What a streak! FC Bayern have never lost a Bundesliga match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The German record champions have won 11 of the 15 encounters to date, with four games ending in a draw. Of the Bundesliga match-ups in which one of the teams involved has never won, FCB v TSG is the only fixture to be played more than nine times. The Reds have won seven of the last eight matches: Hoffenheim's only point came in a 3-3 draw at the Allianz Arena in late March 2014, the only time a match in Munich yielded a point for Hoffenheim.
Stronghold Allianz Arena
The Bavarians have reason to be confident before the first match in front of their own crowd in the second half of the season as their home record is superb. The men from Munich have won all of their last 15 competitive fixtures at the Allianz Arena. FCB last set off on a similar streak in 2013, when they won 18 games in a row between March and November. The German record champions have even kept a clean sheet in the last five home matches. Arsenal's Olivier Giroud scored the last goal for a visiting side in Munich on 4 November.
Hoffenheim's away blues
The visitors face a crisis in the current campaign. The side lying 17th in the table have only won one match on foreign soil so far: Hoffenheim beat Augsburg 3-1 away from home on Matchday 7. TSG have lost five and drawn three away matches, and are without a win in five away games, only scoring one goal in the last four.
Drees in charge
Dr Jochen Drees has been appointed as referee for the encounter between FC Bayern and Hoffenheim. The 45-year-old from Münster-Sarmsheim takes charge of a Bayern game for the second time this season. Most recently he oversaw the 2-0 home victory over Hertha Berlin. Drees' assistants will be Timo Gerach and Christian Gittelmann, with Frank Willenborg acting as the fourth official.
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