Bundesliga preview: Dortmund look to bounce back

15 September 2011 12:01

Borussia Dortmund can shrug off their stuttering start to the Bundesliga season on Sunday when they journey to Hannover.

Juergen Klopp's side are sitting in 11th place on the table five games into their title defence, having already suffered two defeats - after losing just five games for the duration of the 2010/11 season.

On Tuesday, they needed a last-gasp wonder strike from substitute Ivan Perisic to salvage a 1-1 draw from their Champions League clash with Arsenal at Signal Iduna Park, and the Croatian could be elevated to the starting line-up for the trip to Hannover.

Klopp will also be looking for another strong performance from 19-year-old sensation Mario Goetze, after his energetic game against Arsenal.

League leaders Bayern Munich, meanwhile, also play on Sunday when they visit a Schalke side in ninth place on the table.

Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes could welcome back star winger Arjen Robben for the clash, but his side already look in good shape after their 2-0 Champions League win over Villarreal in Spain on Wednesday.

The bulk of the action falls on Saturday, with last season's runners-up Bayer Leverkusen looking to bounce back from Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League loss at Chelsea when they welcome Cologne to the BayArena.

Borussia Monchengladbach travel to Imtech Arena to face Hamburg, Hertha Berlin host Augsburg in a battle of the two newly promoted outfits and Werder Bremen journey to Nuremberg.

In other matches, Wolfsburg visit Hoffenheim, Kaiserslautern play host to Mainz, and the round of fixtures kicks off on Friday when Freiburg welcome Stuttgart to the badenova-Stadion.