At the moment, they are the best of the rest, unbeaten in nine league matches. This Sunday, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hoffenheim contest for three valuable points in the bid to keep pace with the domineering league-leaders Bayern Munich.

Gladbach held the German champions to a 0-0 draw last week, underlining their credentials as a side that can sustain a challenge at the top of the Bundesliga.

But before an equally challenging trip to Borussia Dortmund, the welcome of Hoffenheim to Borussia-Park will show how streetwise Lucien Favre's Foals are against a team founded upon an impressively strong defense.

Favre's men remain the form team of the division, playing an eye-catching brand of quick, incisive combination football with the four main attackers central to that style.

Max Kruse's return has altered the dynamics and the 26-year-old's form has brought him right back into the German National Team fold. Granit Xhaka, the unsung hero in midfield, misses the next few games through injury.

Stubborn Hoffenheim

"We can't be happy long over the cup win because Hoffenheim is a really tough nut," Kruse said after his side's 2-1 win in Frankfurt. Gladbach can match their 17-game unbeaten record from 1970/71, if they avoid defeat.

Meanwhile, Markus Gisdol's Hoffenheim have undergone a quiet rebuilding job over the summer. No longer are the South-Western club the entertainers of the division - they were the third-highest scorers last season - but now they have focused on shoring up the backline that was ultimately the downfall of the previous campaign.

Aside from the signings of Oliver Baumann, Emir Bickakic and Pirmin Schwegler, Gisdol's battle-hardended professionals under captain Andreas Beck have come to the fore. One example for this is 19-year-old German defender Niklas Süle who continues to develop with immense maturity and domination at the back.

"Every individual will want to get stuck in," said Hoffenheim's young defender. "But even if we lose, we're superior than we were at the start of the season. We're not a top team yet, but that's where we want to get to."

Calhanoglu - ready or not?

Bayer Leverkusen's trip to Hamburg could mean the return of Hakan Calhanoglu, the 20-year-old attacking starlet who left the Northern German club on bad terms in the summer. After scoring a free-kick in Magdeburg in the German Cup, he picked up a small knock, which could see him miss out on Saturday.

Despite "saving Hamburg from relegation," according to Lothar Matthäus, Calhanoglu's relationship with Hamburg ended sour. The speculation was long-drawn, while his father's involvement reflected badly on the young player.

The former Karlsruhe prodigy decided to take sick leave, as he dug his heels in at Hamburg, looking for the move to a Champions League-contending club. Leverkusen eventually completed the deal for 14.5 million euro.

A less than warm welcome may be forthcoming, but Hamburg chairman Carl-Edgar Jarchow muted that the Calhanoglu affair was "in the past" and he'd exchange a warm handshake with the midfielder on his return.

Gathering ground

On Friday, Roberto di Matteo aims to continue his positive start to life in Germany, as Schalke welcome FC Augsburg.

Saturday sees Viktor Skripnik take charge of his first league game as Robin Dutt's successor at Werder Bremen, who travel to Mainz. Elsewhere, Hannover are on home soil against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Stuttgart take on Wolfsburg and, of course, Bayern host Dortmund in the main Saturday action.

Köln host Freiburg on Sunday, before Paderborn face Hertha to round-up the Matchday.