BERLIN (AP) — Confident of another German title, Bayern Munich can use the Bundesliga as a tune-up for its Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.
The Bavarian powerhouse is nine points clear of its closest domestic rival and has lost only once all season with eight rounds to go.
Union Berlin is next to visit Munich on Saturday, then Bayern visits Freiburg a week later before the trip to Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. Bayern visits St. Pauli in Hamburg before entertaining Madrid for the second leg on April 15.
“These are the games you look forward to,” Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said after the team eased past Atalanta on Wednesday.
The competitive action is away from the top in the Bundesliga, where four teams are chasing the last two Champions League qualification places, and a host of teams are fighting for survival.
Key matchups
Hoffenheim visits Leipzig on Friday for a duel that tests their Champions League credentials. Hoffenheim is surprising many in third place (50 points), ahead of Stuttgart on goal difference, and three above Leipzig, which is vying for a top-four finish to qualify for Europe’s premier competition. Hoffenheim has won only one of its last four games, allowing rivals to catch up, while Leipzig lost in Stuttgart last weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen (45), the other team fighting for the top four, visits doomed-looking Heidenheim on Saturday.
Second-place Borussia Dortmund (58) hosts promoted Hamburger SV on Saturday.
Cologne hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach for a high-stakes Rhine derby on Saturday with both teams still in danger of the drop. Cologne is on a six-game winless streak and Gladbach has two wins from its last three.
Wolfsburg hosts Werder Bremen for a relegation scrap on Saturday. Wolfsburg is second to last after failing to win any of its last nine games, though it did stop a three-game losing streak in Dieter Hecking’s first game back as coach at Hoffenheim last weekend. Bremen is just outside the relegation zone.
Players to watch
Harry Kane is back from injury and marked his return with two goals in Bayern’s 4-1 win over Atalanta on Wednesday. The England star has 30 Bundesliga goals and has targeted Robert Lewandowski’s season record of 41.
Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav has scored in each of his last five Bundesliga games for 16 altogether. His form means it will be hard for Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to avoid calling him up for World Cup warmups against Switzerland and Ghana.
Who is out?
Bayern’s goalkeeping crisis eased when Jonas Urbig returned against Atalanta, but Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich remain out.
Bayern has also been dealing with injuries to Canada left back Alphonso Davies and Germany star Jamal Musiala.
Off the field
Germany’s chances of a fifth Champions League qualification place are dwindling after the poor performance of its teams in continental competitions. Bayern is the exception rather than the rule, the only German team in the Champions League quarterfinals. Spanish teams increased their advantage over Germany in UEFA’s season rankings this week with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid all through to the quarterfinals. Despite English teams’ poor performance the Premier League is way ahead in the rankings and can look forward — like Spain’s La Liga — to five qualification places for next season’s Champions League.
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