Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned his players to avoid any further slip-ups as they prepare for Saturday's clash with third-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
The Bavarian giants suffered an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at Cottbus last weekend but bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg in the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal.
"We need to beat Leverkusen to keep our rivals at bay," said Rummenigge with an eye on second-placed Hamburg.
"There must not be any further let-downs because even though we hold a five-point edge it is all pretty tight."
A win over Bayer would put nine points between the two sides, and that is just what goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has envisioned for the weekend.
"We want to end their title dreams on Saturday," Kahn said.
"We need to keep up our concentration to accomplish our goals in the Bundesliga and UEFA Cup.
"Reaching the cup final will give us a confidence booster."
History will clearly be on Bayern's side as Leverkusen have failed to beat them in Munich for almost 20 years.
"Every streak has come to an end at a certain point," Bayer striker Simon Rolfes said.
"It is about time."
Meanwhile, sporting director Rudi Voller is more concerned about defending third spot than challenging Munich's Bundesliga lead.
"We need to keep an eye on the teams behind us," he stated.
"It will be difficult enough to defend third."
Christian Lell serves a one-game ban for the hosts who welcome back Luca Toni after his ban in the cup and Mark van Bommel following his Bundesliga suspension.
