( dpa )- Uli Hoeness can get the binoculars ready.
In summer after investing heavily in star players, the Bayern Munich general manager boasted the rest of the Bundesliga would need the optical aids to find his team at the top of the table.
The prediction looks like it's coming true.
On Saturday, Bayern opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the German league after a 2-0 win over Karlsruhe while nearest rivals Werder Bremen slumped to a 6-3 defeat at VfB Stuttgart.
Once again Italy striker Luca Toni was on target, notching his 14th league goal and 24th in 32 competitive games for Bayern . So was France midfielder Franck Ribery after a brilliant solo goal.
They were the two biggest names of Bayern's 70-million-euro (108 million dollars) signings in the summer. The investments are paying off, there are smiles all round in Munich, but Hoeness is urging caution.
"I had dreamt of binoculars for the opponents, but it's still only a dream," he said.
"When it becomes reality I will gladly be prepared to buy them for the others."
An autumn dip in form, followed by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's decision not to renew his contract at the end of the season had led to some momentary doubts at Germany's most successful club.
However Bayern have recovered strongly this year, and Saturday's win came on the heels of a impressive 5-0 trouncing of Anderlecht in Belgium in the UEFA Cup. In addition they are in the last four of the German Cup.
Hitzfeld , who enjoyed his 150th win with Bayern on Saturday, could in fact leave successor Juergen Klinsmann with a hard act to follow next season if Bayern gain the treble of league, domestic cup and UEFA Cup.
"We've exploited a Bremen slip-up in the title race for the first time. It was important to lay our home complex to rest, as we9ve not won here in the Bundesliga since November (against Wolfsburg)," said Hitzfeld , who will become Switzerland coach after Euro 2008.
"I hope that means we9ve removed the mental block here at home. We worked hard and scored the opening goal at just the right time.
"We maintained our standards despite a difficult away match. We kept it tight at the back and created plenty of chances, but the title race is far from over. We need to ensure we hold onto our slight advantage."
While Toni continued his scoring streak, it was 25-million-euro signing Ribery who again caught the eye, rounding off a fine display with a goal from a run which left four Karlsruhe players trailing.
"He's a dream of a player. You can compare him with ( Zinedine ) Zidane ," said goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.
"I have seldom seen a player who does things at such speed."
Meanwhile Bremen have to recover from a dreadful week which saw a 2-0 defeat at Glasgow Rangers on Thursday followed by the 6-3 collapse at Stuttgart less than 48 hours later.
They could even lose second place to Hamburg, who would trim Bayern's advantage to six points with a win at Nuremberg on Sunday evening.
"Don't ask me about the championship. It's not a current issue," Werder sports director Klaus Allofs said.
"For us the main thing is playing in the Champions League next season. That will be difficult enough."
Coach Thomas Schaaf admitted his side was "incredibly naive" against Stuttgart, often being caught exposed on the break. Bremen have now conceded 34 goals in the league, more than three times as much as Bayern (11).
Stuttgart's Germany striker Mario Gomez took advantage of Bremen's disarray to score a hat-trick under the gaze of national team coach Joachim Loew .
"We shouldn't praise Mario as a Messiah but for me he is the best German striker," said Stuttgart coach Armin Veh of Gomez, who joins Toni with 14 league goals as Bundesliga top scorer.
The win was the third in a row in the league for Stuttgart, and the defending champions could move to a UEFA Cup place if they win their game in hand on Tuesday against bottom club Energie Cottbus .