There are plenty of Bundesliga fixtures to catch the eye this weekend. None less so than Saturday night's Topspiel which pits 2nd against 3rd as RB Leipzig host Bayer Leverkusen. Union Berlin's clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach promises intrigue and at the other end of the table, where points are vital right now, the bottom three all face winnable games. It's sure to be yet another weekend of madness in the Bundesliga, so here's three key things to look out for.
Leipzig and Leverkusen to come down to small margins
There could hardly be more on the line at the Red Bull Arena as Leipzig desperately need a win to keep up with Bayern Munich and Leverkusen have the chance to leapfrog their opponents with a victory of their own.
Despite being a top of the table clash, both sides' form has been left wanting as of late. The hosts come into this match having only won one in their last four, whilst the Werkself have problems of their own, with their Hinrunde swagger halting slightly as they've picked up only two wins since Christmas.
Julian Nagelsmann will be looking for a quick response from his team who lost last weekend to second-bottom side Mainz 05. This would be a perfect time for big money summer signing Alexander Sörloth to begin justifying his price tag, having registered only one goal in 16 appearances so far.
Peter Bosz, on the other hand, will be looking for young starlets Florian Wirtz and Moussa Diaby to continue to lead the line for his side, with the pair excelling in recent weeks.
Despite their recent wobbles, make no mistake: these teams are that of the highest quality. Expect a tight tactical battle with plenty of flair on display and for it to be decided by the smallest of margins. From whom that will come from, we will find out on Saturday night.
Eintracht Frankfurt to compound Hertha Berlin's misery
Adi Hütter's team are the in-form side in the Bundesliga, winning five of their last seven and scoring plenty along the way. The return of Luka Jovic seems to have improved the performances of all those around him, with Filip Kostic and Andre Silva especially benefitting from the Serb's January arrival.
Free-flowing and confident going forward, Die Adler come up against a Hertha Berlin side who are anything but. Having relieved both manager Bruno Labbadia and sporting director Michael Preetz of their duties following the defeat to Werder Bremen, club legend Pal Dardai has come in to steady the ship. He certainly has his work cut out for him if he is to get this expensively assembled Hertha side to begin to show anything close to their potential.
Whilst Hertha have a star-studded forward line, with the likes of Matheus Cunha and Dodi Lukabakio capable of genuine quality, they look extremely vulnerable at the back. And, without captain Derick Boyata who misses this match through injury, this is not the ideal time for them to be facing one of the league's most formidable attacks.
The visitors will do well to hold on for much of the tie, but with Jovic likely to come off the bench once again, it is difficult to see past Frankfurt inflicting a painful defeat on Hertha and making it a long trip back to the capital.
Bayern to wrap up the title...already?
Even though we have only just elapsed the halfway stage of the Bundesliga season, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that after this Matchday, Bayern will not be knocked off top spot again.
The Rekordmeister welcome the coach who won the 3. Liga for Bayern's reserve side last season, Sebastian Hoeneß, to the Allianz Arena this weekend. His TSG Hoffenheim side have reason for hope as Hoeneß visits his ex-employers: Hoffenheim beat Bayern 4-1 in the reverse fixture and they have won their last two matches in the league by a 3-0 margin.
However, beating Bayern in Munich always requires something extraordinary. That may be hard to come by against Hansi Flick's side this time, though, as they look to be moving up in the gears in recent weeks and now show little sign of letting up.
Assuming Bayern do oblige with a win and other results go their way, the title precession may well be under way prematurely in Bavaria. With Leverkusen and Leipzig looking likely to cancel each other out and next-closest VfL Wolfsburg facing a tricky match against SC Freiburg, Bayern have the chance to come out of this weekend with at least a nine point cushion at the top. Should that be case, it could pave the way for a remarkable 31st Bundesliga title for Munich.