Bayern hammer Hoffenheim to go seven points clear

Bayern Munich opened up a seven-point lead in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they warmed up for their Champions League clash at Manchester City with a 4-0 hammering of Hoffenheim. Pep Guardiola’s Bayern have already claimed their last 16 place as group winners with two Champions League games to spare before Tuesday’s clash with City and have now opened an ominous gap in the league. Mario Goetze and
Robert Lewandowski scored first-half goals against Hoffenheim at Munich’s Allianz Arena as the hosts cruised into the lead. Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger was making his first appearance of the season off the bench, 132 days after the World Cup final, as Bayern scored twice in the last 10 minutes through Arjen Robben and Sebastian Rode. Bayern’s iron grip on this season’s league title was tightened by results elsewhere as they extended their 21-match unbeaten run. Second-placed Wolfsburg had their eight-match winning streak ended at Schalke while third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach also lost ground with a 3-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt to fall 10 points behind the Bavarians. Schalke boss Roberto di Matteo warmed up for Tuesday’s visit of his former club Chelsea, who sacked him in 2012 just six months after winning the Champions League, with a 3-2 victory over Wolfsburg.