Stuttgart will remain ahead of Bayern Munich no matter what happens in their Bundesliga showdown Saturday (GolTV, 9:30 a.m. ET) at the Allianz Arena.

With more than one-third of the season already gone, that's remarkable for the league's youngest team, which began the season by losing its first two home games.

``We didn't let ourselves get discouraged. We believed in ourselves and since then we've been playing really beautiful soccer,'' Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez said.

Undefeated in nine straight games, Stuttgart has shot to the top of the standings.

Bayern, off to its worst start in 32 years with three defeats in 12 games, cannot afford to lose any more ground. Stuttgart has 24 points, while Bayern is fourth with 20.

Second-place Werder Bremen, with 23 points, travels to Alemannia Aachen (GolTV, 3 p.m. ET) and Schalke, also with 23 points, is at Energie Cottbus.

Stuttgart coach Armin Veh has been sporting a three-day stubble out of superstition ever since his team began its undefeated run.

But the run has to do more with Veh's commitment to young players and an open, forward style.

``He is always trying to choose the lineup according to his impressions from practice, regardless whether the players are young or old,'' Gomez said. ``It's working right now. He is making the right decisions.''

The 21-year-old Gomez has become the top scorer on a team whose average age is a fraction under 24. He has seven goals, second in the league behind Hertha Berlin's Marko Pantelic.

The striker is realistic enough to note that Stuttgart ``still doesn't have a team that can play at the top.''

``We are there now and we want to stay there as long as possible. If we reach the UEFA Cup, that would be a big success,'' he said. ``We are in good form at the moment and we are going to Munich without any pressure.''

Stuttgart is the Bundesliga's best team on the road, with 14 points from six away games.

Veh has several injured players and midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger is suspended.

``Of all teams in the top of the standings, we have the smallest roster. We'll have to improvise,'' Veh said.

Bayern coach Felix Magath was responsible for giving Gomez a contract when he was in charge at Stuttgart before coming to Bayern.

Now, Magath would like to see Gomez follow him.

``If he keeps scoring so consistently, he could be a player for us. I think he will succeed in staying consistent,'' Magath said.

Magath's bigger problem is the midfield, where the club has not been able to compensate for Michael Ballack's departure for Chelsea.

``No player that tried was able to fill this void, that's true,'' Magath said.

Club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said this week Bayern would be ready to invest 30 million euros (US$38.4 million) for a top player in the winter break, ``if such is to be found on the market.''

Bayern can hope for the return of creative midfielder Sebastian Deisler, who is back in the squad for the first time since injuring his right knee in March. Striker Lukas Podolski also could be back after an ankle injury.

Also Saturday, it's: Bochum vs. Eintracht Frankfurt; Borussia Dortmund vs. Hertha Berlin; FC Nuremberg vs. Bayer Leverkusen; and Mainz vs. Hamburger SV. On Sunday, Borussia Moenchengladbach plays Hannover 96 and Arminia Bielefeld meets Wolfsburg.

© The Canadian Press, 2007