The Bundesliga resumes this weekend following the international break, with the standout fixture coming on Sunday when table-topping Bayern Munich travel to second place Bayer Leverkusen.
That is one of nine matches that will take place in the German top flight across the weekend, beginning with Cologne’s trip to Hoffenheim on Friday night, while a further six fixtures will be contested on Saturday and two on Sunday – including the big one at the BayArena.
Guess who's back, back again… #Bundesliga's back, tell a friend!
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Bayern to Bounce Back at in-Form Leverkusen
Only goal difference is keeping league leaders Bayern Munich above Bayer Leverkusen ahead of Sunday’s top of the table clash, with the Bavarians having suffered their first defeat of the season at home to Entracht Frankfurt before the international break.
Leverkusen are the form team in Germany, as they have won five matches on the spin across all competitions, including back-to-back 4-0 successes at Celtic and Arminia Bielefeld, although their most recent defeat was on home soil against Borussia Dortmund.
That loss to Dortmund may still be playing on the minds of Leverkusen’s players ahead of the visit of the defending champions especially as Bayern have an ominous record at BayArena, as they have won on four of their last five league visits to the venue.
Sunday’s match will also pit the two highest scoring teams in this season’s Bundesliga against each other, so there should be plenty of excitement on offer, with a Bayern win and both teams to score looking an intriguing option at 6/4.
Resilient Freiburg to Maintain Unbeaten Start
There is only one unbeaten record still standing in the Bundesliga this season, and that belongs to Freiburg, who will head into Saturday’s home clash with RB Leipzig sitting fourth in the standings and having not lost a competitive match since May.
Christian Streich’s side are especially resilient on home soil, as they have not been beaten at Europa-Park Stadion since March, while they have also won three of their previous four meetings with Leipzig on their own patch.
Leipzig are still finding their feet under new head coach Jesse Marsch and they have a rotten recent record away from home in the Bundesliga, taking just one point from their last six games.
There could be more away-day misery for Marsch and co on Saturday, with a Freiburg win priced at 14/5, although even the double chance of a home win or the draw could represent good value at 20/21.
Union to Deliver on Home Soil Again
Union Berlin went into the international break on the back of three successive victories across all competitions, while they are yet to taste defeat on home soil this season, with their last loss at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in the Bundesliga coming over a year ago against Augsburg – a run of 20 matches.
Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig and Leverkusen have all failed to win at Union during that sequence, as have Saturday’s visitors Wolfsburg, who will head into the match without a win in three league games after starting the season with four successive victories.
It does appear the wheels have come off for Mark van Bommel and his side over recent weeks, and Union should take full advantage in front of their own support, with a home win being available at 17/10.
*All odds correct at time of writing.