Matchday 24 of the Bundesliga is dominated by Der Klassiker between FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund - even if the gap between the league leaders and their perennial rivals BVB is 13 points before this head-to-head. In the record champions' wake, main pursuers Leipzig and Wolfsburg are fighting in their matches to prevent that gap from increasing and at the same time to collect important points in the battle for Champions League qualification. Check out here which other games are important for FC Bayern on this particular matchday!
SC Freiburg - RB Leipzig
Kick-off: Saturday, 06.03.2021, 15:30 CET
Significance: Leipzig remain hot on the heels of FC Bayern. After five straight wins in the Bundesliga, they're now just two points behind the league leaders. In addition, RB progressed to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup on Wednesday evening with a 2-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg, which should have boosted their self-confidence. SC Freiburg have won five, drawn two and lost three games since the turn of the year and are eighth in the table, within striking distance of the Europa League spots.
Key fact: It's an impressive run. RB Leipzig are the only Bundesliga team to have won all of their last five matches, and with 50 points from 23 games, they've also set a new club record. After the Saxons won each of their last two away games 3-0, the second-placed side could record a third successive clean sheet for the first time. But they should beware, as SC Freiburg are the only team against whom Leipzig have lost all of their last three away games.
Leipzig won the reverse fixture against SC Freiburg 3-0 with goals from Ibrahima Konaté, Marcel Sabitzer and Angeliño.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - VfL Wolfsburg
Kick-off: Saturday, 06.03.2021, 15:30 CET
Significance: With a seven-point gap to FC Bayern and a five-point one to RB Leipzig, VfL Wolfsburg are lying in wait behind the top two. The centrepiece of the VfL side this season has been the defence, which has conceded just 19 goals, a Bundesliga best-mark. The last one they conceded was in a 2-2 draw with Leipzig on 16 January. In addition to striker Wout Weghorst (14 goals), the Wolfsburg attack impresses as a collective. Apart from an own goal by Hertha BSC, the Wolves' last 13 goals came courtesy of eight different scorers.
Key fact: With six wins and three draws, VfL Wolfsburg's recent record is very impressive. Since the winter break, they've lost just one match - the opener against Borussia Dortmund (2-0). This makes the Wolves the most successful Bundesliga team right now, and with 16 out of a possible 18 points, they're also the best team of the second half of the season. Opponents Hoffenheim haven't won in five meetings with VfL (two draws, three defeats), but go into the match with the side from Lower Saxony on the back of a three-game unbeaten run in the league.
The reverse fixture between Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim ended in a narrow 2-1 win for VfL after goals from Renato Steffen and Wout Weghorst.
1. FC Köln - SV Werder Bremen
Kick-off: Sunday, 07.03.2021, 15:30 CET
Significance: The clash between 1. FC Köln and Werder Bremen on Sunday sees a meeting between the first (Köln 1963/64) and second (Bremen 1964/65) teams to win the German championship after the foundation of the Bundesliga. This season, both sides are fighting for important points in the relegation battle. Köln are in 14th place with 21 points, while Bremen, FC Bayern's next opponents on Matchday 25, are five points ahead in 12th.
Key fact: Werder travel to Köln on the back of a positive run: out of the last six games, the north Germans have won three, drawn two and lost one. In contrast, the Billy Goats have lost four of their last six games (two draws) and have won only one of their 11 home games this season. In Werder Bremen, however, the cathedral city welcomes what you might call favourite opponents; the Green and Whites have returned home without a point in their last nine visits to Köln. Bremen's last win there came in December 2005 (4-1).
Matchday 24 at a glance
Friday, 05.03.2021 | 20:30 CET
FC Schalke 04 - 1. FSV Mainz 05
Saturday, 06.03.2021 | 15:30 CET
Borussia Mönchengladbach - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - VfL Wolfsburg
Sport-Club Freiburg - RB Leipzig
Eintracht Frankfurt - VfB Stuttgart
Hertha BSC - FC Augsburg
Saturday, 06.03.2021 | 18:30 CET
FC Bayern München - Borussia Dortmund
Sunday, 07.03.2021 | 15:30 CET
1. FC Köln - SV Werder Bremen
Sunday, 07.03.2021 | 18:00 CET
DSC Arminia Bielefeld - 1. FC Union Berlin
The Bayern View was a feature in the former digital magazine Pack ma's.
Leaps of joy, goal fests and lots of emotion - the Bundesliga clashes between Bayern and Dortmund have seen it all.
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