After yet another interruption due to another batch of international fixtures, the Bundesliga gets back underway this Friday, as league leaders Bayern Munich travel to Augsburg. Given the form die Roten have been in lately, with four consecutive wins, the odds really don't look good for Augsburg. Elsewhere, we have the first installment of the Berlin Derby, featuring Union and Hertha Berlin while Dortmund, Leverkusen, and Gladbach will all hope to get back on track as they take on Stuttgart, Bochum, and Greuther Fürth respectively.
Here's all you need to know ahead of matchday 12.
Bundesliga standings heading into matchday 12
Here's how the table looks ahead of matchday 12.
Bundesliga games you won't want to miss on matchday 12
Augsburg vs Bayern Munich: Fresh off breaking Freiburg fans' hearts by beating them 2-1 just before the international break, Bayern will turn their attention to their latest victims: Augsburg. Die Fuggerstädter come into this tie having lost 1-0 to Wolfsburg just before the break, which puts them dangerously close to the drop zone.
And to complicate matters for the already struggling hosts, who are facing their worst start to a season in six years, they'll have to contend with the very much in-form Robert Lewandowski. The Polish ace has netted 13 times this season - more than the entire output of Augsburg's team - while scoring a whopping 17 goals in his last 21 appearances against Bayern's upcoming opponents.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bochum: Winless in their last four, Leverkusen will be really keen on getting back to winning ways when they host Bochum, who sit in 12th spot. Die Werkself have tumbled down the table as of late, but are just one point away from fourth place and could restore some confidence among their fans when a win this weekend.
But could this match present a banana peel? Despite their struggles, Bochum have been on a mini-kick recently, winning three of their last five to put some distance between themselves and the relegation candidates.
Borussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart: Dortmund's winning streak was snapped just before the international break following a 2-1 loss to RB Leipzig. That means that die Schwarzgelben have now fallen four points behind Bayern, and while it's still early, everyone knows that once Bayern are able to establish even the slimmest lead, it's hard to dislodge them from top spot. With die Roten again expected to win against struggling Augsburg, the onus will be on Dortmund to get things right when Stuttgart, who have also seen a downturn in their fortunes lately, come to town.
Borussia M'gladbach vs Greuther Fürth: Despite having to settle for a point with a high-flying Mainz last time out, Gladbach come into this contest having lost just one of their last seven across all comps. That includes their impressive 5-0 win over Bayern to dump die Roten out of the DFB-Pokal, and they'll certainly be fancying their chances against a Greuther Fürth side who have a torrid campaign to date.
Despite their nickname being die Kleeblätter (the clover leaves), luck certainly hasn't smiled on Fürth this season. They've yet to win a single game, and having picked up just one point from their first 11 games are really looking set to return to the 2.Bundesliga unless if something changes - and quickly. Although Gladbach are facing an injury crisis at the moment, they should, on paper at least, have enough in their reserves to dispatch Fürth and pick up another vital three points.
Hoffenheim vs RB Leipzig: All eyes will be on Christopher Nkunku as he looks to once again lead the line for RB Leipzig. It was his goal and assist that proved to be the deciding factor as die Roten Bullen picked up a hard-fought win over Borussia Dortmund, rendering Marco Reus's goal to just a mere consolation. Nkunku has been in brilliant form as Leipzig have battled their way back up the table after a rough start, and with five goals and three assists in just his last six games.
It's safe to say that Jesse Marsch will hope the French international will be able to continue in this brilliant vein of form as Leipzig look to make it an eighth win sans defeat when they travel to face Hoffenheim over the weekend.
Union Berlin vs Hertha Berlin: It's more than just three points at stake when Union Berlin, who sit in eighth, welcome city rivals Hertha Berlin, who sit in 13th, on Saturday evening. There's a long and complex political history behind this rivalry, as Germany (including Berlin) was once divided into East and West Germany after World War II. Fortunately, the city has been reunited for decades, but there still exists some stark differences between the Eastern and Western sides of Berlin, even today.
For the longest time, it was Union who were struggling while Hertha flourished, but the tables have turned - at least for now. Union, who only secured promotion to the top flight in 2019, even qualified for European football last season after a seventh placed finish, while Hertha have flirted with relegation. All in all, it'll surely be interesting for both fans and neutrals alike how this derby ultimately pans out.
Team news for matchday 12
Here's who's out or in doubt for matchday 12
*All info as of 19 November 2021
Bayern Munich: Kingsley Coman (muscular issues); Niklas Sule (COVID-19); Doubtful - Joshua Kimmich (possible COVID-19 exposure); Sven Ulreich (knee issue)
Borussia Dortmund: Erling Haaland (hip injury), Mateu Morey (knee injury), Gio Reyna (thigh injury), Marcel Schmelzer (knee injury); Doubtful - Mahmoud Dahoud (knee injury), Nico Schulz (muscular issues), Marius Wolf (thigh injury), Dan-Axel Zagadou (muscular issues)
Wolfsburg: Bartosz Bialek (knee injury), Maxence Lacroix (suspended), Xaver Schlager (knee injury), Luca Waldschmidt (thigh injury), William (knee); Doubtful - Sebastiaan Bornauw (ankle injury), Admir Mehmedi (muscular issues), Aster Vranckx (muscular issues)
RB Leipzig: Marcel Halstenberg (ankle injury), Yussuf Poulsen (calf injury), Marcelo Saracchi (knee injury); Doubtful - Amadou Haidara (ankle injury), Konrad Laimer (groin injury), Dominik Szoboszlai (thigh injury)
Bayer Leverkusen: Mitchel Bakker (ankle injury), Julian Baumgartlinger (knee injury), Timothy Fosu-Mensah (knee injury); Doubtful - Lucas Alario (calf injury), Charles Aranguiz (calf injury), Patrik Schick (ankle injury)
Borussia M'Gladbach: Jordan Beyer (thigh injury), Mamadou Doucoure (Achilles injury), Nico Elvedi (knee injury), Breel Embolo (hamstring injury), Tony Jantschke (facial fracture), Christoph Kramer (thigh injury), Stefan Lainer (match fitness)
Bundesliga matchday 12 fixtures
