German Bundesliga Weekend Preview

Two important local derbies take centre stage with Bayern Munich hosting Nurnberg and Cologne playing Borussia Monchengladbach.

Friday 12th November 2010

While both matches would get the fans' pulses racing in any normal circumstances, the current situation surrounding the derbies promises an explosive atmosphere at the Allianz Arena and the Mungersdorfer Stadion.

Bayern find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being behind Nurnberg in the league table.

The last time that happened was 18 years ago, when a 3-1 defeat compounded their problems.

A similar result for Bayern on Sunday is out of the question.

"Just a glance at the table leaves only a win open to us," said club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"There can be no replacement for that. I hope that the game in Gladbach was just a blip and that we can start to climb again on Sunday."

Bayern are already 15 points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund, who on Friday night beat Hamburg 2-0 at home.

Victory in front of 81,000 fans at the Westfalenstadion would take Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund seven points clear of nearest challengers Mainz, at least for a night.

The focus at the bottom of the table is on the derby in Cologne.

The hosts currently hold a one-point advantage over their bottom-placed rivals Gladbach so neither team can afford to lose.

"It is going to be an emotional game for both sides," said Monchengladbach coach Michael Frontzeck.

"The decisive factor will be who can keep their nerves in a derby match full of aggression and strong tackles."

Kaiserslautern are starting to show nerves as they slide down the table, level on 10 points with their guests on Saturday, Stuttgart.

Anxiety is also affecting Wolfsburg and Schalke, who have failed to live up to expectations so far this season and will both be aiming for three points when they meet at the VW-Arena.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen need to get out of a rut after four games without a win when they entertain high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt, while second-placed Mainz will hope to return to winning ways after losing their last two matches when Hannover come to town.

Bayer Leverkusen can climb into second if they can win at St Pauli, while Hoffenheim and Freiburg could both have a place in the top three up for grabs when they meet on Sunday.