Hamburg vs. Bayern Munich: Time, TV Schedule and game preview

A visit from Bayern Munich couldn't come at a worse time for Hamburg SV, who sacked Mirko Slomka on the 14th of September. Only one point from three matches was not good enough for Hamburg, who find themselves at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, second place Bayern are coming off a home victory over Manchester City in the Champions League, even though they rested a few players.

New HSV manager Joe Zinnbauer will have a tough task ahead of him. Saturday's match is important to both teams who will be looking for a win in the Bundesliga Klassiker, however, Hamburg may be little more than a road apple at this point. Five teams lie at the bottom of the table with just one point, and a win for Hamburg could see them move as many as six places up the table. Pep Guardiola would like maximum points here, as seven points from a possible nine is surely a fewer total than he would have expected so far.

Key player: Xabi Alonso (Bayern)

Ever since swapping Madrid for Munich, Alonso has been a rejuvenated man. Looking like he was out of Carlo Ancelotti's plans, he has been the governor general for Bayern, completing 127 passes against Stuttgart, 46 more than anyone on the pitch. In the absence of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez due to knee injuries, he is the metronome in Pep's midfield.

Key matchup: Johan Djourou and Cléber Reis vs. Robert Lewandowski

The new Bayern main man hasn't gotten off to the best start for the Bavarians, but he is still a handful for any central defender. With the forward advances from midfield of players like Thomas Müller, Arjen Robben, Mario Götze, or Franck Ribery, Lewandowski doesn't need to score a ton of goals. He still will though, due to his sublime touch and heading ability. Hamburg are yet to score this season and have conceded five, and there is no reason to believe this will be any different.

Bayern Munich injuries and suspensions: Bastian Schweinsteiger (knee), Javi Martinez (knee), Holger Badstuber (thigh), Thiago Alcantara (knee).

Hamburg: Rene Adler, Dennis Diekmeier, Cléber Reis, Johan Djourou, Matthias Ostrzolek, Lewis Holtby, Valon Behrami, Julian Green, Nicolai Müller, Zoltán Steiber, Pierre-Michel Lasogga.

Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer, David Alaba, Mehdi Benatia, Jerôme Boateng, Arjen Robben, Xabi Alonso, Philipp Lahm, Juan Bernat, Mario Götze, Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski.

Listings from LiveSoccerTV