A top tourist attraction in Germany, Munich is a nightmare destination for Hamburger SV. The northern German club usually gets mauled when it travels south to the Bavarian capital.
In its last three Bundesliga trips to Munich, the Hamburg club has scored twice and conceded 20. The results: 6-0, 5-0, 9-2.
The routs led directly or indirectly to the departures of three Hamburg coaches.
Bert van Marwijk will keep his job but another defeat could drop Hamburg closer to the relegation zone. Hamburg will be without goalkeeper Rene Adler due to an ankle injury.
"We have to forget about the latest results and approach the game with a degree of fun and impudence," Hamburg winger Marcell Jansen said.
Bayern's idea of fun could be another horror trip for Hamburg. Pep Guardiola's team is coming off a 3-2 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League, only its second loss of the season and virtually meaningless. The first was against Dortmund in the season-opening German Super Cup, a competition which at best is a footnote.
Bayern will be looking to make amends and keep its unbeaten Bundesliga record intact. Bayern hasn't lost in 40 straight Bundesliga matches. Its last: a 7-0 rout of Werder Bremen.
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FRANKFURT'S FEARS
Eintracht Frankfurt is winless in 10 consecutive Bundesliga matches. Its only two wins of the season both came away from home and that may be the only ray of hope ahead of the trip to Leverkusen.
The season is beginning to look frighteningly like the campaign two years ago when Frankfurt went into a deep slump and was relegated. The club returned immediately and then clinched a place in the Europa League.
Hit by many injuries, Frankfurt has been unable to keep pace in three competitions. It has advanced in the Europa League, has reached the German Cup quarterfinals but in the Bundesliga it is dangerously slumping and 15th.
"We really have to get some points before the winter break," Frankfurt coach Armin Veh said.
Leverkusen has advanced to the last 16 in the Champions League and wants to retain its six-point lead over Dortmund.
"We shouldn't measure Frankfurt by where they stand in the table. They've advanced in the Europa League and surely are not a relegation candidate," Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender said.
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NUREMBERG'S NULL
Nuremberg is still winless after 15 matches. A change of coach hasn't brought much improvement but the club has been playing more attacking football under Gertjan Verbeek, who has predicted that Nuremberg will win the last two games before the winter break.
The first one is in Hannover.
Hannover is hopeless on the road, with seven losses in seven games. But at home it has won five.
Coach Mirko Slomka is under pressure because the club started the season with ambitions of playing in Europe next year. Now, it sits 12th with hardly any hope of improving enough to move into the upper sections of the table.
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HOFFENHEIM'S HOME
Hoffenheim is entertaining the crowds again but has little to show for it: 11th place.
The reason is its generous defense, which has allowed a league-high 35 goals. Even at home, Hoffenheim is not much of a threat with only one win.
Hoffenheim's games include scorelines such as 4-4 and 3-3, along with defeats like 6-2 and wins like 5-1.
Dortmund scores even more often than Hoffenheim and travels well with four wins on the road.
The game is unlikely to end in a 0-0 stalemate.
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BREMEN'S TROUBLES
Werder Bremen is coming off a 7-0 drubbing at home by Bayern and is sitting 14th ahead of its trip to Hertha Berlin on Friday.
"We need points and we need to come out with closed ranks," Bremen captain Clemens Fritz said. "It's not easy to forget such a game but we must try to clear our heads. We are in danger of dropping into the relegation zone before the break."
Robin Dutt's team had a promising start to the season with two straight wins but it's been downhill since. Werder is rebuilding after parting company with longtime coach Thomas Schaaf late last season.
