Ob La Di, Ob La Da: Bayern visits Hannover

By: Luke | November 28th, 2009

Robert-Enke-001 It’s not too early to surmise that the tragic death of Robert Enke will have a long lasting effect on the way German society considers depression and other forms of mental illness. In its own way, it may parallel the drug overdose death of Len Bias or the HIV diagnosis of Magic Johnson in the U.S. as an example of the plight of a sports figure bringing public debate and awareness to a neglected public health issue.

But just as the games have to go on, they always do. And so Bayern Munich head to Hannover, a match which will be shown on ESPN 360 only at 11:30 a.m. Eastern due to El Clásico coverage on ESPN Deportes.

Trudging along
Before last week’s heavy-hearted loss at Schalke, the 96ers had put together a 3 match unbeaten streak, including wins over Stuttgart and Cologne. They seem to have corrected their league-worst defense from last season reasonably well with the addition of Karim Haggui at center back. American Steve Cherundolo, the regular starter at right back, is expected to miss the match due to injury and midfielder Jan Rosenthal’s status is also a question mark. Look for Bayern to try to exploit Cherundolo’s replacement, the sometimes shaky Sergio Pinto.

Opportunity knocks, again
Bayern will once again be without Ribery, Robben, Klose, and Altintop. Christian Lell was added to the injury list, so I guess we at least have the peace of mind that if both Lahm and Badstuber got injured, at least he wouldn’t get in. It’s unclear if Michael Rensing is again available. Thomas Kraft has been in the squad the last two matches after Rensing underwent “dental surgery”. The relative surprise is that Luca Toni is back in the squad. I see this as an example of a bit of necessity mixed with giving baby what he doesn’t want. He may have to see the field if Olic is still unable to go the full 90, but I would relish watching his body language and annoyance at having to warm up.

Prediction
If Bayern is able to handle the Hannover strikers, there’s not much to fear. Of 16 goals on the season, 9 have been scored by Hannover’s forward pairing of Jiri Stajner and Didier Ya Konan. No one else on the team has more than a single goal. Last year’s match in Hannover resembled many of this year’s frustrations, and despite possession dominance, Bayern fell 1-0 to Hannover. Since Saturday’s results demonstrated once again, that no one else really wants to win the Bundesliga, if would be just like Bayern to take the points and zoom up to 4th in the table. And I think that’s exactly what they’re going to do. Hannover 96 0:3 FC Bayern Munich