By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
After a brief hiatus due to the final international break of 2025, the Bundesliga swings back into action for the year’s run-in with an action-packed Matchday 11 schedule this weekend.
League-leading FC Bayern München may have seen their record winning start ended by the 2-2 draw with 1. FC Union Berlin last time out, but the reigning champions remain unbeaten this term.
Bayern resume their title defence by hosting Sport-Club Freiburg at the Allianz Arena on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CET), with star man Harry Kane continuing his red-hot start to the season by scoring twice for England at the weekend.
Kane now has 29 goals in 23 appearances for club and country in 2025-26, with 13 of them coming in 10 Bundesliga outings. The England captain will take some stopping, but only four teams have a better defence than 10th-place Freiburg – and Kane vs. visiting goalkeeper Noah Atubolu should make for a fascinating battle.
At the same time on Saturday afternoon, third-place Borussia Dortmund welcome fourth-place VfB Stuttgart to the Signal Iduna Park in a fixture which could have serious implications on the battle for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Like Bayern, Dortmund were held on Matchday 10 but they have suffered just one defeat in the league thus far – to their Klassiker rivals. They are level on points with visitors Stuttgart going into the weekend, with both teams seven back from Bayern.
Stuttgart have been all or nothing this term – winning seven and losing three – and their last four games have served up 15 goals. There should be even more fireworks when they take on Dortmund in what will be a fascinating match-up between two evenly matched teams.
A point further forward sit Ole Werner’s RB Leipzig, who missed the chance to close the gap to Bayern last time out as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim. Had Leipzig won that game, they would have been just three off the lead, but they have the opportunity to make up for that loss at home to Werner’s old club SV Werder Bremen on Sunday.
It is the first time the 37-year-old will meet his former employers as Leipzig boss, having previously led Bremen to promotion back to the top flight in 2022 before leaving for the Red Bull Arena this summer.
The weekend’s fixtures begin on Friday night with 1. FSV Mainz 05 at home to Hoffenheim, who have shot up the table to sixth and could be as high as second if they’re victorious against a Mainz side yet to win at home this term.
The action concludes at the Millerntor on Sunday as FC St. Pauli look to end a sevengame losing run that has seen them tumble down the standings when they host fellow Kultclub Union Berlin.