Bayern Munich are preparing for the "game of the season" this weekend, according to their general manager Uli Hoeness.

Bayern host Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Sunday knowing that nothing but a win will do.

Leverkusen are currently three points clear at the top of the table and six points ahead of Bayern, who lie eighth.

But a win for Bayern would not only reduce the arrears at the top to just three points, it could move them up as high as second in the table if results elsewhere go their way.

Former Leverkusen goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt, who will be between the posts for Bayern this weekend, admits his side cannot afford to slip up again.

"There can be no excuses - Leverkusen is a direct rival, we are playing at home and we have got to win," he told his club's website.

Leverkusen have not managed to get the better of Bayern since 1989 and Butt knows exactly how that feels as he was in their goal for six years, but he claims to have no more real ties with his former club.

"I think back to my time with Leverkusen fondly, but Sunday's game is no longer all that important for me," he added.

"There are no longer many players there from my time."

Indeed, new coach Jupp Heynckes and his predecessor Bruno Labbadia have revolutionised Leverkusen into a team who can genuinely aim for the title this season, and Heynckes feels they can travel to Munich in confident mood.

"Why shouldn't we win in Munich?" he asked.

Leverkusen are also looking to extend the last remaining unbeaten record in German football by avoiding defeat in Bavaria.

Should they succeed, they will guarantee their place at the top of the pile for another week, but defeat would enable Werder Bremen to overtake them with a win at Freiburg on Saturday.

Hamburg could also return to the top on Sunday when they face Bochum while Schalke will be aiming to keep in touch at the top when they host Hannover.

Defending champions Wolfsburg have moved into gear recently and they host Nurnberg on Saturday at the start of a week which could see them book their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

They only need to draw at CSKA Moscow on Tuesday to seal their passage to the next round in their debut season in the competition.

Playing in Europe next season would have seemed unlikely for Mainz at the start of the season, but they have made an excellent start to life in the top flight.

They currently lie in sixth position with 21 points ahead of their trip to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, where they meet their former coach Jurgen Klopp for the first time since he left the club 18 months ago after 18 years as a player and coach.

Hoffenheim currently lie seventh and they go to struggling Cologne on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Stuttgart host Hertha Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt are at home to Borussia Monchengladbach.