Outright leaders Borussia Dortmund host Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach clash.
Unbeaten in 14 league matches, Juergen Klopp’s Dortmund moved two points clear at the summit after a 2-0 win over Nuremberg last week.
They host Robin Dutt’s seventh-placed Leverkusen at Westfalenstadion on Saturday, and will be eyeing an even greater advantage in first place.
Pole Robert Lewandowski (14 league goals) has impressed for Dortmund, who could open up a gap of five points if results go their way again.
Bayern Munich let first place slip after only taking a point against Hamburg, and will look to bounce back when they host Kaiserslautern at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
A 2-0 DFB Pokal win over Stuttgart on Wednesday may have eased Jupp Heynckes’ worries, and he would have been pleased to see Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez on the scoresheet.
The 66-year-old coach said he remained confident despite taking just four points from a possible seven since season resumed.
“Dortmund have come out of the starting blocks better (after the break), but I have full confidence in my team (and) my players,” Heynckes said earlier this week.
“We have very good attacking players. It is a matter of time before they explode.”
Meanwhile, Schalke visit Moenchengladbach in a battle between third and fourth place respectively.
Lucien Favre’s Gladbach players have been the surprise package this campaign, and enter the clash on the back of a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Schalke, led by the dangerous strike combination of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (16 league goals) and Raul (10), are third after losing ground following a 1-1 draw at home to Mainz on Saturday.
In other matches, fifth-placed Werder Bremen host a Hoffenheim side that suffered a shock exit against 2.Bundesliga outfit Greuther Fuerth in the DFB Pokal.
After the loss, eight-placed Hoffenheim parted ways with coach Holger Stanislawski.
Hannover will look to extend their unbeaten league run to eight matches when they visit Mainz, while Wolfsburg host lowly Freiburg on Friday.
Only seven points separates eighth-placed Hoffenheim and bottom side Freiburg in a congested lower half of the table.
Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin, also positioned in the bottom half of the standings, meet on Saturday, while Augsburg take on Nuremberg, and Cologne face Hamburg.
