Bundesliga preview: Bayern maintain momentum

Bayern Munich may have already clinched the Bundesliga title but there is still plenty to play for as the season draws to a close.

Jupp Heynckes’ men were confirmed German league champions with six games to spare when they beat Eintracht Frankfurt a fortnight ago.

Since then, Bayern maintained their treble challenge with success in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal.

And while the Bundesliga has already been sealed, Bayern will want to maintain their good form at 10th-placed Hannover on Saturday, ahead of next week’s mammoth Champions League semi-final showdown with Barcelona.

Bayern, who have collected 78 points from a possible 87 this season, have won eight games on the bounce away from home, a run that has seen just one goal conceded.

But the Munich-base outfit will be facing a team on the cusp of Europa League qualification, with just four points separating them from the final qualification spot, and a side unbeaten in seven games at home.

Former Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund face a similar challenge when they host Mainz on Saturday.

Dortmund occupy second position in the standings but will use this weekend’s clash as preparation for their upcoming Champions League tie against Spanish giants Real Madrid.

In other fixtures across the weekend, third-placed Bayer Leverkusen will look to extend their advantage when they welcome lowly Hoffenheim to BayArena on Saturday.

Leverkusen have enjoyed another productive season and sit four points clear of Champions League rivals Schalke, who make the difficult trip to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Relegation-threatened Augsburg, who stunned Frankfurt last week, take on Borussia Moenchengladbach, while strugglers Fortuna Dusseldorf do battle with eighth-placed Hamburg.

Greuther Fuerth, who have all but been relegated to the second tier of German football, will look to give themselves a glimmer of hope away to Nuremberg, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg face off in the battle of the strugglers, while Stuttgart host Freiburg in a repeat of their DFB-Pokal midweek encounter.