Five things to know about the Bundesliga ahead of this weekend's games: ___

BACK STAGE AT BAYERN

Bayern Munich sporting director Mattias Sammer's criticism of players has not gone down well with club management. Sammer criticized his side's "lethargic" play and "football without emotion" after last week's 2-0 win over Hannover. Bayern president Uli Hoeness responded by saying he didn't think the situation was "so critical" and that "you get the feeling that we have to excuse ourselves for a dominant 2-0 win." Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was more scathing after Bayern beat CSKA Moscow 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday. "I'm no fan of public criticism. It's wonderful for the media to collect the honey, but the team won't have liked it," Rummenigge told Sky. "I also can't imagine that the coach liked it, and we didn't like it either." ___

BOATENG BROTHERS

Schalke midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng will face half-brother Jerome on Saturday when Bayern travels to Gelsenkirchen. "On Saturday for 90 minutes we won't be brothers," Kevin-Prince said. "I already told him I'd be disappointed if he didn't give it 100 percent against me in the game. I will." The Boateng brothers, who were born in Berlin and share a Ghanaian father, started their careers with Hertha Berlin and met before on opposing sides in the Bundesliga when Kevin-Prince emerged victorious with Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over Hertha on April 25, 2009. Jerome leveled the family score with Germany's 1-0 win over Ghana at the 2010 World Cup. ___

NORTHERN CRISIS DERBY

Hamburger SV hosts Werder Bremen for the 99th northern derby on Saturday, Hamburg's first game since firing coach Thorsten Fink. Fink was fired late Monday after last week's 6-2 loss at Dortmund. Rodolfo Cardoso will take charge again — the Argentine was also Hamburg interim coach from September-October 2011 — but believes there is more quality in the squad this time around. "And I'm not just thinking of Rafael van der Vaart. (Pierre-)Michel Lasogga is making a really good impression, others like Ivo Ilicevic are available after injury," Cardoso told Kicker magazine on Thursday. "This squad offers possibilities, even after the (broken foot) injury to (defender) Dennis Diekmeier." ___

BRAUNSCHWEIG TARGETING WIN

Promoted Eintracht Braunschweig claimed its first Bundesliga point in 28 years by drawing 1-1 with Nuremberg last week, and will need to make more of its chances at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday if it is to claim that long-awaited first win. Braunschweig had 23 shots, 26 crosses and six corners in the game against Nuremberg on Sunday, yet only scored one goal — just its second overall. "It's a small step forward," Braunschweig forward Domi Kumbela said. "We've shown that we can compete, reverse a losing score and create pressure." ___

ANGRY DORTMUND

Borussia Dortmund has made its best ever start to the Bundesliga with spectacular attacking football that has fans dreaming of a title challenge, but fell apart against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday. Dortmund lost 2-1, with both coach Juergen Klopp and goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller sent off. "Everything that could go against us somehow went against us," Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin said. Nuremberg, which is still without a win in the Bundesliga, is bracing for a backlash on Saturday.