BERLIN (Reuters) - Champions Bayer Leverkusen will be desperate to narrow the eight-point gap to leaders Bayern Munich when they host the Bavarians on Saturday in a top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash.
Xabi Alonso's team are in second place on 46 points, with Bayern, who are determined to reestablish their dominance after Leverkusen's domestic double triumph last season, top on 54.
But the hosts will not have just the home fans in their favour on Saturday as they look to cut Bayern's lead to five points and keep the title race tight.
They will also be significantly fresher than Bayern, having avoided the Champions League playoffs this week with an automatic last-16 qualification.
The Bavarians instead have to play three key matches in eight days, having beaten Celtic 2-1 on Wednesday in Glasgow for their first leg playoff ahead of Saturday's big game.
Just three days after their trip to Leverkusen, Bayern face Celtic again, this time in Munich on Tuesday, for a spot in the Champions League Round of 16.
A Bayern win on Saturday would see the gap over Leverkusen grow to 11 points after 22 league games, which would mean the fourth biggest lead at this stage of the season in the history of the Bundesliga.
Alonso, however, has not lost any of his five games against Bayern in all competitions as Leverkusen coach.
"We know our current position and look forward to the game," said Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka. "It is a special match for the entire country and we have to do our job and see what we get after 90 minutes.
"Even last season one of our strengths was not to look at the standings too much. We know we have to beat Bayern to stay in the race and we are not going into this game to get a draw," he told broadcaster Sky.
"It is in our hands to step on the gas and believe in success," Xhaka said.
Vincent Kompany's Bayern are in good form, having won their last seven straight league games. They have also seen a number of long-term injured players, including defenders Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito, return to action in recent weeks.
Fellow Champions League club Borussia Dortmund, buoyed by their 3-0 first-leg playoff win at Sporting on Tuesday, will be desperate for points when they visit VfL Bochum in the mini Ruhr Valley derby on Saturday.
Dortmund are in 11th place on 29 points, seven points off the top four, and run the risk of missing out on the Champions League spots for next season.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
