MY ACCOUNT
As Bayern Munich close in on a 10th consecutive Bundesliga crown, there is still plenty to play for in the race for European qualification and survival scrap.
The league leaders travel to third-bottom Arminia Bielefeld looking to maintain their vice-like grip at the summit.
Elsewhere, second-placed Borussia Dortmund host Wolfsburg and third plays fourth as Bayer Leverkusen host RB Leipzig.
Game of the week: Arminia Bielefeld vs Bayern Munich (Sunday, 2.30pm)
Bayern’s superior goal difference means they should only need six more points to clinch the title — and they will be eyeing three against Arminia.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side are the only team to have found the net in every game this season and are currently on a Bundesliga-record run of scoring in 76 consecutive matches.
By contrast, Arminia have failed to register in 12 Bundesliga outings this term — more than any other side.
The hosts’ recent struggles at the sharp end of the pitch do not come as a surprise with no team managing fewer than their 23 goals.
Robert Lewandowski has no such problems and Bayern’s Polish poacher can set a record by scoring his 18th away strike away from home in a single Bundesliga campaign.
Here are the other big games to watch this weekend…
Borussia Dortmund vs Wolfsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm)
Dortmund will need a miracle to catch Bayern but they can delay their rivals’ title party with victory over Wolfsburg.
BVB’s recent record against the Wolves is almost perfect — they have won 12 of the last 13 meetings between the teams, drawing the other.
The visitors come into this contest following their biggest win in over 12 months, a 4-0 thrashing of Arminia which snapped a three-match losing streak.
Dortmund did concede four in their last home outing against RB Leipzig but they have not suffered successive defeats at Signal Iduna Park since December 2020.
Goalkeeper Koen Casteels’ return from injury last time out was most welcome for Die Wolfe, who have conceded an average of 2.8 goals per game without their No1 compared to 1.3 with.
Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig (Sunday, 6.30pm)
Two teams looking to cement top-four spots go head-to-head at the BayArena where third-placed Leverkusen could go four points clear of Leipzig.
But Die Werkself have never beaten the Red Bulls at home in five attempts and against no other opponent do they average fewer points per game at home (0.6).
The hosts will have to think fast in possession this weekend with only Bayern (372) forcing more high turnovers this term than Leipizg’s 289.
Leverkusen look to have solidified at the back of late, letting in just three goals in their last six games compared to 11 in the previous six.
In Christopher Nkunku, the visitors boast the joint-leader for goal contributions in Europe’s top five leagues this calendar year with 17 (10 goals and seven assists) — level with Kylian Mbappe.
Freiburg vs Bochum (Saturday, 2.30pm)
Still in the hunt for Champions League qualification, Freiburg entertain a Bochum side trying to string together back-to-back away Bundesliga wins for the first time since January 2010.
With 48 points after 29 games, the Breisgau Brazilians are enjoying their best top-flight campaign since 1994-95 — the only time they have collected more points (56) by this stage.
Bochum drew 0-0 with Leverkusen last time out to keep their first clean sheet since Matchday 18 — but they have also now drawn 11 blanks this season, the second-most in the division.
The visitors will be wary of Freiburg’s set-piece prowess. Only Bayern have scored more goals (22) from dead-ball situations this term than their 21, a league-high nine coming from free-kicks.
Despite sitting comfortably in 12th, Bochum have been among the league’s worst finishers with only Borussia Monchengladbach (-14.4) having a greater negative expected goals difference than their -11.5.
Augsburg vs Hertha Berlin (Saturday, 2.30pm)
Six points clear of the bottom three with five games to go, Augsburg can sense safety — but they cannot let their guard down against a Hertha Berlin team battling for survival.
The hosts’ 1-0 loss at Bayern on Matchday 29 saw them fail to score for the first time during the second half of the campaign.
This game comes six months to the day since Hertha’s last away victory — and the visitors have just lost four in a row on the road for the first time in three years.
Victory for Augsburg would be their seventh at the WWK Arena this term and keep them on course to equal their Bundesliga best for home wins in a campaign (nine).
Hertha have fared well against Augsburg historically, losing only three of 19 Bundesliga meetings.
The weekend’s other games
Mainz vs Stuttgart (Saturday, 2.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Koln (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Hoffenheim vs Greuther Furth (Sunday, 4.30pm)
Union Berlin vs Eintracht Frankfurt (Sunday, 4.30pm)
Follow each game with our unbeatable live scores service. Simply tap the Scores tab on the web or download the LiveScore app from the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android.
