Bundesliga Team of the Week: Matchday 17
Bundesliga stars young and old played their part in a see-sawing round of fixtures that produced more plot twists than a Game of Thrones season finale - but who made it into our Matchday 17 Team of the Week?
Goalkeeper
Sven Ulreich (Bayern Munich, 17 points)
Back in the side following a two-game spell on the sidelines through injury, Ulreich came back to haunt former club Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Manuel Neuer's able deputy kept his sixth clean sheet of the season and saved a last-minute penalty from Chadrac Akolo as Bayern held on for a 1-0 win that extended their lead at the summit to 11 points going into the winter break.
Defenders
Jannes Horn (Cologne, 12 points)
Like Ulreich, Horn also succeeded in getting one over on his former employers. The 20-year-old left-back barely put a foot wrong and was a useful attacking outlet in the wide areas as Cologne picked up their first win of the campaign at the expense of Wolfsburg.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Willi Orban (RB Leipzig, 13 points)
Despite ending up on the end of a 3-2 defeat to 10-man Hertha Berlin, Leipzig captain Orban won some big challenges and scored his second Bundesliga goal of the season 20 minutes from time to set up a grandstand finale at the Red Bull Arena.
Naldo (Schalke, 19 points)
Naldo had the final say in a dramatic game at the Commerzbank Arena as Schalke hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Eintracht Frankfurt. The veteran Brazilian was kept on his toes throughout the contest defensively, but gave the Eagles a taste of their own medicine in injury time when he swept home the equaliser.
Watch: Naldo reflects on Schalke's season so far
Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig, 14 points)
The wrong result for Halstenberg, but another fine showing at left-back from the freshly minted Germany international. After rescuing a point at Wolfsburg with the equalising goal in midweek, the Leipzig man struck for the second successive game against Hertha - although this time it was nothing more than a consolation.
Midfielders
Michael Gregoritsch (Augsburg, 12 points)
When he's not scoring goals, Gregoritsch is busy laying on assists. Deep into added time and with the clocking ticking down, the Austria international's probing cross asked the question of Freiburg's wavering defence and Alfred Finnbogason did the rest to complete his hat-trick and snatch Augsburg a draw from the jaws of defeat.
Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen, 20 points)
Chipping in with two assists, weighing in with a couple of efforts on goal of his own and winning his fair share of challenges, Bremen's Tenacious D put in an individual effort worthy of all three points against Mainz. The Green-Whites could only manage a draw, though, despite taking a two-goal lead.
Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund, 16 points)
Pulisic crowned a memorable week with an audaciously taken winner against Hoffenheim. The 19-year-old came up with the goods a minute from normal time at the Signal Iduna Park as Dortmund came from behind to record their second win in as many games under new head coach Peter Stöger. No wonder he scooped the 2017 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year award just days earlier!
Watch: Christian Pulisic on his match-winner against Hoffenheim
Forwards
Raffael (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 23 points)
Raffael rolled back the years with two goals and an assist for Thorgan Hazard in Gladbach's comfortable 3-1 victory at home to Hamburg. It was the 33-year-old's third brace of the season following match-winning salvos against Stuttgart and former club Hertha. As the old adage goes, age is just a number...
Davie Selke (Hertha Berlin, 19 points)
Selke promised he'd celebrate if he scored against former club Leipzig, and he stayed true to his word. The 22-year-old fist-bumped with glee after netting his third and fourth goals of the campaign - and would have had a hat-trick but for the woodwork.
Watch: Davie Selke on Hertha's "excellent win" at Leipzig
Tim Kleindienst (Freiburg, 18 points)
Freiburg surrendered a 3-1 lead in their draw with Augsburg, but it wasn't for the wont of trying on the part of Kleindienst. Making only his fifth start of the season, the 22-year-old had a direct hand in all three of Die Breisgauer's goals at the WWK Arena. It is hardly a coincidence the collapse followed his withdrawal in the 77th minute...