Bayern and Dortmund enter final straight of title race just a point apart

One point clear of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern can guarantee an historic 11th straight Bundesliga title by winning their final four matches. If Thomas Tuchel's side defeat Bremen, they can go four points clear of Dortmund, who host Wolfsburg a day later. Bremen's last win over Bayern in all competitions came 30 matches ago, a 5-2 drubbing in Munich when a 20-year-old Mesut Ozil was pulling the strings in midfield.
Since then, Bayern have won 26, with four draws, a period which has included 11 Bundesliga titles for Munich. In comparison, Bremen have not collected a single piece of silverware and spent one season in the second division. To motivate the men in green even more, a win against Bayern would ensure another season in the top division, with 12th-placed Bremen still in mathematical danger of relegation.
Bremen's task got even harder on Thursday, with news that their top scorer and Germany number nine Niclas Fuellkrug has failed to recover from a calf injury and will miss the clash. Bremen manager Ole Werner said of Fuellkrug, who leads all Bundesliga scorers with 16 goals this season, "we're trying to get him fit week by week and build him back up gently".
Despite Bayern sitting top, the Bavarians are enduring a rough phase of their own - and unlike most recent Bundesliga seasons, have an opponent breathing down their necks with the end in sight. Dortmund's opponents on Sunday, Wolfsburg, also fall into the category of whipping boys, at least in their record against Dortmund.
Before Wolfsburg's 2-0 win over Dortmund in November, the Wolves had lost 13 and drawn one of their past 14 matches against the side, a run going back to the 2015 German Cup final between the teams, which Wolfsburg won 3-1 in Kevin de Bruyne's last match for the club. Despite having cause to fear their visit to Dortmund, Wolfsburg, under former Bayern manager Niko Kovac, have lost just one of their past nine and are pushing for European football.
For their part, Bayern have won just three from eight since Tuchel took over in the dugout, a period in which they have been eliminated from the German Cup and the Champions League, while they struggled to a 2-0 win against Hertha last Sunday which was far less comfortable than it looked. Bremen coach Werner, who masterminded a shock German Cup elimination of Bayern as manager of second-division Kiel in 2020-21, said that to win his side would need to take advantage of a faltering opponent.
"We need luck to smile on us and the opponent to be somewhat inefficient," he said on Thursday, his 35th birthday. "But even if that happens, there's still a lot beyond that we have to do. And that's what we're focusing on."
Seeking his 12th title, Bayern's veteran attacking midfielder Thomas Mueller said he wanted his side to forget their poor April and focus. "I'm calling for a goldfish mentality," Mueller, 33, said in a newsletter sent out to fans. With a memory of just ten seconds, so that we automatically look ahead from now on."

Fixtures (all times 13.30 GMT unless stated)
Friday
Bayer Leverkusen v Cologne, Mainz v Schalke (18.30 GMT)
Saturday
Freiburg v RB Leipzig, Borussia Moenchengladbach v Bochum, Hoffenheim v Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha Berlin v Stuttgart, Augsburg v Union Berlin, Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich (16.30 GMT)
Sunday
Borussia Dortmund v Wolfsburg (15.30 GMT)