On Matchday 23, league leaders FC Bayern will host 1. FC Köln at Munich's Allianz Arena. The Reds' lead over RB Leipzig has shrunk to two points and the title race has become more exciting again. But the Saxons can't afford to drop any points if they're to keep up the pressure on Bayern. Behind the top two, meanwhile, the battle for the Champions League spots is heating up. Check out here which other games are important for FC Bayern on this particular matchday!
RB Leipzig - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Kick-off: Saturday, 27.02.2021, 18:30 CET
Significance: Saturday sees the matchday's outstanding fixture between two big-hitters who are currently battling in the Champions League Round of 16: Borussia Mönchengladbach and RB Leipzig. The Foals have slipped to eighth place after four games without a win and are already nine points behind a CL spot. And they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City in Europe's premier club competition on Wednesday. Leipzig, on the other hand, have won their last four games with a goal ratio of 9:1. In the reverse fixture, however, the Saxons suffered a 1-0 defeat.
Key fact: With 28 points from 11 games, RB Leipzig top the Bundesliga home table and also have the best defence in the league, having conceded just 18 goals. By comparison, Gladbach have already let in 33 goals. Although the Borussia men also have their lowest win ratio against Leipzig (just one win in nine games), Gladbach's recent away record gives them hope: they haven't lost in their last six games on the road.
RB Leipzig, who have won their last four league games and are now just two points behind FC Bayern, have had much to cheer about of late.
VfL Wolfsburg - Hertha BSC
Kick-off: Saturday, 27.02.2021, 15:30 CET
Significance: Thanks to an impressive run of eight straight league games without loss (five wins, three draws), VfL Wolfsburg have worked their way up to third place and are right in the thick of the fight for the Champions League places. They're five points behind RB Leipzig and seven behind FC Bayern, but at the same time the Wolves already have a five-point cushion to fifth place. Now they're at home to Hertha, who haven't won in eight games, and who find themselves in 15th place and battling for survival.
Key fact: VfL are still undefeated at home this season (six wins, four draws), something only FC Bayern and Eintracht Frankfurt have managed. While Wolfsburg have conceded only four goals in their last eight games, Hertha have scored only three of their own in the same period. The capital club can, however, draw some hope from the statistics: the Berliners haven't lost in four games at Wolfsburg (two wins, two draws), and in the last seven encounters between the two teams, the home team has never come out on top.
Borussia Dortmund - DSC Arminia Bielefeld
Thanks to a Mats Hummels brace, BVB won the reverse fixture at Arminia Bielefeld 2-0.
Kick-off: Saturday, 27.02.2021, 15:30 CET
Significance: After the match against Köln, FC Bayern have a huge clash with Borussia Dortmund on 6 March (18:30 CET). BVB's season has been full of ups and downs, with strong performances being followed by less convincing ones from the Black and Yellows. Even the change of coach from Lucien Favre to Edin Terzic hasn't yet provided the hoped-for continuity. In the nine league games since the turn of the year, there have been four wins, two draws and three defeats, resulting in Borussia slipping to sixth place and leaving them anxious about qualifying for the Champions League. With a six-point gap to fourth place, a win in the Westphalian derby against recently-promoted Arminia Bielefeld is a must for Dortmund.
Key fact: BVB are unbeaten in four home games (two wins, two draws) and also have a good record against Arminia: they haven't lost in five league encounters and were able to celebrate winning the last two. Arminia have only one away win this season (1-0 at FC Schalke 04) and have picked up just two points from twelve games against teams from the top half of the table - most recently in the 3-3 draw with FC Bayern.
Matchday 23 at a glance
Friday, 26.02.2021 | 20:30 CET
Werder Bremen - Eintracht Frankfurt
Saturday, 27.02.2021 | 15:30 CET
FC Bayern München - 1. FC Köln
Borussia Dortmund - DSC Arminia Bielefeld
VfL Wolfsburg - Hertha BSC
VfB Stuttgart - FC Schalke 04
Saturday, 27.02.2021 | 18:30 CET
RB Leipzig - Borussia Mönchengladbach
Sunday, 28.02.2021 | 13:30 CET
1. FC Union Berlin - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Sunday, 28.02.2021 | 15:30 CET
1. FSV Mainz 05 - FC Augsburg
Sunday, 28.02.2021 | 18:00 CET
Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Sport-Club Freiburg
The Bayern View was a feature in the former digital magazine Pack ma's.
Top of the league, on course for the quarter-finals in the Champions League: FC Bayern put themselves into a terrific position to reach the next round with a 4-1 win over Lazio.
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