Schalke, Werder Bremen, Stuttgart and Bayern Munich and are all in with a shout of winning the title, while Nurnberg, Hannover and Hertha Berlin are keen on the fifth and final place in Europe next season.

The remainder of the German top flight is fighting it out to avoid relegation in one of the tightest bottom halves of the table ever.

It all means every club is still playing for something.

Leaders Schalke host third-placed Stuttgart on Saturday.

Both sides have dropped points recently to allow Bremen and Bayern back into the contest.

Stuttgart president Erwin Staudt feels Schalke are still favourites to win the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.

"I put my money on Schalke because they have made a good impression and because Kevin Kuranyi is scoring again," he told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper.

Bayern travel to relegation-threatened Frankfurt on Saturday knowing three points would keep them in the hunt ahead of the visit of Schalke to the Allianz Arena next weekend.

Werder wait until Sunday before they host Mainz, by which time they will know if a win would be good enough to take them back into pole position.

Fifth-placed Nurnberg have picked up only one point in their last three matches, but have still held on to their UEFA Cup hopes.

They travel to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday while Hertha kick off the weekend's activities at home to Energie Cottbus.

Leverkusen are in action on Sunday against Borussia Monchengladbach while Hannover host north Germany rivals Hamburg.

All four of those opponents are currently battling for their lives in the bottom half of the table.

Only six points separate ninth-placed Alemannia Aachen from bottom club 'Gladbach.

Aachen once again face one of their direct rivals in Arminia Bielefeld while Wolfsburg's clash with Bochum also pits two relegation contenders together.