By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Robert Lewandowski will hope to find the net against DSC Arminia Bielefeld for the first time this season to edge FC Bayern München closer to a record extending 10th Bundesliga title while top-four chasing Bayer 04 Leverkusen and RB Leipzig go toe-to-toe in the headline game of Matchday 30.
It was Lewandowski’s penalty — his 32nd league goal of the season — that proved enough for the leaders to beat FC Augsburg last time out, and after failing to find the net in Bayern’s hard-fought 1-0 home win over Bielefeld earlier in the campaign, the prolific Poland international will no doubt be doubly keen to score and help his team maintain their nine-point lead at the top.
Victory over their relegation-threatened hosts on Sunday — and their significantly superior goal difference — will put Bayern within touching distance of extending their record successive title run into double figures. Julian Nagelsmann’s squad will be champions again if they beat second-placed Borussia Dortmund in their Matchday 31 Klassiker, and they may not even need to win that game if Erling Haaland and Co. — the only side that can pip Bayern to the title — do not defeat VfL Wolfsburg at home 24 hours before the leaders kick-off the weekend.
Dortmund sit on an eight-point cushion over third-placed Leverkusen and fourthplaced Leipzig, who bring the curtain down at the Bay Arena on Sunday evening. Moussa Diaby’s missed penalty meant Leverkusen failed to score for the first time this season as they were held by VfL Bochum 1848, allowing Leipzig to close to within a point thanks in part to a 17th league goal of the season — and a 10th of a sizzling 2022 — from Diaby’s France international teammate Christopher Nkunku.
Neither can afford to lose the game if they want to be playing UEFA Champions League football next season, and the stakes could be higher still if SC Freiburg win against Bochum on Saturday, closing the three-point gap between themselves and Leipzig in the process.
1. FC Union Berlin — on a high following their big derby win last time out — would give their ambitions of qualifying for European competition a major boost if they deal a major blow to those of Eintract Frankfurt with victory in their match-up. The same is true of the Rhine derby between Borussia Mönchengladbach, who desperately need three points, and 1.FC Köln, who should provide a spectacular end to Saturday’s games.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim currently occupy sixth place and the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying spot — they’re ahead of Union on goal difference and a point clear of Köln — but they will be confident of holding that position as they host bottom side SpVgg Gruether Fürth.
A Hoffenheim win could potentially relegate Fürth depending on Bielefeld’s result and whether Hertha BSC can bounce back from their deflating 4-1 loss to their capital neighbours and keep their floundering hopes of survival alive with victory at fellow strugglers Augsburg. VfB Stuttgart — currently just a point above the bottom three — head to 1. FSV Mainz 05 where a win would keep their heads above water.
FC Schalke 04 are now in pole position to replace whoever drops out of the top flight, though they face a stiff test of their promotion credentials as they go to fourth-placed SV Darmstadt 98, who are just two points off top spot. Sandwiched in between are SV Werder Bremen — second only on goal difference — and FC St. Pauli, who take on promotion contenders 1.FC Nürnberg and struggling SV Sandhausen, respectively.
