Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will be missing a handful of players due to injury in their match against Schalke with Spanish international midfielder Thiago the latest to miss out after hurting his knee.
DPA/Berlin
The resumption of domestic football after international breaks is often eagerly awaited but a unique atmosphere can be expected in Bundesliga grounds this weekend after the recent terror attacks in Paris.
On Tuesday Germany’s scheduled friendly with the Netherlands in Hanover was cancelled at short-notice over security concerns and a few days later action will resume on the pitch.
League leaders Bayern Munich are among various clubs who have said they will increase safety measures at games though that it not an issue for them just yet as they travel to fifth-placed Schalke in tomorrow’s late game.
“Playing Bayern Munich is a challenging task,” Schalke captain Benedikt Hoewedes told the club homepage. “But we’re capable of getting something out of the game.
“We’re always stronger when we have our fans behind us and play as a unit; players and fans.
“The beautiful thing about football is that you never know in advance what the result of a game will be.”
Bayern are without a handful of players due to injury with Spanish international midfielder Thiago the latest to miss out after hurting his knee.
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund have the opportunity to cut the gap to Bayern to just two points, at least for 24 hours, by winning at SV Hamburg in today's late evening fixture.
Midtable Hamburg are looking to end a four-game winless run in front of their own fans but Dortmund have won only once in their last nine visits to the northern club.
“I watched Dortmund’s recent derby game against Schalke and they could have won by a far greater margin,” Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia told the club website.
“After Bayern, they are the best team in Germany.
“A huge task awaits us. They are a skilful side with a lot of power. Recent results have made them less tense. They are a strong side and we intend to match them.”
Third-placed Wolfsburg will aim to maintain their grip on a Champions League spot when they welcome Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin, in fourth, look to continue their surprisingly strong form at home to Hoffenheim on Sunday.
In the relegation battle there is a six-point clash when VfB Stuttgart, 16th, host bottom club Augsburg.
“It’s clear we’re not happy when we look at the table and we’ve tried in the last days to put that out of our minds,” Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl said. “I hope we can put in a good performance against Stuttgart tomorrow.”
Andre Schubert has his first match as permanent coach of Borussia Moenchengladbach at home to struggling Hanover and will want to maintain his unbeaten league record after starting with the position on an interim basis in September.
And the match also carries extra significance for Lars Stindl who moved to Gladbach from Hanover in close season. “It’s the first time in my career that I have played against a former club,” he said.
“The first thing I did when the fixture list came out was check when we were playing Hanover home and away. It’s a special game for me because I had five great years there and I’m still in close contact with everyone.”
Tomorrow’s other games are Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer Leverkusen and Cologne v Mainz.
The action concludes on Sunday with the meeting of the two promoted clubs, Ingolstadt and Darmstadt.
