Coach Andre Schubert has been the catalyst for the dramatic upturn in Borussia Monchengladbach’s fortunes since taking over the lead job from Lucien Favre in late September, with the team having lost only one of their last 14 games in all competitions. But champions Bayern Munich have set a new Bundesliga record by remaining unbeaten since the start of the season and Monchengladbach will have to produce their very best when they host the champions at the Borussia-Park on Saturday.
Bayern will also be wary of the threat posed by their opponents, against whom they dropped five points last season. They will need to improve upon last weekend's poor performance against Hertha Berlin if they are to maintain their eight-point lead at the top of the table.
Pep Guardiola's men were boosted this week by the return to training of French star Franck Ribery, who has been sidelined since March with a chronic ankle injury. The winger is not ready to feature this weekend, but could be back on the pitch before the winter break.
Brazil forward Douglas Costa is a major doubt for the match due to a thigh problem, while Thiago Alcantara is also on the sidelines after re-injuring his right knee. For the fourth-placed home side, defender Martin Stranzl and Ibrahima Traore are out.
Brazilian forward Raffael, who has scored six league goals this season, will lead the attack for Monchengladbach while defender Fabian Johnson will look to continue his surprising form in front of goal.
Wolfsburg welcome Dortmund
The second and third places teams in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg, will meet in the game of the weekend at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.
Midfielder Luiz Gustavo could return for the home side, although the Brazilian is unlikely to start the match. Attacking midfielder Julian Draxler will also be available for coach Dieter Hecking after serving his three match suspension following a red card.
Hecking will be denied the services of centre-back Dante, who will miss the game through suspension having seen red against Augsburg last weekend. The reshuffled Wolfsburg defence will have to deal with in-form Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has scored 17 goals in 14 Bundesliga games this season.
Wolfsburg have not lost a home Bundesliga game since a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich in March 2014 - a run of 29 matches - but Dortmund are in good form themselves, having just lost two matches in the season .
Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel will be without first-choice centre-back pairing Mats Hummels and Sokratis Papastathopoulos and midfield engine Julian Weigl. The three failed to make the trip to Wolfsburg due to illness.
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