Bayern, Dortmund and Schalke have 37 points, Gladbach 36: as a result of the weekend fixtures, the tussle at the top of the Bundesliga has become even tighter. The chasing trio from the west of Germany profited from Bayern's restart defeat, so that a single point now covers the top four. FCB, the only Bundesliga club still in contention for three trophies, remain top of the pile on goal difference.
“We've always said we can take nothing for granted," said Christian Nerlinger. The situation in the standings is extremely rare: the last time three teams were level on points at the top of the table in the second half of the season was back in 1991/92, fully 20 years ago. “First and foremost, Dortmund are our biggest rivals," continued the FCB director of sport, “but Mönchengladbach and Schalke are contenders too." Jupp Heynckes took a similar view: “Our biggest rivals are Borussia Dortmund, but we mustn't underestimate Schalke and Gladbach."
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