Bundesliga Preview: In-form Dortmund face Nuremberg, Schalke host Bayern

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has warned that Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund want to improve heading into the latest round of fixtures.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have won all five of their league games this season, scoring 15 goals and conceding just four, although they did fall to defeat in their UEFA Champions League opener at Napoli on Wednesday – a game that also saw both Klopp and keeper Roman Weidenfeller sent off.

Dortmund’s most recent Bundesliga success came on Saturday as last season’s runners-up beat Hamburg 6-2, with Aubameyang scoring twice to take his league tally for the season to five.

The Gabon international believes Dortmund can get better and, furthermore, feels this is essential if the club are to improve on their second-place finish last term.

“We played very well (against Hamburg) and keep on picking up points which is just great,” he told the club’s official website.

“We are far from perfect yet and have room for improvement. And we have to keep improving. It’s important that we understand and do this.”

Saturday’s opponents Nuremberg, who are without a league win this season, have not beaten Dortmund in the Bundesliga in their last nine attempts.

Champions Bayern Munich and third-place Bayer Leverkusen both face testing away ties against Schalke and Mainz respectively.

Schalke have won their last two games in the league and also beat Steaua Bucharest 3-0 in their first Champions League fixture, while Mainz sit in fifth but have lost their previous two outings.

Managerless Hamburg will contest the Nordderby against Werder Bremen, having dispensed with coach Thorsten Fink on Tuesday.

Hamburg have won just once in the league all season, but things have been equally testing for Bremen, with Robin Dutt’s side having lost their last three Bundesliga games.

Bremen’s latest defeat came against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, but the club’s director of sport Thomas Eichin feels too much has been made of their start to the season.

“I cannot deal with this almost fearful expectation,” he told the club’s official website.

“You can really be mad about that game, but this end-of-the-world atmosphere, this negative thinking around the team doesn’t help anybody move forward.”

The win over Bremen was only Frankfurt’s second of the season and they will look to make it three when they take on Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

However, they will need to be aware of the in-form Vedad Ibisevic. The former Hoffenheim striker is one of three players with five league goals alongside Aubameyang and Mainz’s Nicolai Muller.

Freiburg and Eintracht Braunschweig, two of the three Bundesliga sides yet to record a league victory this season, can put an end to their win
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less run when they face Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively.

Sixth-place Augsburg can leapfrog Hannover with a win at the HDI Arena but should Markus Weinzierl’s men drop points, they could be caught by Hoffenheim.

Markus Gisdol takes his side to the Volkswagen Arena to take on a Wolfsburg side beaten 3-1 last time out by Leverkusen.