Bundesliga round 8: Der Klassiker, Bayern v Dortmund, at the top and three clubs in danger playing at home. What matters in each game.
This round pits the best attack against the best defence at the top and gives the clubs at the bottom a chance to respond at home. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund come in unbeaten and level on points, and Saturday's Klassiker decides who goes clear at the top. Further down, the three clubs in the danger zone, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Union Berlin and Schalke, play at home against opponents who have yet to win away.
Title race: Bayern Munich and Dortmund are level on points, with Bayern ahead on goal difference. A win in Der Klassiker leaves one of them alone at the top; a draw keeps the two level. Top places: Freiburg and Leverkusen sit third and fourth on the same points, with Leipzig and Werder Bremen right behind, a point back. Freiburg come in off two straight defeats and visit Augsburg, who are unbeaten at home; Leipzig visit Schalke without ever having taken a point away. At the bottom: Mönchengladbach prop up the table, and Union Berlin, Schalke and Stuttgart have six points each. The three bottom clubs playing at home face opponents without an away win, but they also have little to show as hosts: Mönchengladbach have lost all three home games, and Schalke have yet to win at their own ground.
Bayern Munich
Borussia DortmundThe league's best attack meets the meanest defence: Bayern Munich have scored more goals than any club, and Borussia Dortmund have conceded fewer than anyone else. Both are unbeaten and level on points; Bayern have won all three of their home games, and Dortmund have yet to lose away. It's the game the round turns on: the winner ends up alone at the top, and a draw keeps the two level.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
PaderbornBottom side Borussia Mönchengladbach won their first game of the season last round, 3-2 at Stuttgart, but have lost all three at home and conceded more goals than any other team. Paderborn, 13th, have not won any of their three away games: two draws and a defeat. For Mönchengladbach, it's the chance to turn a first win into a run.
Bayer Leverkusen
StuttgartLeverkusen have a split record: they've won all three home games and conceded little, but have lost twice on the road, most recently 3-0 at Hoffenheim. Stuttgart, 15th, have lost four of their last five, the latest at home to bottom side Borussia Mönchengladbach. It's a game where home advantage favours the side that has already shown it knows how to use it.
Augsburg
FreiburgThird-placed Freiburg come in off two straight defeats, the latest at home to Bayern Munich, and visit an Augsburg side unbeaten at home: four games, one win and three draws. Augsburg haven't won in five. A Freiburg win holds on to the top place; a slip opens the door for Leipzig and Werder Bremen.
Schalke 04
RB LeipzigLeipzig have won all four home games and lost the three they've played away, conceding plenty; Schalke have yet to score at home and have drawn a blank in five of their seven games. Here, the league's worst attack hosts a visitor that has yet to take a point on the road. Schalke, 16th, are in the relegation play-off spot, and last round ended 0-0 at Köln.
Union Berlin
CologneIt's a direct relegation battle: Union Berlin are 17th and Köln 12th, two points ahead. Union have won only once in four home games, and Köln have lost all three away. The winner pulls away from the zone; the loser stays stuck in it.
All times are Brasília time (UTC−3).
The round opens on Friday with Elversberg v Mainz, neighbours in the table: Mainz have won all three of their away games, and Elversberg have won twice at home. Saturday packs five games into the same slot, among them Leverkusen v Stuttgart, Schalke v Leipzig, Augsburg v Freiburg and Mönchengladbach v Paderborn; Werder Bremen, still unbeaten at home, host a Hoffenheim side that thrashed Leverkusen last round. After that, Der Klassiker between Bayern Munich and Dortmund has the stage to itself. On Sunday, Union Berlin host Köln in a direct clash at the bottom, and Eintracht Frankfurt host Hamburg, who have lost three of their four away games. What the round decides: who holds the top spot after Der Klassiker and whether the bottom clubs turn home advantage into points.
