Bayern meets Hertha Berlin with title in sight
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Munich, Germany (SportsNetwork.com) - Bayern Munich can wrap up the Bundesliga title this weekend and complete the first part of a potential treble as the club entertains Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Bayern enters the weekend 12 points clear of second-place Wolfsburg with five matches to play, meaning that the Bavarians would all but lock up the title with a win over Hertha on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's team could be celebrating the trophy as early as Sunday if Bayern wins and Wolfsburg fails to win at fourth-place Monchengladbach.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Because of Bayern's vastly superior goal difference, a win on Saturday would seal the title for all practical purposes, and the club will have plenty of momentum after rallying from a 3-1 first-leg deficit against FC Porto in the Champions League to claim a 7-4 aggregate win after a 6-1 pounding of the Portuguese side in Munich in the second leg on Tuesday.
Making that win even more impressive is the lengthy injury list that Bayern has at the moment, with Franck Ribery, David Alaba, Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez and Medhi Benatia each out with injury, while another blow was received on Thursday as defender Holger Badstuber has been ruled out for up to four months with a thigh problem.
Bayern has won the last seven meetings between the teams and will be a heavy favorite, but Hertha is riding a seven-game unbeaten streak that has lifted the club seven points above the relegation zone with five matches to play.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wolfsburg's title hopes may have all but faded, but the club would still love to secure a top-three place to get an automatic berth into the Champions League next season.
A win at Monchengladbach would be a big step, while a loss would close the gap between the sides to four points.
Bayer Leverkusen is also chasing a top-three finish and the club enters the weekend level on points with Monchengladbach ahead of a trip to Cologne on Saturday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Augsburg visits last-place Hamburg with hopes of keeping hold of a Europa League spot, while Borussia Dortmund continues to chase European play as well and entertains Eintracht, which is level on points with Jurgen Klopp's side.
Stuttgart hosts Freiburg in a game filled with relegation implications, Paderborn is two points from safety and entertains Werder Bremen, and Hoffenheim hits the road to meet up with Hannover.
On Friday, Schalke's European hopes took a hit as the club lost 2-0 at Mainz with Stefan Bell scoring twice in the span of three first-half minutes.