The most pivotal round of fixtures in the Bundesliga this season takes place this week, as the top two finally go head to head. A win for either side will mean that the Bundesliga title could be within their grasp. Meanwhile, there is also an intriguing fixture between two other sides in the top six, with both fighting hard for a place in Europe next season.
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich
All eyes on Tuesday evening will be on Signal Iduna Park, as Borussia Dortmund will have to get all three points against Bayern Munich to keep their title chances alive. There is very little between the top two, with neither side having tasted defeat in their last six, and the quality on show in this game will be the very best.
No team in the Bundesliga has scored more goals than Bayern, with Dortmund having scored the second-highest tally. Dortmund have been in tremendous form since the restart, as they have won both of their games. Their first victory came in the form of a 4-0 win over local rivals Schlake. However, they made it two wins from two with another inspired performance away at Wolfsburg on Saturday. Dortmund raced into a 2-0 lead after goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Ashraf Hakimi. This will be a much sterner challenger of them defensively.
Bayern have been near-perfect since the winter break, as their 0-0 draw against RB Leipzig is the only blemish on their record. A win in this fixture would mean that an eighth league title should be a formality, as they would only need to win five of their remaining seven games. They were in incredible form last time out, as they wrapped up a comfortable 5-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. There were four different goalscorers in the win for Bayern, as Leon Goretzka, Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and Alphonso Davies were all on the scoresheet.
Bayern are dominant against Dortmund, as they have won 23 of the 44 matches. They have also won the last two against their opponents on Tuesday, and in that time that have scored nine unanswered goals. This is a huge fixture, and Bayern’s experience in a title race will carry them to all three points.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg
Both Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg have hopes of their own this season. Leverkusen have a newfound belief that they can secure a finish in the Champions League spots, while Wolfsburg will be looking to increase their chances of a finish in the Europa League spaces.
Bayer Leverkusen have been getting a lot of attention from football fans from around the world, as their attractive, free-flowing football is breathtaking at times. They will come into this fixture having won five of their previous six, with that run of form even including a win over Borussia Monchengladbach. That success came on Saturday and saw Leverkusen leapfrog their opponents into fourth spot. Kai Havertz was once again the star of the show as he scored a brace to take his tally since the restart to four. Sven Bender made sure of the win by scoring the third.
Wolfsburg would have been disappointed last time out as they weren’t able to lay a glove on Borussia Dortmund. They suffered a 2-0 defeat, but Freiburg and Schalke’s defeats meant that they remain in the final Europa League spot. They have been in the best form of all the sides in that race, as they have lost just once in their last six. A win in this fixture would certainly lay their marker down for the remainder of the season, but they will have to play much better than they did against Dortmund.
Leverkusen’s form over recent weeks has been electric, and the only chance that Wolfsburg will have of getting three points will be dependent on whether they are able to keep Havertz quiet. That would seem incredibly unlikely at present given his form, which means the preference would be for a home win.
