Just three days before their Champions League rematch, Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern and defending champions Bayer Leverkusen stumbled in the title race. The heavily reshaped Munich team lost 2:3 (2:1) at home to relegation candidate VfL Bochum, despite holding a 2:0 lead, following a red card for João Palhina just before halftime.
Second-place Leverkusen, however, failed to capitalize on Bayern’s slip, losing their home match against Werder Bremen 0:2 (0:1). Consequently, Bayer continues to trail the record champions by eight points.
Borussia Dortmund also faced disappointment, suffering a 0:1 (0:1) defeat at home against FC Augsburg, leaving them without momentum as they head into their Champions League match against OSC Lille. In the relegation battle, Holstein Kiel managed to earn a point with a 2:2 (1:1) draw against VfB Stuttgart, while FC St. Pauli secured a point as well, playing to a 1:1 (0:1) draw against VfL Wolfsburg.