Bayern Munich vs. Paderborn: Key Issues That Will Shape Bundesliga Game

Bayern Munich play host to Paderborn on Tuesday in a Bundesliga match that sees the traditional league favorites look to leapfrog their promoted opponents in the table and possibly reclaim first place.

Pep Guardiola's men were upset on Saturday as they were held to a 0-0 draw in Hamburg. Their having dropped points opened the door for Paderborn to claim top spot in the league table as they beat Hannover 2-0.

The promoted side have been in red-hot form as of late and could yet upset the two-time defending Bundesliga champions. But not if Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben and company can help it. Click "Begin Slideshow" to take a look at the factors that could tip the scale in one direction or the other.

Freshness of Bayern's First Team

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Bayern have had a congested schedule as of late, with Tuesday marking their second consecutive midweek match. Although they looked sluggish over the weekend, the German champions can expect to be fresher and much more energetic as they take on Paderborn.

Pep Guardiola rested many of his stars for Saturday's scoreless draw with Hamburg. Although many of his best defensive players were named to the starting lineup, Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben and Mario Gotze were all left on the bench. All three will not have played for six days by the time of Tuesday's match and all three play in positions in which they could individually or collectively win the game even in the opening minutes.

By contrast, Paderborn have much less depth and will have to use their stars for the second time in three days. They will find it much harder to cope with the burden of playing two games in such a short time span.

Elias Kachunga as a Match-Winner

Four matches into the Bundesliga season it's not Robert Lewandowski or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar atop the Bundesliga scoring table, but Shinji Okazaki. Elias Kachunga is just one strike behind the Japanese attacker, though, the Paderborn man having found the net three times and only failing to hit the target in one match thus far.

A Germany under-21 international, Kachunga is in red-hot form now and could make the difference against Bayern. He has a lightning-quick turn of pace and is able to play with the ball at his feet; he actually featured as a winger for much of last season. And although he is best known for finishing, especially this season, the German-Congolese forward actually assisted more goals (nine) than he scored (six) in the 2. Bundesliga last season.

Kachunga was never the top-rated striker in his age group and has yet to have a full season proving him as a lethal threat in the league of Lewandowski or Huntelaar. But at 22 years of age, he's still on the rise and now is in the form of his life. If there's one Paderborn player who can cause Bayern headaches at the back, it's him.

Team Form

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Paderborn finished runners-up in the 2. Bundesliga last season; to have predicted them being anywhere near Bayern even after only four matches is a stretch of the imagination. Yet as the table stands, the promoted side sit atop the table with eight points and a +5 goal difference after four games. Bayern are among the four teams tied with the leaders on points, but regardless, one might have expected the two-time defending champions to be well on their way to the title by now.

Player-for-player, there is no comparison between Bayern and Paderborn. Transfermarkt rates Pep Guardiola's side as having a collective value of over half a billion Euros. Their opponents stand at €22.35 million.

Form can overcome class in some instances, though, and as it stands, Paderborn could pose a tough test for Bayern. The Bavarians have scored just five goals in their four Bundesliga matches this season, while the promoted side have conceded only two. Bayern could explode into form at any time, of course, but if there ever was a time that Paderborn could realistically hope to stand a chance against them, it's now.

Arjen Robben as a Match-Winner

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Having won just two of their four Bundesliga matches to start the season, Bayern need a match-winner to step forward now more than any time in recent memory.

Xherdan Shaqiri was given a chance to redeem himself against Hamburg on Saturday after some poor displays, but he failed to deliver the goods. Mario Gotze has been found to be inconsistent at best as of late, his performances falling well below those expected after his high-profile transfer from Dortmund last year. And Robert Lewandowski still hasn't found his feet since joining Bayern in the summer.

Among all of Bayern's stars, the man the club will look towards to make a difference will in all likelihood be Arjen Robben. Things aren't exactly perfect for the Dutchman; he's been injured as of late and may not be fit for 90 minutes against Paderborn. But the 30-year-old showed against Manchester City last week that even in a brief outing, he can terrorize defenses.

Time and time again he's been the man to deliver on the big stage for Bayern. And although a league match with a promoted side is not exactly the greatest occasion, Bayern really do need a win for the sake of their confidence. Come Tuesday, all eyes will be on Robben.