Bayern Munich face the first key test in their bid to become the first side to win four straight Bundesliga titles against last season's runners-up VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
Wolfsburg, the German Cup winners, have already beaten champions Bayern this season after winning the pre-season Super Cup on penalties in August.
Bayern expect to have star striker Robert Lewandowski back after the Poland striker returned to training on Sunday having shaken off an ankle injury which forced him to sit out the 3-0 win at Darmstadt the previous day.
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola took the precaution of giving Germany forward Thomas Mueller only the last 22 minutes in Darmstadt.
Between them, Lewandowski and Mueller have scored nine goals in five league games this season.
Wolfsburg's Dutch striker Bas Dost will need to improve his attitude to face Bayern, despite a match-winning performance off the bench in the 2-0 victory against Hertha Berlin, after falling offside with coach Dieter Hecking.
Dost gave Wolfsburg the lead within five minutes of coming off the bench at home to Hertha, but has been reprimanded by Hecking for sulking in training having been substituted in the mid-week Champions League win over Moscow.
The Dutchman was behaving "as if someone had taken away his toys, (that) will not do", according to Hecking whose side are third in the table.
"That's being selfish and we don't need that. If he thinks that is the way he wants to go, then perhaps he is in the wrong place here in Wolfsburg."
Ex-Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner, who started against Hertha, is set to keep his place at the Allianz Arena.
Following Lucien Favre's resignation as head coach on Sunday, bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach host Augsburg on Wednesday looking for their first point of the season after five straight defeats.
Despite steering Gladbach to third and Champions League qualification last season, the 57-year-old said in a statement that he feels he is no longer the man for the job.
Saturday's 1-0 derby defeat at Cologne was the final straw having lost 3-0 at Seville last Tuesday in the Champions League.
At the other end of the table, Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund are at Hoffenheim on Wednesday hunting their 12th straight victory and sixth Bundesliga win as they come into the mid-week games top of the table on goal difference from Bayern.
Gabon winger Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted a late penalty in Dortmund's 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday to leave him with six goals in five games to join Mueller as the league's joint top-scorer.
Fixtures (All times 1800 GMT)
Tuesday
Bayern Munich v VfL Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin v Cologne, Ingolstadt v Hamburg, Darmstadt 98 v Werder Bremen
Wednesday
Schalke 04 v Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen v Mainz, Bor. Moenchengladbach v Augsburg, Hanover 96 v VfB Stuttgart, Hoffenheim v Borussia Dortmund
Source: AFP
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