Dortmund's bastion and more pre-Matchday 25 statistical gems
Amid the flowing torrent of fake news, spurious claims and outrageous comments, you can always rely on bundesliga.com to bring you the cold, hard but nonetheless entertaining truth about the very best German football has to offer.
So saddle up, sit back and soak up the statistical equivalent of business class service as we bring you the highlights and lowdown on Matchday 25.
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Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel doesn't look like he needs the weekend break he will get with international matches looming as he is right at home in the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK dug-out. With good reason: TT has yet to experience the collective hard stare of the 'Yellow Wall' following a defeat on their own venerated turf.
And should the BVB faithful's belief waver against Ingolstadt on Friday, they should not leave the temple they attend religiously until the final whistle: Ingolstadt would have seven more points if goals inside the last 15 minutes didn't count, including Christian Pulisic's 91st-minute leveller in the reverse fixture on MD8.
Watch: Highlights of Dortmund's 3-3 draw with Ingolstadt on Matchday 8:
The Volkswagen Arena was once as inviting a place as your average dentist's surgery, but it is the toothless Wolves of Wolfsburg who have been squirming uncomfortably there this term. They have picked up just 11 points on home soil all season — who better to host then than Darmstadt, who have been the most gracious of guests this term, gifting three points to all 11 clubs they have visited.
There is little point in Andries Jonker calling Manuel Baum for suggestions on how to cure his team's lack of travel sickness as Augsburg too simply cannot wait for a change of scenery. They have picked up 15 points 'on the road' this season, two more than they have registered in the un-cosy confines of the WWK ARENA. But the Gods of the Fixture List (N.B. other gods are available) have also been clement to Baum and his men: Freiburg have never won a league game in Augsburg, recording a dismal two draws, two defeats so far.
Watch: Freiburg beat Augsburg 2-1 earlier in the season:
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Right now, Werder Bremen probably couldn't care less where they play. The Green-Whites' vein of form could not be richer were it able to name a skyscraper after itself and fill it with golden elevators. No team has done better than Bremen's three wins and a draw in the last four matches — RB Leipzig, who have lost three times in their last six outings, will head weary and heavy-legged to the Weser Stadium.
The trip from Hoffenheim's home in Sinsheim to Leverkusen is one Kevin Volland knows well. He made it last summer to join Die Werkself, only to suffer a forgettable reunion with his old flame in October. He was dismissed after just six minutes at the BayArena as Leverkusen lost 3-0, but having scored three goals in his last five matches, Volland will be hoping for a happier get-together with familiar faces this weekend.
Watch: Hoffenheim blew ten-man Leverkusen away on Matchday 8:
A Mexico international, Marco Fabian knows all about travel. His trans-Atlantic trip to Germany has hit turbulence at times, but he has done more than boost his total of air miles. You have to wonder how high the Eagles would be flying had Fabian been fit all season long — with the artful midfielder in the side, Niko Kovac's men have averaged 1.9 points per game this term.
Hamburg have little reason to be apprehensive ahead of their trip to Germany's financial capital though: with 13 points from seven Rückrunde games, they have been as successful as Dortmund since the turn of the year.
Watch: Owo Meets Marco Fabian
If any Schalke players get lost at the OPEL Arena on Sunday, they should just ask sporting director Christian Heidel for directions — he moved to Gelsenkirchen last summer after 24 years with the 05ers. He even helped orchestrate two Mainz wins on each of the last two occasions Schalke popped in for a cosy 90-minute tête-à-tête.
Martin Schmidt will hope his team do not turn it into a slanging match over who has to clean up after the pair of them: six Mainz players have already enjoyed the home comforts of an individual shower after being sent for an early one by Bundesliga referees this season.
Watch: Nabil Bentaleb orchestrates a comfortable win over Mainz:
Whether Bayern Munich can clean up their record in Mönchengladbach on Sunday remains to be seen. The going has generally been good-to-heavy for the Bundesliga thoroughbreds' trips to the Foals' stable, trailing in second on 19 occasions and galloping to victory in just 11 of their 48 run-outs there.
They perhaps should place all their bets on Javi Martinez. The Spain international has weighed in with 14 successive away victories in the top flight, and will come up on the rails to equal Franck Ribery's record if he triumphs again. But don't be surprised if he falls at the final hurdle: the last time he was pipped at the post in an away game was at Gladbach in December 2015.
Watch: Bayern made light work of Gladbach back in October: