Dortmund should fear nothing, insists Weidenfeller

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller insists his side have nothing to fear at home to Nuremberg on Saturday with the Bundesliga title race set to go down to the wire.

Despite last Sunday's shock 1-0 defeat at bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach, Dortmund still enjoy a five-point lead at the top of the German league.

If they beat Nuremberg at home and second-placed Leverkusen lose at relegation-threatened Cologne on Saturday, Dortmund will win the title and Weidenfeller insists his side hold their destiny in their hands.

"Why should we be afraid? We have two home games, nobody can deprive us of the title," insisted Dortmund's Weidenfeller with three games left before the season finishes on May 14.

Despite having a 12-point lead at the start of March, Borussia have seen their lead cut right back to just five points and the title race could now go to the final day.

After the Nuremberg game, Borussia face Bremen away and then Eintracht Frankfurt in Dortmund on the final day, while, after this weekend, Leverkusen host Hamburg on May 7 and then are at Freiburg on May 14.

His side suffered only their fourth defeat of the season at 'Gladbach and Weidenfeller says Dortmund were punished for their lack of patience in front of goal.

"We may have been too impatient or wanted to score goals too much," he said, with Dortmund expected to be without injured striker Lucas Barrios and Germany midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz this weekend.

But Leverkusen know they will have to take their chances should Dortmund falter.

"We are ready to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves," says Leverkusen's Rudi Voeller.

Cologne are having a tough time as Volker Finke took over as as interim coach on Wednesday after Frank Schaefer was sacked as coach, the third change this season for the struggling Bundesliga club.

Schaefer is the 12th Bundesliga manager fired this season, an all-time record for the German top flight. In 2006-07 a total of 10 managers either left or were dismissed.

Bayern Munich face Champions League semi-finalists Schalke 04 on Saturday night with the pressure mounting to finish in the top three and secure a place in European football's top competition.

The Bavarian giants are currently fourth, a point behind third which would put Bayern into the qualifiers for next season's Champions League.

Fourth would leave them contesting the Europa League and a host of their stars have already said that is not something which appeals to them.

Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has already told the Royal Blues he will leave at the end of the season and is in world-class form as he showed in his side's 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Tuesday.

Bayern are strongly rumoured to be ready to offer 20 million euros for Neuer at the end of the season, while the 25-year-old has a contract in Gelsenkirchen until 2012, so Schalke risk losing him on a free transfer unless they sell him.

At the other end of the table, relegation-threatened VfL Wolfsburg are at Werder Bremen on Friday night and need a win to escape the bottom three.

Likewise, St Pauli and Borussia Moenchengladbach are five points from safety and need wins at Kaiserslautern and Hanover respectively to have any chance of survival with only three games left.

Fixtures:

Friday:

Werder Bremen v VfL Wolfsburg

Kaiserslautern v St. Pauli

Saturday:

Borussia Dortmund v Nuremberg

Hamburg v Freiburg

Mainz 05 v Eintracht Frankfurt

Hoffenheim v VfB Stuttgart

Cologne v Bayer Leverkusen

Hanover 96 v Borussia M'gladbach

Bayern Munich v Schalke 04