of football, it was Tim Borowski?s lucky strike early on that made the difference between these two sides. The visitors will be a little upset about not been given a penalty in the second half which replays showed to be a valid case for the same.


06/04/2011 - Champions League Quarterfinal 1st Leg
Manchester City 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
15 - Adebayor
22 - Tevez
50 - Pogrebnyak
Despite been outplayed for most of the game and having gone down 2-0 inside the opening half hour, VfB Stuttgart will still fancy their chances thanks to a wonderstrike in the second half from Pavel Pogrebnyak which gives them the all-important away goal.



09/04/2011 - Bundesliga Match 29
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 VfB Stuttgart
7 - Gebhart
28 - Hashemian
41 - Schieber
50 - Hashemian
Vahid Hashemian?s brace denied VfB Stuttgart what would have been a crucial and deserved win in the Bundesliga. Timo Gebhart?s free kick gave the visitors the lead only for Hashemian to equalise soon after. Julian Schieber repaid his manager?s faith in him by taking the lead again, but Hashemian had the last laugh with his headed goal soon after the restart.


13/04/2011 - Champions League Quarterfinal 2nd Leg
VfB Stuttgart 2-1 Manchester City
(4 -3 penalties)
20 - Tevez
32 - Kuzmanovic
60 - Schieber
VfB?s away goal advantage stood for exactly twenty minutes before Carlos Tevez hammered home the opening goal of the game. Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Julian Schieber however got the goals to win the game on the night and take the tie to extra time. With no goals in 30 additional minutes of football, it went to penaties where Sercan Sararer scored the decisive goal.


16/04/2011 - Bundesliga Match 30
VfB Stuttgart 2-2 Arminia Bielefeld
1 - Pogrenyak
33 - Cacau
71 - Sadik
83 - Sarp
Markus Babbel?s side suffered the consequences for taking their foot off the pedal in the second half as late goals from Berak Sadik and Mustafa Sarp earned the visiting Arminia Bielefeld side a point at the Mercedes Benz Arena.​

 

[hedger_14]

Apart from the CL win over City, you had a poor start to the month with 2 draws and a loss.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Yeah, poor month so far apart qualifying for the semis of the Champions League. Hopefully Bayern havent gone above you in the league.

 

[m_vaughan]

Preview: Bayer Leverkusen vs VfB Stuttgart

Kiessling and Derdiyok celebrate Bayer's 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal semi-final

Fifth placed Bayer Leverkusen take on top of the table VfB Stuttgart tomorrow night in a game that is important for both teams but for slightly different reasons.

VfB Stuttgart have become one of the most talked about sides in Europe this season thanks to their fantastic runs both in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. While in Europe they continue to impress by securing their passage into the semi-finals, in the Bundesliga they have stuttered off late picking up just two points from their last three games.

But with Bayern themselves enduring a torrid spell, the Swabian side still find themselves two points clear at the top of the standings.

Manager Markus Babbel is also confident that his team have not missed out on increasing their lead going into the final four games of the season.

?It?s true that we?ve dropped points in recent games but then this is a difficult league and every game is difficult. What matters in the end is the fact that we are still top and that things are still in our hands,? he said.

?We are up against another top team in Bayer Leverkusen but we know that to win the league these are the sort of games we?ve got to win. We?ve done that a number of times this season and the players are confident about their chances against Bayer.?

Considering that Bayern have a tougher game in the form of third place Wolfsburg to look forward to today, VfB Stuttgart fans will be hoping that their side increase their lead at the top of the standings. Incidentally Wolfsburg beat Stuttgart in February, becoming one of just four teams this season to do so.

Bayer Leverkusen are the team with the best away record in the league this season but unfortunately all the hard work from their travels have been cut down by their poor form at home, which is where they play tomorrow. They have lost four, drawn seven and won four at the BayArena.

