With greater than two thirds of the season performed, in-form Bayern Munich are eight factors clear atop the desk and have their sights set on successful again the Bundesliga title.
The Bavarians host lowly Bochum in Munich on Saturday, with 10 video games remaining within the Bundesliga season.
Bayern’s streak of 11 straight title wins was damaged by a rampant Bayer Leverkusen final season, who grew to become the primary crew in historical past to win the Bundesliga unbeaten.
But with Leverkusen properly again in second — and with Vincent Kompany’s expenses having thumped Xabi Alonso’s males 3-0 within the Champions League final 16 first leg on Wednesday — Bayern look set to re-establish home supremacy.
Saturday’s residence match in opposition to their relegation-threatened opponents could appear like a formality for a Bayern facet who’ve received 9 of their previous 10, however Bochum have been deceptively robust in latest weeks.
Since veteran Dieter Hecking was given the job of salvaging first-division soccer for the then last-placed crew in November, Bochum have kick-started an unlikely redemption story of their very own.
Bochum have since crushed Borussia Dortmund and drawn with Leverkusen and RB Leipzig, and now sit within the relegation playoff spot on 17 factors — 16 of which have been picked up beneath Hecking.
Speaking Thursday, the grizzled veteran Hecking stated his facet wanted to chart a course in between brash conceitedness and humble acceptance in opposition to the German giants.
“I’m not going to act like a smart ass and say ‘We’ll win’,” Hecking instructed reporters.
“We know where we stand in the pecking order. I’m only concerned about our own performance.
“I’m a realist. But we should not be too humble or make ourselves small. We should play actively and never simply roll over.”
Leverkusen host struggling Werder Bremen on Saturday as they try and keep their slim hopes alive of chasing down Bayern.
Still licking their wounds from Wednesday’s thrashing in Munich, Leverkusen face a Bremen side who have lost five games in a row to slide out of European contention.
Player to watch: Georgios Masouras
A quick-fire brace from new Greek loanee Masouras delivered Hecking and Bochum their vital three points against Borussia Dortmund in mid-February.
Masouras, a Greece international, arrived at the end of the January transfer window from Olympiakos and has tasted defeat only once in his four outings so far for Bochum — coming last weekend at Hoffenheim.
If the 31-year-old attacker can boost his goal tally over the course of the run-in, Bochum could fancy their chances of registering some more shock results before the end of the season and reeling in St Pauli, who lie four points ahead of them in safety.
Key stats
30 – Harry Kane has scored 30 penalties in succession for club and country dating back to the 2022 World Cup.
0 from 9 – No home team won last matchday, with eight away team victories and a draw — a Bundesliga first
3 – Augsburg have conceded just three league goals in 2025 — the lowest mark of any team in Europe
Fixtures (1430 GMT unless stated):
Saturday
Wolfsburg v St Pauli, Bayern Munich v Bochum, Holstein Kiel v Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund v Augsburg, Bayer Leverkusen v Werder Bremen, Freiburg v RB Leipzig (1730)
Sunday
Eintracht Frankfurt v Union Berlin, Hoffenheim v Heidenheim (1630)
Published – March 08, 2025 02:59 am IST
