Bundesliga Preview: Wolfsburg look to pile more misery on Dortmund, Bayern host Freiburg

Wolfsburg can secure second place in the Bundesliga ahead of the upcoming mid-season break when they visit Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Dieter Hecking’s side have been the surprise package of the current campaign, and victory at Signal Iduna Park would see them assured of finishing the first half of 2014-15 as Bayern Munich’s closest challengers.

With teams set for a break following the next two rounds of action, and Wolfsburg enjoying a six-point buffer between themselves and Bayer Leverkusen, Hecking’s men will hope to make sure of their place at the top of the chasing pack.

Victory would also pile more misery on Dortmund who have massively under-performed in the league with just four wins so far.

That has seen them become embroiled in a relegation battle, however, they have improved at home in recent weeks with successive victories.

Wins over Borussia Monchengladbach and Hoffenheim have helped their predicament somewhat, but they are only out of the bottom two on goal difference and bottom club Stuttgart trail them by one point.

Leaders Bayern will look to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign against Freiburg, and stretch their winning league run at the Allianz Area to 11 matches.

Freiburg, like Dortmund, need the points to aid their flagging fortunes, but their record against Bayern is not good with no win over the Bavarian giants since 1996.

However, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has called for focus from his side to ensure they continue their stellar start to the campaign.

“We have to prepare well,” he said. “Every game starts at 0-0, in every game you have to fight and that is the same tomorrow [Tuesday].”

Behind the front two things are becoming congested with six clubs separated by three points. Leverkusen head that group and will hope to still be there after their trip to Hoffenheim.

The latter are currently seventh in the table, and have only lost once at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena in the Bundesliga this season, and just twice in 2014.

Of the other top-eight contenders, Augsburg travel to Hannover, Eintracht Frankfurt host Hertha Berlin, and Schalke visit Paderborn.

Meanwhile, at the bottom, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen face tough away trips.

Stuttgart travel to fellow strugglers Hamburg, and Huub Stevens will be keen to build on the four points from three matches since he replaced Armin Veh.

Having beaten Freiburg on his return to Stuttgart, Stevens was unable to replicate that success against Schalke and Mainz, but given Hamburg’s own problems the bottom club could claim a third away win of the season.

The task facing Bremen is much tougher as they face fourth-placed Monchengladbach, however they will be buoyed by Eintracht Frankfurt’s success at Borussia Park in November.

Elsewhere, two sides with at least a three-point buffer to the bottom three meet as Cologne entertain Mainz at the RheinEnergie Stadion.