By George Burns Nov 19, 2009, 10:08 GMT
Hamburg - Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen visit struggling giants Bayern Munich Sunday, knowing victory would deal a serious blow to their rival's title hopes while also possibly fatally undermining the position of Bayern coach Louis van Gaal.
Bayern are a club in turmoil at present, as seen by Luca Toni and Philipp Lahm both receiving fines earlier this month, Lahm for critical comments in a newspaper interview and Toni for leaving the stadium after being substituted at half-time against Schalke 04.
Defeat to Leverkusen would leave Bayern nine points adrift of the top and languishing somewhere in mid-table, a position the board at Germany's most successful club are likely to find unacceptable, especially as a place in next season's lucrative Champions League would also be under threat.
'At this stage we need some liberating act to clear the air so that everything can settle down again,' club manager Uli Hoeness said ahead of the clash with Leverkusen.
'We are all very focussed. This is now the most important match of the first half of the season.'
While football will be the main talking point in Munich, fourth- placed Schalke travel to Hanover 96 on Saturday for a match overshadowed by the suicide last week of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke.
Hanover will be looking to take the first steps back to normality following the death of their captain but the game at the AWD Arena where last weekend's memorial service for Enke took place is bound to be a muted affair.
'The team needs a point of reference,' Hanover sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said, explaining the decision to go ahead with the match against Schalke.
Second-placed Werder Bremen visit SC Freiburg hoping to extend a 17-match unbeaten run in competitive matches that has seen Thomas Schaaf's side move within three points of Leverkusen at the top.
Freiburg, meanwhile, will also be on a high after ending a four- game losing streak with victory against VfL Bochum last time out.
Defending champions VfL Wolfsburg currently lie in fifth place and need a victory at home to struggling Nuremberg Saturday to keep pace with the leaders while third-placed SV Hamburg entertain Bochum on Sunday hungry for the full three points.
Despite having drawn three of their last four Bundesliga matches, Bruno Labbadia's side are still only three points behind Leverkusen and they will fancy their chances against a relegation-threatened Bochum side that has lost its last two matches under new coach Heiko Herrlich.
VfB Stuttgart have so far retained faith in coach Marcus Babbel but defeat to bottom club Hertha Berlin would heap the pressure on the former Germany and Liverpool star.
Also Saturday, Cologne welcome Hoffenheim, Borussia Moenchengladbach visit Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund entertain Mainz 05.
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