Silva scores a brace against Mainz, Leverkusen crisis continues

It’s January, but Bayer’s agony started at the beginning of December and there is no end in sight. Gerardo Seoane is in his first season as Bundesliga manager and his first crisis is over a month-long now. On December 4th, Leverkusen defeated Greuter Furth 7-1 and haven’t tasted a victory since. Bayer has played 5 games in all competition since and managed three losses and two draws, the last one from Union Berlin at the beginning of the second part of the season. The home team took an early lead through Czech Schick, but soon Union Berlin scored two until Jonathan Tah equalized 6 minutes until the end to give his team one point. Bayer missed an opportunity to finally end their crisis and overturn Freiburg at the fourth spot, while Union Berlin had a chance to overturn Bayer at the fifth position in Bundesliga.

Leipzig made an emergency coach change at the beginning of December when Domenico Tedesco was put in charge and so far, he managed one win, one draw and one loss, but today he added another line in the win column: Leipzig – Mainz 4-1. Andre Silva, an expensive acquisition from Frankfurt was finally in a mood and scored a brace, while veteran Nkunku and Hungarian Szoboszlai added one apiece to lift Leipzig to the 8th place. In other games in Round 18 of the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim won 3-1 against Augsburg, while Freiburg managed only a draw against relegation struggling Armenia. Still, the biggest surprise of the 18th round is surely Borussia Monchengladbach’s win at Allianz Arena over Bayern on Friday. Borussia Dortmund faces a tricky away game at Frankfurt in tonight’s last game, as the Millionaires are looking to decrease their difference with Bayern, which now stands at 9 points.

BUNDESLIGA - Round 18

Friday

Bayern - Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 (1-2)

/Lewandowski 18 - Neuhaus 27, Lainer 31/

Saturday

Greuther Furth - Stuttgart 0-0

RB Leipzig - Mainz 4-1 (1-0)

/Silva 21, 61, Szoboszlai 47, Nkunku 58 - Lee 57/

Leverkusen - Union Berlin 2-2 (1-0)

/Schick 38, Tah 84 - Promel 45, 50/

Hoffenheim - Augsburg 3-1 (2-1)

/Bebou 38, 44, Raum 90+3 - Gregoritsch 5/

Freiburg - Bielefeld 2-2 (1-0)

/Haberer 6, Jeong 46 - Okugawa 60, Lasme 87/

Eintr.Frankfurt - Dortmund - In progress

Sunday

17.30: (2.80) Hertha (3.35) Koln (2.70)

19.30: (3.60) Bochum (3.40) Wolfsburg (2.20)

***odds are subject to change