Fourth-placed Bayern host Schalke on Saturday at the Allianz Arena, desperate to close the nine-point gap with Hitzfeld demanding a win -- or the German giants can forget picking up their 21st Bundesliga title.

Hitzfeld has key midfielders German international Bastian Schweinsteiger and aggressive Dutchman Mark Van Bommel fit to face Schalke and will pick his best side, despite the Champions League showdown in Milan on Tuesday.

Saturday's game at the Allianz Arena is crucial for Bayern's aspirations, but they need to leap-frog VfB Stuttgart into third to guarantee a Champions League berth next season.

"We're not making any concessions to the Milan game," said Hitzfeld.

"The three points are utterly vital. We want to play in the Champions League again next year.

"Schalke is a decisive match, like all our matches at the moment. Every match is a final for us. We need a place in the top three as soon as possible."

Having lost at Eintracht Frankfurt and drawn with second-placed Werder Bremen in the last two games, Hitzfeld lamented his side's lost points.

"The points we've thrown away in the last two weeks is just incredible, we are in a critical situation and we must be in the Champions League next season, every single player is clear on that."

Bayern welcome back French centre-back Valerien Ismael who is set to make his first appearance since breaking a leg in training last August.

While all eyes will be on the result in Munich, second-placed Werder Bremen travel to mid-table Energie Cottbus, hoping to close the three-point gap on Schalke.

Coach Thomas Schaaf is still waiting to see if he will hold onto German internationals Miroslav Klose and Torsten Frings, with Klose out of contract at the end of the season.

Third-placed VfB Stuttgart, in the last crucial automatic Champions League spot, are at home to ninth-placed Alemannia Aachen after a disrupted week of training with eight of their squad involved in internationals.

Coach Armin Veh is still without key defender Serdar Tasci and the Bundesliga's joint top-scorer Mario Gomez who has a knee injury.

And at the bottom of the table, Germany's international striker Oliver Neuville and head coach Jos Luhukay both announced this week they have re-signed for Borussia Moenchengladback until 2009.

'Gladback are at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, while relegation candidates Arminia Bielefeld entertain Borussia Dortmund on Friday night.

And VfL Bochum, who are also in the bottom three, host seventh-place Hanover, whose goalkeeper Robert Enke made his debut for the German side in their 1-0 defeat at home to Denmark on Wednesday.