After the international break, football action resumes in the Bundesliga. There are some interesting match ups which could set the tone for the rest of the season but more importantly, the focus will be on the teams getting back into their league rhythm.
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An important, and an early game, will see Borussia Dortmund visit Mainz. Thomas Tuchel will be back at the club where it all started for him. His Dortmund side have started well, although they are a long-way off their best and the hosts would like to make things difficult for their former coach. It could be an interesting battle to set the tone for the weekend.
Leaders Bayern Munich will visit Werder Bremen which was a glamour contest in years past. Currently, the hosts are in the midst of a wretched patch of form while Bayern are enjoying the hot form of Robert Lewandowski. It is very hard to see how Bremen will stop the incredibly in form Polish striker.
Another clash that could set pulses racing will be third placed Schalke 04 hosting Hertha Berlin. The teams are currently following each other in the table with the host two points and a place ahead of Berlin. The high-flying Schalke crashed to a home defeat by FC Cologne in the last round but the home supporters will expect that the international break has served their team well.
On the other end of the table, VfB Stuttgart will host, the surprise package of the season, Ingolstadt. While Stuttgart is struggling with just one win and four points from eight games, their visitors have already amassed four wins and 14 points. This could be a vital match that could determine if Ingolstadt can sustain their early momentum.
Eintracht Frankfurt will host Borussia Monchengladbach in a game that will feature both teams desperate to move up the table. M’Gladbach has seen a mini revival, of sorts, by winning the last three matches but they are still no-where near their form from last season. Frankfurt haven’t won in their last four Bundesliga games and will hope for a change of fortunes.
Hamburg will welcome Bayer Leverkusen in another match that will see two teams that have under-performed so far this season. Hamburg is in the bottom half of the table while Leverkusen is out of the top six and both will be eager for a more productive set of matches.
Wolfsburg was expected to challenge Bayern this season but has, surprisingly, started slow. The loss of Kevin de Bruyne to Manchester City has obviously hampered their prospects and the scars of the 5-1 thrashing by Bayern seem to have set them back as they lost three of their last four games in all competitions. If they want to get back in the mix for Europe, this could be their starting point.
In other matches, it will be relegation strugglers Augsburg welcoming Darmstadt while, surprise top half team, FC Cologne take on relegation battle scarred Hannover 96. These matches could spring a surprise with the teams at the rear end of the table eager to snatch points.
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