As the race for promotion hots up and matchday 20 has come and gone, there are crucial matches across Germany's second tier.
St. Pauli host leaders RB Leipzig, Fürth and Kaiserslautern also in action
RB Leipzig extended their lead at the top of the table to six points last weekend, taking full advantage of Freiburg's slip-up in Bochum, running out 2-0 winners at home to fellow promotion-chasers Eintracht Braunschweig.
This weekend they travel to St. Pauli, who also won by a two goal margin, beating Greuther Fürth 0-2 on their travels. 11 points separates the two sides, who lay in 1st and 4th respectively. RB are usually very strong on their travels and boast the best away record in the league, dropping just six points on the road all season.
Elsewhere, relegation-threatened SC Paderborn will look to bounce back from defeat last weekend when they host mid-table side Kaiserslautern. Kaiserslautern, who picked up a point on Matchday 20 against Union Berlin, will feel a win could really kickstart their season and they can begin to start look up the table, as opposed to looking over their shoulders and the relegation pack.
They don't boast the greatest of home records, but Paderborn have taken a meagre six points on the road all season, and haven't won a league match since late October.
Another relegation-threatened side FSV Frankfurt play host to Greuther Fürth. FSV are just six points above the relegation play-off place and in real danger of being in a serious survival scrap. Their opponents Fürth are only two points better off in 12th spot, and both sides could do with maximum points if they're to stay clear of any trouble this season.
Two of the chasing pack battle it out, Duisburg urgently need points
Heidenheim and Sandhausen are both among the promotion chasing pack and are both still in with a chance of making it into that promotion play-off place.
The visitors Sandhausen boast an impressive away record (the third best in the league), and travel to Heidenheim on the back of a victory against Paderborn on Matchday 20. Heidenheim too won on Matchday 20, and put up a real fight against Bundesliga high-flyers Hertha Berlin in the DFB Pokal in midweek; narrowly losing 2-3. A three point haul for either team could go a long way to mounting their promotion push.
Also on Saturday, the 2. Bundesliga's basement side MSV Duisburg host Karlsruher SC. For Duisburg to stand any chance of surviving, they'll have to put up a real fight and start collecting points quickly. They're eight points adrift of safety and gave won only two matches out of 20, after Monday night's defeat to Arminia Bielefeld. A meagre return for the newcomers. Karlsruhe will go there looking to heap more misery on the Zebras, and they could propel themselves as high as 8th.
Freiburg look to rectify poor showing
After a disappointing result in Bochum, SC Freiburg will be keen to get back to winning ways when they host Fortuna Düsseldorf on Sunday. Freiburg, who have the best home record in the division, will fancy their chances against a struggling Düsseldorf side. Düsseldorf also tasted defeat in their first competitive outing or 2016, losing 0-1 at home to Heidenheim. Freiburg ran out 1-2 when the sides met earlier in the campaign.
The 2. Bundesliga's draw specialists Arminia Bielefeld travel to Eintracht Braunschweig. Both sides are still within touching distance of the play-off place. Bielefeld have picked up more points on the road than they have on their own patch, and after last weekend's win, they'll be up for the challenge when they make the short trip to Braunschweig, who will be looking to get back to winning ways having lost to leaders Leipzig last time out.
Strugglers 1860 Munich put up a real fight against promotion chasing Nürnberg last weekend, and will argue they deserved to win the match, which they ended up losing 0-2. They'll need to show more of the same spirit when they travel to the capital to face Union Berlin.
Union are only four places better off than their opponents, but the two are separated by 10 points. Sascha Lewandowski's Union side showed real character to overturn a two goal deficit two eventually grab a late point in Kaiserslautern last time out. The game is sure to be a real battle as both sides go in search of their first competitive win of 2016.
Bundesliga hopefuls Nürnberg and Bochum round off the action
1. FC Nürnberg are on a real run of form, and haven't lost a league match since October of last year. After a bumpy start they've gathered real momentum and are a very difficult side to beat. They now only trail the league leaders by 8 points, and second-placed Freiburg by only two points. Backed by 15,000 supporters, they won in Munich last weekend, taking full advantage of Freiburg's mishap against this weekend's opponents.
VfL Bochum come into the game buoyed by performances and results over the last week. They disposed of Freiburg with relative ease, before putting in a real shift against Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal, although on this occasion they succumbed to defeat. Their promotion push is now firmly back on track and a win against fellow hopefuls on Monday will do their chances no harm whatsoever.