We've reached the final matchday of the year in the German Bundesliga, and all the teams involved in the tournament will try to finish this hectic year on a high note. None will top Bayern München's display this season, as the Bavarian side has secured the top spot of the tournament all to themselves until January 8, the date in which the league will return to action.
It will be a quite interesting weekend of football from day one, as Bayern will welcome Wolfsburg at an empty Allianz Arena due to the restrictions set by the Bavarian government to prevent a further spread of COVID-19. After that game, teams such as Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen will try to defend their current places among the top five, while others such as Hoffenheim, Freiburg, Mainz, or Eintracht Frankfurt could still finish the year in a better position.
Let's have a look at the state of the tournament ahead of this week's games.
Bundesliga standings heading into Matchday 17
Bayern have already claimed the "winter champion" title with their recent performances, and their main goal will be to increase their lead over Borussia Dortmund, who are six points behind. Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim and Freiburg could change their spots in the standings if any of them lose in the upcoming week.
Bundesliga games you won't want to miss on Matchday 17
Bayern München vs Wolfsburg: The first match of the weekend will feature the defending champions, who will surely do everything in their power to help Robert Lewandowski accomplish one more goalscoring milestone. On the other hand, Wolfsburg will try to end the downward spiral that has seen them lose their last four games and win only one of their last six.
Hertha Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund: The second-placed team in the league will try to get closer to the top spot by beating Hertha, a team that's very much involved in the battle to avoid relegation. Tayfun Korkut's men have only won one of their last six, and judging by what we've seen of them recently, it seems they will not have it easy to beat the black and yellow side.
Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen: The Vultures will put an end to the year by hosting Die Werkself at Europa-Park Stadion. It will be a clash between the third-best team in the Bundesliga (Bayer) and the fifth-ranked side in the league, which means that this could be one of the most interesting games of the weekend in the German top-flight.
Team news for Matchday 17
*All info as of December 16, 2021
Bayer Leverkusen - Injured: Julian Baumgartlinger. Suspended: Moussa Diaby. Doubtful: Mitchell Bakker.
Bayern München - Injured: Kingsley Coman, Josip Stanisic. Doubtful: Marcel Sabitzer, Corentin Tolisso, Leon Goretzka. Ineligible: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Joshua Kimmich.
Borussia Dortmund - Injured: Youssoufa Moukoko, Manuel Akanji, Mateu Morey. Suspended: Jude Bellingham. Doubtful: Thorgan Hazard, Giovanni Reyna, Marcel Schmelzer, Marius Wolf, Raphael Guerreiro, Roman Bürki.
Borussia M'Gladbach - Injured: Jonas Hofmann, Louis Jordan Beyer. Suspended: Kouadio Koné. Doubtful: Nico Elvedi, Mamadou Doucoure.
Freiburg - Injured: Yannik Keitel. Doubtful: Jonathan Schmid, Nils Petersen, Nico Schlotterbeck, Manuel Gulde.
RB Leipzig - Injured: Yussuf Poulsen, Marcel Halstenberg, Dani Olmo, Marcelo Saracchi. Doubtful: Konrad Laimer, Lukas Klostermann, Amadou Haidara, Mohamed Simakan.
