Bundesliga preview: Bayern set for Schalke battle

Defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich travel to Schalke on Saturday in a clash neither side can afford to lose.

It has been a disconcerting season for Schalke so far, with last season’s runners-up slumping to 15th on the table with three wins from their opening 14 fixtures.

Manager Felix Magath narrowly avoided losing his job at a crisis meeting with club bosses on Wednesday, four days after leading the struggling club to a 5-0 loss at the hands of Kaiserslautern.

But Schalke are a mere two points from the relegation zone, and Magath’s future will again come under the microscope with a poor showing against the visiting Bayern.

Bayern boss Louis van Gaal is also under pressure, having been told by club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and president Uli Hoeness that the title holders must win their last three league games of the year.

The German giants improved to fifth on the table with a 4-1 thumping of Eintracht Frankfurt last time out, but are still 14 points adrift of league leaders Borussia Dortmund.

It is vitally important to Bayern that they qualify for the Champions League next year, given the final will be held in Munich, but a loss could see the club fall as low as eighth on the table.

Germany international striker Mario Gomez is in scintillating form of late and could hold the key for Bayern.

Gomez has scored 11 goals in eight games across all competitions, including braces against Nurnberg and Champions League rivals Roma.

Netherlands international Klaas-Jan Huntelaar leads Schalke’s goal-scoring, and will be keen to get on the scoresheet after failing to score in his past two league games.

Meanwhile, second-placed Mainz visit neighbours Frankfurt in one of two derbies on Saturday.

The other pits the struggling Stuttgart at home to sixth-placed Hoffenheim.

In Saturday’s remaining fixtures, Werder Bremen travel to Wolfsburg, Borussia Monchengladbach host Hannover and Freiburg square off with Hamburg.

Promoted teams St Pauli and Kaiserslautern meet on Friday, with the latter looking for a third straight victory.

Finally, Dortmund can seal the ‘autumn championship’ two weeks ahead of the mid-season break when they visit Nurnberg on Sunday, while third-placed Bayer Leverkusen hosts lowly Koln in the weekend’s final derby.