Leverkusen v Dortmund
Bayern v Eintracht
Monchengladbach v Cologne
Mainz v Freiburg
Hannover v Stuttgart
Hoffenheim v Nurnberg
Hertha v Wolfsburg
Bochum v Bremen
Schalke v Hamburg
Top game this week sees second-placed Hamburg travelling to take on third-paced Schalke. This is a crucial time for Hamburg without their leading strikers. Always difficult to break down, they look like relying on 1-0s until the likes of Mladen Petric return to the fold. A single Markus Berg goal saw off Celtic in Glasgow on Thursday night and Ze Roberto was, yet again, outstanding. That screen he provides in front of the back four is crucial when you lack firepower up top and he's the main man again here. Schalke are hanging on in there, the on-field performances masking huge problems off it. They just keep winning with Jefferson Farfan playing the best football he's played since joining the club.
Champions Wolfsburg go to rock bottom Hertha with Armin Veh telling Grafite - sent off in the midweek draw with Besiktas - to take a week off to refocus. Obafemi Martins will start alongside the ever-brilliant Edin Dzeko instead of the Brazilian. Hertha are still laughably bad and lost again in midweek to similarly bad Heerenveen. They cannot buy a break at the moment and will lose this one barring something spectacular. Bremen have snuck up on the rails and should be too good for Bochum this weekend. Leverkusen continue to lead the way and they begun the round on Friday against Dortmund who are capable of turning in either great or rubbish performances. They won last time out, so we're due a shocker. Bayern, meanwhile, host Eintracht who are talking up their chances ahead of the game. The Bavarians will be without Franck Ribery for a month, the Frenchman also likely to miss the World Cup qualifying play-offs, while Arjen Robben is still a doubt. Luca Toni will continue to lumber about like a poorly co-ordinated giraffe alongside Mario Gomez.
Hoffenheim keep getting up with the leaders only to fall back again. This week they're at home to Nurnberg where three points is the only really acceptable outcome. There's a big game at the bottom between Gladbach and Cologne while Markus Babbel's latest test comes as Stuttgart go to Hannover who are always tricky, if limited, opponents. Two promoted clubs face off as well, Freiburg going to Mainz. Both have started well, Mainz moreso, and both sides will fancy their chances of a win to consolidate that early achievement. Home advantage to swing it.
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