Bayern Munich are hell-bent on clawing their way back to the Bundesliga's summit — and fourth-placed Hoffenheim are the next obstacle in their path. 

Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, have dropped down the table after a poor run of form and will hope to correct that with a victory over struggling Stuttgart. 

And it is top versus bottom as surprise league leaders Union Berlin travel to face Bochum as they bid to remain ahead of the pack. 

Meanwhile, third-placed Freiburg will be looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat against Bayern when they host Werder Bremen.

Game of the week: Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Bayern made a statement last Saturday as they leapfrogged Freiburg with a resounding 5-0 victory before following up that impressive performance with a 5-2 win at Augsburg in Wednesday's DFB-Pokal tie.

But since 2016-17, no side has picked up more Bundesliga points at home against the Bavarians than Hoffenheim's 10. 

Meanwhile, Bayern are winless in their last three away games in the competition. 

However, Hoffenheim head coach Andre Breitenreiter has lost all seven of his Bundesliga meetings with FCB by an aggregate scoreline of 26-2 — no manager has a worse 100% losing record against a single club in the division's history.

Borussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Dortmund have gone three Bundesliga games without a win and are in desperate need of three points to arrest their decline. 

On paper, a home fixture against Stuttgart — who only picked up their first league victory of the campaign last Saturday — looks to be a kind one. 

However, Dortmund have suffered 13 defeats and conceded 73 Bundesliga goals at home against Stuttgart — they only have a worse record against Bayern. 

Stuttgart, though, have failed to win any of their last 14 Bundesliga away fixtures (eight draws, six defeats) and have only triumphed in one of their last 21 such games (11 draws, nine defeats).

Bochum vs Union Berlin (Sunday, 2.30pm)

Bochum are enduring their worst-ever start to a Bundesliga campaign, with just four points after 10 games — and they face the league leaders next. 

The Bundesliga's bottom club also have its worst defence (27 goals conceded) and its bluntest attack (nine goals scored). Meanwhile, Union boast the best defensive record in the division, shipping just six goals.

Furthermore, the hosts have given away seven penalties already — an all-time Bundesliga record at this stage of the season.

Meanwhile, Union are enjoying their best-ever start in the top flight, with 23 points from 10 games — far exceeding their previous best of 16 at this stage.

Borussia Monchengladbach vs Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday, 5.30pm)

This match pits sixth against fifth in what promises to be a close encounter. 

After enjoying a six-match unbeaten run against Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach failed to win either of last season's encounters, losing 3-2 at home last December before sharing the spoils in their final outing on the road last term.

Frankfurt have picked up more away points in the Bundesliga against BMG (53) than against any other side. 

However, Die Fohlen have won six of the last seven on their own patch in the competition (one defeat). 

Intriguingly, these two sides have the joint-best record in the Bundesliga for goals from set-pieces, with eight each.

Freiburg vs Werder Bremen (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Third-placed Freiburg will be wounded after suffering a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern and will be hoping for a positive response against mid-table Werder Bremen. 

However, of teams in this season's Bundesliga, Werder only have a better win percentage against Bochum (63%) than they do against Freiburg (55%). 

Additionally, the visitors have lost just one of their last 10 games against Freiburg in all competitions (four wins, five draws) and are unbeaten away from home in the Bundesliga this season (three wins, two draws). 

Freiburg have, though, won each of their last five Bundesliga home games against promoted sides — the longest such run of any team in Germany's top flight.

The weekend's other games

Mainz vs FC Cologne (Friday, 7.30pm)

Bayer Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Augsburg vs RB Leipzig (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Hertha Berlin vs Schalke (Sunday, 4.30pm)

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