Second-placed Werder Bremen hope that striker Aaron Hunt, defender Petri Pasanen and midfielder Tim Borowski will all recover in time for Sunday's clash with leaders Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

The three players were all back in training on Thursday and would be important additions to a squad that will definitely be without the injured Clemens Fritz and Sebastian Boenisch, plus suspended Brazilian centre back Naldo.

Werder will fall six points behind Bayern if they lose on Sunday.

Bayern will be hit by the absence of midfield magician Franck Ribery because of a hamstring problem but captain Oliver Kahn is confident the Frenchman will not be missed too much.

"He's an important player but we have so much quality and potential in the squad that even without him we can play at the highest level," Kahn told reporters this week.

There is another clash between two title candidates this weekend, when fourth-placed Hamburg SV look for a first win in five league games away to third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Leverkusen have three-quarters of their first-choice defence missing in Gonzalo Castro, who is suspended, Hans Sarpei, who has not yet returned from the African Nations Cup, and the injured Karim Haggui.

Hamburg coach Huub Stevens will be worrying about the fitness of Vincent Kompany, after the Belgian defender returned from international duty this week with a thigh problem. Nigel de Jong stands by to replace him if necessary.

Schalke have a chance to settle a score when they play away to Borussia Dortmund in Sunday's Ruhr derby.

Schalke's surprise 2-0 defeat by Dortmund on the penultimate day of last season cost them the title but if they are to get revenge they will have to do so without chief striker Kevin Kuranyi, suspended after he picked up a fifth yellow card last weekend.

Reuters