German Bundesliga Team of the Week

The reigning Bundesliga champions have now extended their unbeaten run in the league to an incredible 31 games, although they currently trail Bayern Munich in the league by two points after the Bavarian powerhouse maintained their perfect start to the season with a 3-1 win over Mainz.

Surprise package Eintracht Frankfurt are the only other team with a perfect record this season with a 3-2 victory over Hamburg, with a returning Rafael Van der Vaart unable to prevent his side from losing despite his best efforts.

Elsewhere, Borussia Monchengladbach's wretched start to the season continued with a 3-2 loss to Nuremberg, while Schalke underlined their title credentials with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Greuther Furth.

Here, ESPNSTAR.com takes a look at the best players from the Bundesliga this week. The formation chosen is 4-5-1.

GK: Fabian Giefer (Fortuna Dusseldorf)

Giefer was hero for Fortuna as he singlehandedly kept Stuttgart, still smarting from their 6-1 thrashing by Bayern Munich in their previous game, out with a series of fine saves to earn his side a valuable point.

Although Fortuna's defence kept a disciplined shape and rarely allowed Stuttgart a sight at goal, Giefer still had to be alert to deny Tamas Hajnal's long range effort in the first half and in stunning fashion, Cacau's goal-bound shot late in the second half.

The 22-year-old's heroics ensured Fortuna would keep a clean sheet; they are the only side in the league yet to concede a single goal and with the form Giefer is currently in, only a foolish man would bet against them extending that run for a while longer.

RB: Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke)

Howedes may not have got a goal or assist to his name but Schalke's captain was instrumental in ensuring that Die Königsblauen would end the game with a win and a clean sheet.

The 24-year-old led his team from the back, charging forward often to support the attack but also remaining mindful of his defensive duties. He was commanding in defence and the Furth players found precious little joy when attacking down his flank.

LB: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich)

It is a testament to Badstuber's versatility that the 23-year-old, primarily a centre-back, is equally adept at playing in left-back for his side. Although Badstuber appeared slightly shaky in the unfamiliar position in previous games, the German international showed he was starting to warm to his new role in the team with a sterling display for the Bavarian side.

Quietly efficient and assured in possession, Badstuber added an attacking dimension to his usually defensive minded game and was seen overlapping down the flanks and causing havoc in Mainz's defence. One of his forays forward bore fruit, as he set up Bastian Schweinsteiger to head home the winning goal with a delicious cross from the left.

CB: Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)

The ex-Bayern Munich player did his former club no favours with a remarkable performance for Dortmund to keep the pressure on the Bavarians in the league. He opened the scoring for Die Borussen, heading Marcel Schmelzer delivery from a corner past Leverkusen custodian Bernd Leno.

Apart from his goal, Hummels was a rock for his side in defence; he was dominant in the air, tough in the tackle and distributed the ball well from the back. Leverkusen just could not find a way past the indomitable Hummels, who seemed determined to ensure teammate Roman Weidenfeller would not have to pick the ball from his net.

CB: Gibril Sankoh (FC Augsburg)

Augsburg finally got their first point of the season after Sankoh helped them grind out a goalless draw against Wolfsburg. In truth, Wolfsburg did not manage to create many chances but that was down to Sankoh's organisational skills at the back as much as anything.

Sankoh cut an imposing figure in the heart of defence, clearing his lines effectively and showing excellent reading of the game to make several timely interceptions and deny Wolfsburg a sniff at goal.

LM: Julian Draxler (Schalke)

Furth's defence were proving hard for Schalke to break down and Huub Stevens' men looked increasingly bewildered and frustrated trying to breach the Bavarian side as time went on.

It took a moment of pure genius from Draxler to open the scoring; cutting in from the left flank, he went past one defender before unleashing an unstoppable shot from nearly 30 yards out which nestled into the net, leaving Max Grun absolutely no chance to even get a touch on it.

RM: Szabolcs Huszti (Hannover)

Huszti's inclusion in this week's Team of the Week may cause some raised eyebrows as the Hannover winger was sent off in the game. However, a closer look at the mitigating factors for his inclusion will promptly put those eyebrows back to its rightful position. Huszti opened the scoring for Hannover early in the game with a delightful free-kick which left Bremen custodian Sebastian Mielitz grasping at air. The 29-year-old then got an assist to his name, cleverly teeing up Leon Andreasen barely 10 minutes later.

Bremen then launched an incredible fight back from going two goals down to draw level and almost snatched a win late in the game. However, Huszti had the last say in the game, popping up with a volleyed winner in the final action of the game to give his side a precious three points.

Why was Huszti dismissed then? The former Zenit Saint Petersburg player was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for celebrating his stoppage time goals too passionately, the first yellow card for taking off his shirt and then another for jumping up to celebrate with the Hannover fans. Given the circumstances, Huszti should be forgiven for letting his emotions get the better of him and it would be churlish to deny him a deserved place in this week's Bundesliga Team of the Week for that.

CM: Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nuremberg)

Kiyotake, a new signing for Nuremberg, proved why the Bavarian club brought him over to the Stadion Nürnberg during the summer with a match-winning performance for his side.

The Japan international proved why he is well known in Japan for being a deadly set-piece taker by providing two assists from a dead-ball situation. Nuremberg's first goal came about when Kiyotake sent in an inviting free-kick from the left which Timm Klose managed to get to, while Der Club's second goal came via the head of Timmy Simons, who rose highest to head home Kiyotake's corner.

Kiyotake himself managed to score for Nuremberg, showing great strength to hold off two Gladbach defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

CM: Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich)

The 22-year-old playmaker enhanced his burgeoning reputation in the footballing world with a masterful display in the attacking midfield role for Die Roten. Dictating play with ease, he utilised possession extremely well and was effectively the main creative hub for his side.

Kroos managed to cap off an impressive night with a goal of his own, showing great technique volley in Bayern Munich's third goal after an accurate cross from Javi Martinez from the right.

CM: Max Kruse (SC Freiburg)

Kruse was one of the shining stars in the entertaining eight goal thriller between Freiburg and Hoffenheim which finished 5-3 in favour of the former. The midfielder kept his side on the front foot for majority with some outstanding playmaking work, creating numerous chances for his teammates and tormenting Hoffenheim's defenders with his slick passing.

The playmaker managed to get himself on the score-sheet, when he headed in Julian Schuster's cross from the right. Kruse then turned provider for his team, both Fallou Diagne and Cedric Makiadi benefitting from the former Werder Bremen player's accurate corners, while Sebastian Freis also had Kruse to thank for managing to get amongst the goal-scorers after the 24-year-old set him free with an inventive through ball which Freis duly finished.

ST: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)

Dortmund's main striker showed once again why he was so highly sought after during the summer by the likes Manchester United and Chelsea with an accomplished performance upfront. He was a real handful for the Leverkusen defence, showing great strength to hold the ball up for his team and effectively linking-up play with his teammates throughout the game.

The only thing lacking for Lewandowski was to score and for majority of the game, it appeared that the Poland international would not be able to get his name on the score-sheet. However, the 24-year-old did not give up and his reward duly came in the 78th minute when he got a slight touch with his head to divert Marco Reus' free-kick into the net.