Bundesliga Matchday 22: Upstarts Union bidding for top spot at Bayern

Bayern Munich and Union Berlin find themselves level on points with top spot in the Bundesliga on the line.

Borussia Dortmund also visit Hoffenheim knowing they can move into pole position if the aforementioned duo drop points. 

Elsewhere, European hopefuls RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt go head-to-head looking to enter the top four ahead of Freiburg should the Breisgau Brazilians fail to win at home to Bayer Leverkusen. 

At the other end of the table, bottom side Schalke host fellow relegation strugglers Stuttgart.

Game of the weekend: Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Bayern are top of the Bundesliga but their 3-2 defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach last time out has allowed the chasing pack to close the gap. 

Both Dortmund and next opponents Union are level on points with the reigning champions, so failure to secure victory could prove a serious blow to the Bavarian giants' hopes of retaining their title. 

Bayern and Union boast the best defensive records in the division. The former have conceded 21 goals from 22 expected goals against, while the latter have shipped 24 from 20.1 xGA. 

The pair have also outperformed their expected goals by more than any other sides in Germany's top tier, with Julian Nagelsmann's men netting 61 times from an xG of 45 and Urs Fischer's team scoring 35 goals from an xG of 23.8.

After Union Berlin's 3-1 Europa League triumph over Ajax on Thursday, FCB will be especially wary of the capital club's threat.

Hoffenheim vs Borussia Dortmund (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Dortmund have been presented with a real chance to snatch top spot — should Bayern fail to win, victory over Hoffenheim would move Edin Terzic's side into first place. 

Die Borussen are unbeaten in five games against TSG (four wins, one draw), winning the last three in a row and the previous two away from home. 

BVB have been in brilliant form since the turn of the year, taking victory all eight of their competitive games and scoring a league-high 19 Bundesliga goals. 

Pellegrino Matarazzo's men, meanwhile, are winless in 11 league outings (two draws, nine defeats), failing to keep a single clean sheet in that run.

RB Leipzig vs Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday, 2.30pm)

Leipzig and Frankfurt are sitting just outside the top four and could force their way into a Champions League qualification spot with a win if Freiburg drop points. 

The Red Bulls are the division's form team, claiming more points (34) than any other club in the Bundesliga since Marco Rose took over in September. 

They also proved their mettle in Europe this week — securing a credible 1-1 draw with English giants Manchester City, while Saturday's opponents lost 2-0 to Napoli.

The side from Saxony have faced the fewest shots of any outfit in the league since the turn of the year (50). In contrast, Oliver Glasner's men have taken the second-fewest in that period (51).

Both coaches boast their longest unbeaten Bundesliga records against their next opponents — Rose has won five and drawn one of his six games against Frankfurt, while Glasner has won one and drawn six of his seven encounters with Leipzig.

Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen (Sunday, 2.30pm)

Freiburg are enjoying their joint-best Bundesliga season so far, having never recorded more than their 40 points at this stage of a campaign. 

The Breisgau Brazilians have registered a league-high nine clean sheets, while their next opponents Leverkusen are on a four-game wait for a shutout. 

Xabi Alonso's side are enduring their worst league campaign for 17 years, managing just 27 points from their 21 games. However, a penalty shootout victory over Monaco in Thursday night's Europa League last-16 fixture will have lifted spirits at the BayArena.

These two teams move the ball forward very differently — Leverkusen lead the league for direct attacks (47), while Freiberg have posted the second-fewest (16).

Schalke vs Stuttgart (Saturday, 5.30pm)

Schalke have made Bundesliga history by recording four consecutive 0-0 draws but the Bundesliga's bottom side need to start winning if they are to climb out of the relegation zone. 

Encouragingly for them, next opponents Stuttgart are on a 20-game winless run away from home in the German top flight (nine draws, 11 defeats). 

Both clubs have struggled in attack, though. They have the two worst chance conversion rates in the division (7.3% for Schalke, 12.3% for Stuttgart). 

Additionally, they rank as the bottom two teams in the league for minutes spent in leading positions (153 for Schalke, 250 for Stuttgart).

The weekend's other games

Mainz vs Borussia Monchengladbach (Friday, 7.30pm) 

FC Cologne vs Wolfsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm) 

Hertha Berlin vs Augsburg (Saturday, 2.30pm) 

Werder Bremen vs Bochum (Saturday, 2.30pm) 

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