The title race heats up as the Bundesliga heads into matchday 27

Bayern will hope to hold on to the lead with the chasing pack closing in.

Dortmund were unbeaten in 10 Bundesliga matches in 2023 before going down in Munich. They’re now hoping for a favour from Freiburg and a win over third-placed 1. FC Union Berlin in their bid to reclaim top spot. Union will be no pushover, though.

Die Eisernen are four matches unbeaten since losing to Bayern - and got the better of BVB earlier this season. As for the rest of the Bundesliga Matchday 27 permutations, Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern are guaranteed to end the weekend on pole, unless they lose and Dortmund win.

A title race that promises to go down to the wire

Union will go second if they do the double over BVB, and to within a point of first place if Freiburg also manage to get one over on Bayern. That’s something Christian Streich’s team have not done since May 2015, but would be somewhat in keeping with a madcap Bundesliga title race the like of which we haven’t seen for many years.

From Super Saturday to relegation six-pointer Sunday, temperatures are set to reach fever pitch at the foot of the standings this weekend. After 16th-placed Hertha Berlin host faltering RB Leipzig in the Saturday late game, the four remaining teams fighting for their Bundesliga lives face off in two of three Sunday fixtures. VfL Bochum 1848 have the edge after moving four points clear of the relegation play-off spot, thanks to a run of three games without defeat.

Relegation battles to look forward to

VfB Stuttgart provide the next test of their top-flight staying power in what will be Sebastian Hoeneß’s first game in charge after Bruno Labbadia was shown the door with VfB propping up the rest of the table. The three-time Bundesliga champions currently sit five points adrift of outright safety. Second-bottom FC Schalke 04 are a point better off than Stuttgart and one behind Hertha ahead of their meeting with 15th-in-the-table TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

The Royal Blues’ eight-game unbeaten run was ended by Bayer 04 Leverkusen last time out, while Pellegrino Matarazzo’s TSG followed up a welcome win over Hertha by beating SV Werder Bremen 2-1. Needless to say, a third straight triumph would represent a sizeable step in the right direction.

In-form Leverkusen look to keep momentum going

On the subject of resurgent form, Leverkusen have climbed to within a point of sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt – who visit the BayArena on Saturday – following a four-match winning hot streak. Depending on results elsewhere on Super Saturday, Xabi Alonso’s charges could be about to throw their hat into the ring for the UEFA Champions League qualification places.

1. FSV Mainz 05 will also hope to strengthen their case for a top-six finish at home to out-of-sorts Bremen, while FC Augsburg entertain 1. FC Köln in a meeting between two teams looking nervously over their shoulders at the drop zone. Borussia Mönchengladbach are unlikely to get sucked into the relegation battle, despite labouring to reach the 40-point mark traditionally viewed as the magic safety number.

They’re first up on Sunday, against a hot-and-cold VfL Wolfsburg side still with designs on mounting a late push for Europe. The action in Bundesliga 2 is no less exciting as the promotion race there enters a decisive stage. SV Darmstadt 98 hold a four-point advantage at the summit as they prepare to host SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday. It’s currently 1.

FC Heidenheim 1846 who occupy the second automatic promotion spot. Frank Schmidt’s side face a huge test on Saturday evening as FC St. Pauli – on a nine-game winning run under Fabian Hürzeler – visit looking to muscle their way into the top three just before the finishing line. Die Kiezkicker in fourth are now only six points shy of city rivals Hamburger SV in the playoff spot.

Hannover 96 are the visitors to the Volksparkstadion on Saturday as HSV open the weekend’s action looking to snap a three-game winless run that has seen them slip out of the automatic spots.