A mammoth clash in the Bundesliga title race pits Bayern Munich against Bayer Leverkusen this weekend.
Leverkusen lead the German top-flight table by two points having put together a stunning campaign under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard took charge of the club midway through last season as it battled relegation, yet lifted them to a sixth-placed finish before a superb start to the current campaign.
Bayer have not lost a game all season, putting together a 30-match unbeaten streak in all competitions having won every game in the Europa League group stage and reached the DfB-Pokal semi-finals.
But Saturday evening’s encounter at the BayArena could still see them knocked off the top of the table.
Munich, who conceded a late penalty to draw with their title rivals in September’s reverse fixture, and manager Thomas Tuchel are well aware of the threat they face.
“Thirty teams have tried and 30 teams have failed to beat Leverkusen so far,” said Tuchel.
“Every streak is unusual and it is fully deserved and they are doing it really well. But we are just two points behind. It is still early in the season but it feels like an unusual game.”
Bayern have been boosted by the return of Kim Min-jae from the Asian Cup, and he is ready to play having been unavailable for South Korea’s shock semi-final exit at the hands of Jordan.
Dayot Upamecano and Joshua Kimmich have also overcome respective hamstring and shoulder injuries picked up last month.
However, Manuel Neuer is a doubt while Alphonso Davies, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are injured.
Alonso, who has been linked with the upcoming vacancy at old club Liverpool, is without a number of key players too.
Arthur and Victor Boniface are injured but the Nigerian would have been away at the Africa Cup of Nations regardless, where Odilon Kossounou is in action for Ivory Coast. Exequiel Palacios is a doubt and Nathan Tella, a £20million summer signing from Southampton, is pushing to start.
