Hamburg - Indifferent Bayern Munich have Bundesliga history on their side when they host Energie Cottbus while the omens are not good for TSG Hoffenheim. Munich have won all five previous home games against the bottom side Cottbus and hope to complete the half dozen on Saturday after throwing away a 2-0 lead for the third time this season in a 2-2 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach last weekend.
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, travel to Cologne for a meeting of promoted sides. Cologne were the only team to beat Hoffenheim twice last season in the second division.
Leaders Bayer Leverkusen are also not assured of winning at Arminia Bielefeld, having beaten them only once in their last seven league dates and last won there in 1999.
Munich will be happy if the top two falter which could see a three-team tie on points. Leverkusen lead Hoffenheim by a difference of one goal as both are locked on 28 points, Munich follow on 25.
Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann named the Moenchengladbach showing, which came after five straight wins, "careless" and hopes that his team immediately returns to the winning track against Cottbus.
That even more as Munich visit Leverkusen and host Hoffenheim in their following two games.
"We are heading in the right direction. We want to close the gap before Christmas and still want to be autumn champions," Klinsmann said in reference to the unofficial title at the halfway mark of the season in December.
Like Munich, Leverkusen have five wins and one draw from their last six games as they head to second-from-bottom Bielefeld.
Bruno Labbadia's team around Germany players Simon Rolfes, Rene Adler and Patrick Helmes has received plenty of praise, but sports director Rudi Voeller remains modest.
"Our team is only at the beginning. You can drop several places if you lose twice," said Voeller.
"Of course many are thinking ahead at the Munich match, but not at our club. We are at Bielefeld on Saturday and that's what we are concentrating on."
Voeller also said he was happy to see the league's most attacking teams Leverkusen and Hoffenheim on top, having scored 31 and 34 goals, respectively.
Hoffenheim hope for revenge for last season in Cologne, but Christoph Daum's hosts have also played beyond expectations by placing 10th with 19 points.
Elsewhere, former leaders SV Hamburg are in big danger of completely losing their momentum when they host Werder Bremen in a northern German duel in the only Sunday game.
Bremen have had a poor start into the season to rank seventh, but have lost just one of their 10 games with Hamburg and none of their last five in Hamburg.
The action starts on Friday when free-falling SC Karlsruhe take on sixth-placed Borussia Dortmund. On Saturday, Schalke 04 badly need a win against Moenchengladbach, VfL Wolfsburg meet VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt take on Hanover 96 and VfL Bochum host rising Hertha Berlin.