They however have been in better form that their opponents in recent games, having won two of their last three games. They of course are also through to the final of the DFB Pokal thanks to a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

The reverse fixture at the Mercedes Benz Arena ended in a 2-2 draw with Leverkusen being denied all three points by a injury time strike from Stuttgart?s Russian striker, Pavel Pogrebnyak. Jupp Heynckes is hoping his side go one better this time around.

?VfB Stuttgart are a fantastic team and have been very impressive over the past three seasons. However we thought we were unlucky against them in the earlier game this season and want to do even better in this game,? said the former Bayern boss.

The visitors have a full strength squad for this game while the hosts are only missing their Turkish attacking midfielder, Yasin Oztekin.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Nice to see you are still at the top of the table. I feel Bayern will draw against Wolfsburg and you will win against Bayer. Good luck, and yeah whom are you facing in the Champions League.

 

[m_vaughan]

Good luck, and yeah whom are you facing in the Champions League.

FC Barcelona, who blew apart Rennes. The other semi-final is between defending champions Manchester United and Liverpool.

 

[m_vaughan]

Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 VfB Stuttgart: Patrick Helmes' strike downs Swabians

VfB Stuttgart have failed to regain top spot in the standings after falling to a 1-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena.

With Bayern Munich winning 4-2 against Wolfsburg on Saturday, Stuttgart knew they needed to win to keep hold of first place in the Bundesliga standings.

Thomas Hitzlsperger missed a penalty in the first half while Sercan Sararer had a goal disallowed for offside before Patrick Helmes netted the winner for the hosts in the 73rd minute.

After a relative quiet opening 15 minutes, Jupp Heycnkes' men were given a warning when Rene Adler turned away Pavel Pogrebnyak's angled drive.

For the hosts, Seydou Dombia fizzed a shot at Costel Pantilimon and Helmes actually went round him, only for Marek Suchy to make a tremendous block.

Then Stuttgart were given the opportunity to take the lead when Leverkusen defender Sami Hyppia brought down Sercan Sararer inside the box. Captain Hitzlsperger took the resultant spot kick and went for the a low shot to the left. Unfortunately for him Adler guessed it right and punched the ball away.

The visitors did find the back of the net moments later when Sararer became the first to get to Marcell Jansen's ball before lifting it above the charging Adler and placing it perfectly in goal, only to turn and see the linesman raise his offside flag. Replays did suggest that it was a harsh decision.

The hosts however came out stronger and brighter after the restart with Helmes forcing two quick saves out of Pantilimon while Stefan Aigner's header from a Chung Yong Lee corner was only inches wide of the target.

Stuttgart's best chance of the half fell to Timo Gebhart, as his side hit the hosts on the break, but the winger's final touch was a bit disappointing allowing Adler once again to make the save.

Then in the 73rd minute, Helmes scored the decisive goal. The 27 year old German International, capitalised on a half-clearance by Suchy to fire a looping shot over Pantilimon for his 14th goal of the season, and 9th in the Bundesliga.

The visitors failed to respond to that as Leverkusen held on to register their sixth win at the BayArena this season while Stuttgart now find themselves a point behind defending champions Bayern Munich at the top of the standings.

 

[m_vaughan]

April 2011 Update 2​

Results
24/04/2011 - Bundesliga Match 31
Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 VfB Stuttgart
73 - Helmes
VfB Stuttgart came out second in this game of two halves which in the end was decided by Patrick Helmes' goal in the second half. The defeat also meant Bayern were back at the top of the standings with just three games remaining in the season.​

26/04/2011 – Champions League Semifinal 1st Leg

VfB Stuttgart 2-3 FC Barcelona

17 – Ibrahimovic
31 – Ibrahimovic
35 – Taarabt
39 – Niemeyer
84 – Cacau
Spanish giants and 2009 winners of this competition, FC Barcelona handed VfB Stuttgart a tough lesson scoring three goals in the opening 35 minutes which could have already confirmed their passage to this season’s final. However the hosts will have some hope thanks to goals from Peter Niemeyer and Cacau. Stuttgart did play the game without the injured Zdravko Kuzmanovic.​

