By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
FC Bayern München continue their quest to wrestle back the Bundesliga crown as they travel to newly promoted FC St. Pauli on Saturday afternoon.
The current league leaders hold a three-point advantage and come into this game on the back of a 3-0 victory over high-flying 1. FC Union Berlin. Harry Kane, the Bundesliga’s top goalscorer this term with 11 strikes, was twice on the scoresheet and now has three strikes in his past three games.
Vincent Kompany’s men are also unbeaten domestically, making it a particularly tough challenge for St. Pauli. The Kiezkicker, though, are equipping themselves well in their first Bundesliga season in 14 years and secured a 2-0 win away at TSG Hoffenheim on Matchday 9 to move out of the bottom three.
Looking to take advantage of any potential slip-up are RB Leipzig, who suffered their first defeat of the league against Borussia Dortmund last time out. They took the lead in that one through Benjamin Šeško but were unable to hold on for all three points.
The loss of Xavi Simons until the new year is a big blow, and his influence was clearly missed against Dortmund. As such, someone will need to fill the creative void when Die Roten Bullen host Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday evening.
After a difficult start to the season, Gladbach are starting to show some form, picking up 10 points from their previous five fixtures. New Germany international Tim Kleindienst has been at the forefront of Die Fohlen’s resurgence, racking up six goals and four assists – his battle with the Leipzig backline, the best defence in the division so far with just five goals conceded, will be fascinating viewing.
Earlier on Saturday, Nuri Şahin’s Dortmund will aim to build on the Leipzig triumph with a victory over 1. FSV Mainz 05. The Black-Yellows have unleashed their inner Jekyll and Hyde in recent weeks – while they have won all five home matches in the Bundesliga in 2024-25, they have just one point from their four away games.
That combination still leaves them in fifth place, and they will hope to profit from the 05ers’ own home struggles. Bo Henriksen’s outfit have just two points to their name from their fixtures at the MEWA Arena, with the remainder of their 10 points coming on their travels. They last drew 0-0 at SC Freiburg to climb up to 13th place.
Reigning champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen are also in action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to VfL Bochum 1848. While Die Werkself have lost just one of their opening nine matches in the league, they have been unable to match last term’s intensity and have now won just one of their past five.
Therefore, they have a seven-point gap to close to the summit, but they will be confident of at least making sure it doesn’t grow when they travel to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion – the scene of their last domestic away loss in May 2023. Bochum, who this week appointed Dieter Hecking as head coach until the end of the season, have managed just one point this season as they prop up the Bundesliga.
Just above Leverkusen in the table are Eintracht Frankfurt, who are in action at VfB Stuttgart on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles have been prolific this season, never more so than in their 7-2 hammering of Bochum last weekend. Those efforts took their tally for the campaign to 23, which is their highest total after nine matches since 1993/94.
Omar Marmoush, with 10 goals and six assists, has been Dino Toppmöller’s star man, and they will need the Egyptian at his bests versus Die Schwaben. Sebastian Hoeneß and Co. have needed some time to get used to juggling European and domestic responsibilities, but a four-match unbeaten streak appears to have given them confidence.
Meanwhile, Freiburg, who are just one point behind Frankfurt in the table, travel to the capital to face Union in Friday’s Matchday 10 curtain-raiser. Julian Schuster has overseen a seamless transition following Christian Streich’s retirement, but 90 minutes at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei, where Die Eisernen are yet to taste defeat this campaign, will be a test of their credentials.
On Sunday, Hoffenheim will look to bounce back from their loss against St. Pauli when making the trip to FC Augsburg. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men currently find themselves in the relegation play-off position, with next opponents Die Fuggerstädter capable of big performances as they showed when beating Dortmund two matchdays back.
Finally, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 close out the weekend’s action, also on Sunday, at home to VfL Wolfsburg. Both teams occupy positions in the bottom half, with Heidenheim without a league win in four matches. The Wolves are also searching for consistency, but three points this weekend is the main priority for both Frank Schmidt and Ralph Hasenhüttl in their attempts to put some distance between their respective teams and the drop zone.