Bundesliga Preview: Savage Bayern lines up fresh prey

With seven wins from his first seven games in all competitions, Carlo Ancelotti is enjoying the best start to a season in Bayern Munich's highly successful history.

Bayern is the only team with a perfect record in Germany's top flight.

Carlo Ancelotti's all-conquering German league leader Bayern Munich faces a Hamburg side in turmoil on Saturday with coach Bruno Labbadia under the threat of the axe after three straight defeats.

Hamburg's 1-0 defeat at Freiburg on Tuesday followed its humiliating 4-0 drubbing at home to RB Leipzig last Saturday.

Labbadia has been in charge since April 2015 but another uninspiring performance from his team at the hands of Ancelotti's relentless Bayern could be his last. It does not help that Hamburg have suffered 5-0, 8-0 and 9-2 thrashings at the hands of the Munich giant in the last three years and another drubbing could see Labbadia shown the door just five games into the new league season.

Hamburg last beat Bayern in 2009 and is winless against the Bavarian in its last 13 games. "I take the main responsibility and I'm the first to do so if we can't decide games for ourselves," said Labbadia after the latest reversal.

Hamburg's defence will need to dramatically improve against Bayern's strike force boasting Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Mueller and Franck Ribery, who netted in Wednesday's 3-0 win at home to Hertha Berlin.

Bayern is the only team with a perfect record in Germany's top flight. It wants an impressive display before next Wednesday's Champions League group stage clash at Atletico Madrid, which knocked it out in the semi-finals last year.

With seven wins from his first seven games in all competitions, Ancelotti is enjoying the best start to a season in Bayern's highly successful history.

Newly promoted Freiburg has beaten Borussia Moenchengladbach and Hamburg already this season.

Schalke 04 is at Hoffenheim on Saturday with new coach Markus Weinzierl already under intense pressure after four straight defeats, including Wednesday's 3-1 shock loss at home to Cologne, which had been dubbed a must-win game for the Royal Blues.

Gladbach hosts Barcelona at Borussia Park next Wednesday, but its main priority on Saturday is seeing off Ingolstadt at home after its 1-1 draw at newly promoted RB Leipzig on Wednesday.

Bottom side Werder Bremen, which sacked Viktor Skripnik on Monday, is at home to Wolfsburg on Saturday night with caretaker coach Alexander Nouri still looking for its first points after Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Mainz.

Fixtures

Borussia Moenchengladbach v Ingolstadt; Mainz v Bayer Leverkusen; Hamburg v Bayern Munich; Augsburg v Darmstadt; E Frankfurt v Hertha Berlin; Werder Bremen v Wolfsburg; Hoffenheim v Schalke; Cologne v Leipzig.