By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Log leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen remain 10 points ahead of the rest of the pack with just nine matches of the season remaining.
A 2-0 victory at home to VfL Wolfsburg was the sixth Bundesliga win in a row for Xabi Alonso’s side, and the 36th match unbeaten this season in all competitions. The next stop on the road to a potential maiden Bundesliga title is away at SC Freiburg. Die Werkself know they cannot take anything for granted at the gateway to the Black Forest with Freiburg drawing 2-2 at home to Bayern München in their last home tie and winning 2-1 at VfL Bochum 1848 at the weekend either side of a UEFA Europa League success over West Ham United.
Bayern know their hopes of retaining the title are getting smaller with each passing week, yet they showed in a huge 8-1 win over 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday just how formidable a team they are. Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to move onto 30 goals for the season already and get even closer to potentially breaking Robert Lewandowski’s all-time record of 41 goals in a single season.
The champions visit bottom-of-the-table SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday. The Lilies did offer some defensive resistance in a 2-0 defeat at RB Leipzig last weekend but must be fearful after conceding more goals than any other side in the Bundesliga (60).
Leipzig remain a single point outside the top four after fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund also won, 2-1 at SV Werder Bremen. The battle for what could be the final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot between the pair is one of the most intriguing contests heading into the final weeks of the season.
Leipzig get Matchday 26 underway on Friday evening with a visit to 1. FC Köln, who again showed spirit in their survival battle by sharing a thrilling 3-3 draw in a Rhine derby at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Dortmund are at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the final tie of the matchday on Sunday afternoon. Frankfurt are unbeaten in their past five Bundesliga matches after a 2-1 win at TSG Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Mainz host Bochum on Saturday afternoon in a big encounter at the bottom. A win for the 05ers could lift them out of the automatic relegation spots, depending on Köln’s result the previous evening. A result for Bochum – currently seven points above the bottom three in 15th place – would steer them further away from relegation danger.
FC Union Berlin and Wolfsburg are both level on points with Bochum. After losing 2-0 at high-flying VfB Stuttgart, the club from the capital will be hoping to take their first win in four at home to Werder Bremen.
Wolfsburg will aim to finally take their first win of 2024 at home to FC Augsburg on Saturday, but that will be far from an easy task with Jess Thorup’s side on a run of three wins in a row.
Stuttgart are on a highly impressive run of seven matches unbeaten and can take a further step towards a top-four finish at Hoffenheim on Saturday evening.
Newly promoted 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 also host Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday with a one-point advantage over the visitors in 11th. Victory for either could keep them in the race for a potential European qualification berth come the end of the campaign.