BERLIN - With the international break over and the Bundesliga back in action, defending champion Bayern Munich is looking over its shoulder at Wolfsburg. Ersan Ilyasova Jersey .Bayern leads the league after 11 matches and will next face Hoffenheim on Saturday, while Wolfsburg is enjoying an eight-game winning streak across all competitions ahead of its visit to Schalke.At the other end of the table, Borussia Dortmund hopes it has turned things around after completing its worst start to the league. Dortmund next faces Paderborn on Saturday.Also, the stakes will be high on Sunday in the northern derby between struggling rivals Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen.Here are some things to know ahead of this weekends matches:___BAYERN BLOWIts been a mixed week for Bayern.The club was dealt a blow with captain Philip Lahm ruled out for up to three months after breaking his right ankle, while director of sport Matthias Sammers contract was extended until 2018.The club also confirmed former president Uli Hoeness will return in some form if he gains day parole from his 3 1/2-year prison term for tax evasion.Lahms loss is a big setback for coach Pep Guardiola, who previously described the versatile defender as the most intelligent player he has trained. Whether in midfield or at the back, Lahm could be relied upon to read the game, snuff out chances, complete his passes and lead the side with his calm demeanour.Bayern was already missing Javi Martinez, David Alaba, Thiago Alcantara, Holger Badstuber, Claudio Pizarro and backup goalkeepers Tom Starke and Pepe Reina.Bastian Schweinsteigers return to training is a timely one, though Guardiola will be thinking of other alternatives for Saturdays visit of Hoffenheim.___WOLFSBURG WINNINGWolfsburgs 2-0 win over Hamburg was the clubs sixth in a row in the Bundesliga, keeping the side four points off Bayerns pace.Only Bayern has scored more goals, 27 compared to 22, while Wolfsburgs defence is the third best in the league.Kevin de Bruyne is emerging as the sides key player. The Belgian has set up nine goals already - more than any other in the Bundesliga - while his commitment and workrate are helping in other ways, too.The squad is in good shape ahead of Saturdays game at Schalke. Ricardo Rodriguez, Marcel Schaefer and Daniel Caligiuri have all shaken off knocks, while Christian Traeschs recovery from flu gives Dieter Hecking a full squad to choose from.___SCHALKE STUTTERINGFormer Chelsea coach Roberto di Matteo was supposed to turn Schalkes season around after taking over from Jens Keller. But there has been no discernible improvement under the Swiss-Italian, who has claimed six points from four Bundesliga games.Schalke is mid-table, five points above last-place Stuttgart and 13 behind Bayern. So far, there hasnt been much evidence that the all-important Champions League qualification places are within reach.We have to start upping our performances now and being successful on a consistent basis, Schalke board chairman Clemens Toennies told Kicker magazine. Then we can still achieve our aims.___DORTMUND DESPERATEDortmund needs another win against promoted Paderborn on Saturday to get away from the relegation zone.The 2011 and 2012 champions were in last place before their deserved but somewhat fortuitous 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten Borussia Moenchengladbach.While injuries have played their part, defensive lapses and a lack of efficiency up front have cost Dortmund dearly, underlining the importance of departed striker Robert Lewandowski.Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp hopes Marco Reus will have recovered from the ankle injury he sustained against Gladbach, while both Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin played in a practice match on Tuesday as they make their ways back from serious knee injuries.___NORTHERN NERVESTraditional rivals Hamburg and Bremen have clashed more often than any other sides in the Bundesliga. Sundays derby in Hamburg will be the 101st league meeting and 146th overall, with Bremen boasting 55 victories to Hamburgs 50.But their glory days seem a long time ago. Its been 10 years since Bremen won the double, while Hamburgs last league title was 31 years ago.Both sides are fighting relegation this season after firing their coaches. Bremen has momentum under new coach Viktor Skripnik with two wins from two games, while Hamburg is a point behind with the worst attack in the league (four goals scored in 11 games). Guy Rodgers Jersey . Selected by the Titans in the 2007 NFL Draft, Johnson rejoined the club last season after a five-year stint with Indianapolis. Khris Middleton Jersey . LOUIS - The St. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Carlos Pena is back in the major leagues with the team that drafted him in the first round quite a while ago. Pena rejoined the Rangers on Tuesday, a week after signing a minor league deal and going to Triple-A Round Rock, and 13 years after making his major league debut with Texas. He was the 10th overall pick in 1998. "God is good, man. Here I am, where it all started for me and its truly very special," Pena said the home series opener against Detroit on Tuesday night, when he was batting sixth and playing first base. "Just to think back where it all started. ... This is crazy. I was looking at a picture I had of my first at-bat ever and it was with a Rangers uniform. My wife sent it to me this morning." The Rangers designated first baseman/outfielder Brad Snyder for assignment when they purchased the 36-year-old Penas contract from Round Rock. Since losing Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland to season-ending injuries, Snyder was splitting time at first base with Donnie Murphy. Neither Snyder nor Murphy had played first base in the major leagues before this season. "We just brought in a first baseman to play first base, and he has a presence," manager Ron Washington said. "He may be a little older, but he has presence. Throw something in the wwrong spot, and he will hurt you. Cheap Bucks Jerseys. He knows how to play around that bag. He knows what to do, he knows where to be. Its second nature to him." In seven games at Round Rock, Pena hit .333 (8 for 24) with one home run. The only person to go longer between games for the Rangers was Sammy Sosa, who made his major league debut for Texas in 1989 and then played his final season there in 2007. Fielder had a cervical fusion of the C5 and C6 disks in his neck last month. Moreland had ligament reconstructive surgery and bone realignment in his left ankle Monday, and the team said he went home to Mississippi. Fielder and Moreland are expected to be ready for spring training next season. After playing 22 games for the Rangers, Pena was traded to Oakland that winter. He has also played for Detroit, Boston, Tampa Bay, the Chicago Cubs, Houston and Kansas City. He was an All-Star in 2009 with Tampa Bay, when he had an AL-high 39 homers. Pena went to spring training with the Los Angeles Angels, but was released March 23 after hitting .139 in 20 spring games. "I was training. I was staying ready. I had faith that something was going to happen," he said. "At the same time, I didnt want to force it. I wanted to make sure it was right and it was the right spot, the right situation." ' ' '
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