30/04/2011 – Bundesliga Match 32

VfB Stuttgart 2-1 HSV Hamburg
2 – Elia
24 – Hitzlsperger
76 – Pogrebnyak​

Despite having a torrid month, VfB ended it on a high as they came from a goal down against Hamburg to win the game 2-1. The importance of the win was compounded by the fact that Bayern were held to a draw at Nurnberg which meant the Swabians had once again taken over top spot.​

Bundesliga standings

Player Stats

May 2011 Fixtures

VfB Stuttgart striker Julian Schieber suffered a knee injury in training on the 25th of this month and as a result has been ruled out for between 7-10 days. Manager Markus Babbel in the meantime is believed to have been offered an extension to his existing contract with the club. The former defender is however looking to push the talks till after the season fuelling speculation that he may be looking at a switch to Spain or England.​

Barcelona were just too good in the first half of the UCL semi 1st leg​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Its a very exciting last month remaining, Hoping Bayern do drop some points and you win the league and also you defeat Barca at the Nou Camp, but that would be really a huge job to be done.

 

[m_vaughan]

May 2011 Update 1​

03/05/2011 – Champions League Semifinal 2nd Leg

FC Barcelona 3-1 VfB Stuttgart
5 – Ibrahimovic
25 – Ibrahimovic
54 – Taarabt
88 - Cacau
Any hopes that Stuttgart had were squashed in the opening half hour as Zlatan Ibrahimovic once again netted a brace to give Barcelona a 5-2 aggregate lead. Adel Taarabt had also scored in the first leg and repeated that feat again but this time in the second half. Cacau, another scorer from the first game, scored a late consolation for the visitors who bowed out of the competition.​

07/05/2011 – Bundesliga Match 33
VfB Stuttgart 1-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
43 – Fischer​

Rising star Manuel Fischer scored his first Bundesliga goal for Stuttgart in a crucial victory over Borussia Monchengladbach which saw them stay at the top of the standings. However it was far from a convincing display and some would say that the visitors deserved to have picked up a draw. Stuttgart therefore maintain their one point lead at the top of the standings.​

 

[m_vaughan]

Matchday 34 Live Updates


Welcome to the final round of matches of the 2010-11 season of the German Bundesliga. We have quite a few crucial games with VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich still fighting for the title and as many as five teams still face the prospect of relegation.

1430: Exactly one hour from kickoff from all the final round of games. All nine stadiums are expected to be packed as fans flock in witness their teams in action for the last time this season.

1437: Champions League chasing Bayer Leverkusenhost one of the relegation candidates HSV Hamburgtoday at the BayArena. Reports indicate that the visitors will be without striker Stefan Kiessling and winger Fabio Liverani (both calf) as they look to avoid the drop for the first time ever in their history.

1450: VfL Wolfsburg who are currently in pole position for the final Champions League spot are at FC Koln but without their key duo of Grafite (knee) and Zvjezdan Misimovic (abdomen). The 2008-09 winners are level on points with both Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund but have a better head to head meaning that a victory will seal third place for them.

1455: The Allianz Arena is buzzing with noise already. The defending champions who play relegation threatened SC Freiburg do not have destiny on their hands and also need a favour from Kaiserslautern who host league leaders VfB Stuttgart.


1510: Twenty minutes to kickoff. Kevin Kuranyi and Gerald Asamoah have collided with one another while warming up at the Veltins Arena where Schalke, still in with a chance of Europa League football next season, take on Hertha Berlin.

1522: Bad news for VfB Stuttgart fans as it has been announced that Julian Schieber has once again injured his knee while warming up and will be unavailable for the crunch away game against Kaiserslautern.

1529: All the games are ready to begin and will start at the exact same time. The atmosphere across all nine venues is just incredible at the moment.