Matchday 9 in the Bundesliga is upon us, with the latest round in the German top-flight set to get underway on Friday. Mainz vs Augsburg kicks things off at 2:30 p.m. ET before an onslaught of weekend action.
German giants Dortmund and Bayern Munich will be in action on Saturday, taking to the field in two of four simultaneous 9:30 a.m. showdowns as the top two teams in the league aim to get the better of each other in the title race.
RB Leipzig, who have been slowly climbing up the table after their horrendous start to the season, enter this round on the back of a narrow defeat to PSG and will look to avoid back-to-back losses when they take to the field on Saturday. Bayer Leverkusen, who were thrashed 5-1 at home against league leaders Bayern Munich over the weekend, will need to bounce back if they wish to remain in the higher echelons of this season's Bundesliga. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming round in the German top-flight.
League standings ahead of Matchday 9 in the Bundesliga
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 32 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 82 | 23 | +59 | 84 | WDDWW | |
| 2 | Bayern München | 32 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 90 | 41 | +49 | 69 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Stuttgart | 32 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 73 | 39 | +34 | 67 | WDLWW | |
| 4 | RB Leipzig | 32 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 74 | 36 | +38 | 63 | DWWWW | |
| 5 | Borussia Dortmund | 32 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 64 | 40 | +24 | 60 | WLDWL | |
| 6 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 32 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 45 | LLWLD | |
| 7 | Freiburg | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 43 | 55 | -12 | 41 | DLDWL | |
| 8 | Hoffenheim | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 56 | 64 | -8 | 40 | DLWLW | |
| 9 | Augsburg | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 49 | 57 | -8 | 39 | LLLWL | |
| 10 | Heidenheim | 32 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 45 | 53 | -8 | 38 | DWLDW | |
| 11 | Werder Bremen | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 43 | 52 | -9 | 38 | DWWLD | |
| 12 | Wolfsburg | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 40 | 51 | -11 | 37 | WWWLL | |
| 13 | Borussia M'gladbach | 32 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 55 | 62 | -7 | 33 | DDLLW | |
| 14 | Bochum | 32 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 41 | 65 | -24 | 33 | WWLDL | |
| 15 | Union Berlin | 32 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 29 | 54 | -25 | 30 | LDLLL | |
| 16 | Mainz 05 | 32 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 33 | 50 | -17 | 29 | DDDWW | |
| 17 | Köln | 32 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 24 | 54 | -30 | 24 | DDLLW | |
| 18 | Darmstadt 98 | 32 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 30 | 76 | -46 | 17 | LLWLL |
Top games to watch on Matchday 9 in the Bundesliga
Arminia Bielefeld vs Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund are now second in the table thanks to Leverkusen's recent slip up, and with Marco Rose's side set to face relegation-battling Arminia Bielefeld, the odds favor the visitors continuing their form. Unfortunately, Haaland and Co. are reeling from their recent UEFA Champions League thrashing, with the German giants being humbled by Ajax in a 4-0 loss to the Dutch giants. Will BVB bounce back? Tune in this weekend to find out.
Bayern München vs Hoffenheim: Is there any stopping Bayern Munich? Their 5-1 victory over Leverkusen means they are now the outright leaders in the Bundesliga, albeit by a slim one-point margin. Furthermore, their 4-0 midweek triumph over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League will strengthen their belief in triumphing this season – both domestically and in Europe. Hoffenheim are ninth in the table, but with only three wins from their first eight outings, the visitors will need a performance of their life in order to triumph at the Allianz Arena.
Köln vs Bayer Leverkusen: That 5-1 loss at home to Bayern Munich has seen Leverkusen drop to third, and while they are only three points behind the defending champions, Die Werkself will need to bounce back sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, their opponents head into this tie on the back of a lovely form, with Koln going unbeaten in their last five outings. Expect this to be an interesting 90 minutes of football.
Who's in and who's out for Matchday 9 in the Bundesliga?
Bayern Munich: Ulreich (out); Davies and Goretzka (doubtful)
Dortmund: Guerreiro, Morey, Moukoko, Reyna, and Schmelzer (out); Dahoud (doubtful)
Bayer Leverkusen: Aranguiz, Baumgartlinger, and Fosu-Mensah (out); Amiri (doubtful)
RB Leipzig: Brobbey, Halstenberg, and Saracchi (out); Olmo (doubtful)
