Bundesliga week 23

Friday:
Schalke v Cologne
Saturday:
Wolfsburg v Karlsruhe
Bayern v Hannover
Stuttgart v Dortmund
Hoffenheim v Bremen
Energie v Hertha
Monchengladbach v Hamburg
Sunday:
Leverkusen v Bochum
Arminia v Eintracht

Game of the week this week is at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, where Markus Babbel's goal-happy side welcome Dortmund - capable of a few pot shots themselves. Remarkably, Babbel has still to taste defeat in his reign at the Schwabian side, though they do draw too many. However, those draws tend to be 3-3 or better, so entertainment is almost guaranteed and Mario Gomez, despite being able to do things like this, is on fire at the moment. Dortmund need wins to avoid being cast adrift in mid-table.

Will we have another new leader this week? Doubtful, as Hertha travel to Cottbus who are firmly in the bottom three having lost by the odd goal in five to relegation rivals Bochum last week. Hoffenheim need to start winning to maintain their push - they've yet to win in 2009 - and a visit from form starved Bremen might well be the ideal point at which to break the series, though the draw will be the short price favourite outcome. Hamburg, too, look good for three points away at improving Gladbach. Bayern face lowly Hannover as they look to get their first league win of the year, but they'll have to start playing a lot better than they have been lately and perhaps it's up to the players to ignore Klinsmann and just do what they know they can do. Coming up fast on the rails are Wolfsburg, the form team at the moment, and they welcome Karlsruhe to the VolkswagenArena. Again, they look good for the points with Karlsruhe in terrible form and now three points from safety.

Improving Cologne go to pisspoor Schalke on Friday night in another stern test for Fred Rutten's misfiring Königsblauen. If it starts going against them, the exacting Gelsenkirchen public will let him know. It's been a poor season by the high standards expected of a big-spending club and they spent so long in chasing Rutten, you wonder how much more patient everyone around the club will be. Bochum pulled themselves out of the drop zone last week in beating Energie, but they travel to Leverkusen this week where the home side are impossible to read. It's win or lose for them, and they beat Bayern in the cup 4-2 in midweek, meaning that a loss is the favourite outcome this weekend. Front two Patrick Helmes and Steffan Kiessling have 25 goals between them and they pose a real threat which Bochum will have to be on their mettle to deal with.