11/14/2008 - Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen has quietly reached the top of the Bundesliga and hopes to hold off Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich when it hosts Schalke on Saturday in one of three matches between top seven clubs.
Leverkusen has been overshadowed by promoted Hoffenheim, which sits second only on goal differential, and defending champion Bayern Munich, which is just one point behind.
Bayer could make another statement this week with a win over Schalke, and prove its going threaten for the Bundesliga title.
Bayer coach Bruno Labbadia is confident his side, which finished seventh a year ago, will not get overconfident. The team's goal, however, remains the same.
"Just because we're top doesn't mean we're going to talk big," Labbadia said. "And we're not going to do ourselves down either.
"We want to beat any team we play."
Bayer could easily have a two-point lead entering the 13th week of league play, but blew a three-goal last week against Karlsruhe. Although the 3-3 draw still allowed Bayer to move past Hoffenheim, it was a wasted opportunity.
The task of holding onto the lead got harder this week when midfielder Pirmin Schwegler injured his knee in training Wednesday and will be out for the rest of the first half. The 21-year-old had played in eight Bundesliga matches and recently got called up to Switzerland's national team for the first time.
The Factory Squad, who are the second-highest scoring team in the league, still feature Patrick Helmes (nine goals) and Stefan Kiessling (five). Helmes is the second-leading scorer in Germany this season.
Bayer faces a Schalke squad coming off its first home loss of the season - and just its second loss overall. Schalke lost to Bayern Munich on Sunday, and slipped five points off the pace and sits sixth entering the weekend matches.
Former German striker Kevin Kuranyi, who was recently kicked off the national team, remains Schalke's top threat with five goals. Overall, though, Schalke is struggling on the offensive end with just 18 goals - which ranks in the middle of the league.
Bayern, which struggled a bit early in the season, extended its wining streak to five games last week. Bayern visits promoted Monchengladbach on Saturday and will be even stronger with Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger back.
Striker Lukas Podolski is doubtful with back problems, meaning Bayern could be down to just two healthy strikers. But if Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose avoid an injury, the third-place club should have no trouble up top.
"We want to keep working out way up the table," Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.
Hoffenheim is another club facing a top-seven team when it hosts Wolfsburg. The promoted side was on top of the league for a few weeks until slipping back to second last week. Wolfsburg, which is seventh, has been up and down but remains a team that can beat any side on any given week.
Also Saturday, fourth-place Hamburg could emerge as the league leader with a win at fifth-place Hertha Berlin, Borussia Dortmund hosts Eintracht, Stuttgart hosts Arminia Bielefeld and Energie hosts Karlsruhe.
On Sunday, struggling Werder Bremen will try to move into the top half when it hosts eight-place Koln.
<< Bordeaux's Gourcuff doubts he'll return to Milan
Bordeaux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff dropped a
major hint that he will stay with French club Bordeaux beyond the end of his
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<< Oilers recall Reddox from Springfield
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers have recalled left
winger Liam Reddox from the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League,
it was announced on Friday.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward replaces Ladislav Sm
<< Zubov joins Ottawa
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators recalled forward Ilya Zubov
from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, it was
announced on Friday.
Zubov, 21, leads the B-Sens in scoring with eight goals and
<< Paddock, Woywitka called up by St. Louis
Binghamton, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues recalled center Cam
Paddock and defenseman Jeff Woywitka from their American Hockey League
affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, it was announced on Friday.
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Let's crank up the Hot Stove >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the clock struck midnight on Friday morning, Major
League Baseball teams were officially able to start talking financial numbers
with free agents from other teams.
With that, the craziness that is the MLB Hot Stove o
Boston College G Rice suspended >>
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College senior guard Tyrese Rice,
the team's leading scorer from last season, will miss the initial three games
of the 2008-09 campaign due to a violation of team rules.
Rice, who averaged 21
Some trends are hard to figure >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This NFL season has been extremely
difficult for trend players to decipher. The year began with the favorites
dominating the action with a 58% winning percentage at 33-24-2.
The tide turned in Week 5, whe
Are Titans About to Fall in Jacksonville? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This Sunday's matchup between the unbeaten Tennessee Titans
and Jacksonville Jaguars has an eerie sense to it. This battle between two AFC
South rivals doesn't bode well for the Titans, who will roll the dice at
Jacksonville
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5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
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