League leaders, Bayern Munich welcome third-placed RB Leipzig to the Allianz Arena for their final home game of the 2022/23 season as the Bundesliga title race goes down the wire.
With Borussia Dortmund only one point behind the table-toppers, Bayern Munich will know that maximum points from their final two league games will secure an 11th straight Bundesliga title, and their home encounter with RB Leipzig on Saturday is probably their most difficult test remaining.
Bayern’s dominance in German football has been such in recent years that many people refuse to believe that there is a title race ongoing in the Bundesliga this season. However, this season for FC Hollywood has been chaotic like no other.
They sacked Julian Nagelsmann from the head coach job mid-season for no apparent reason. And things got worse for a while after Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as they suffered elimination from the Champions League in the quarter-finals and the DFB Pokal. In addition, there was a dressing room bust-up between Leroy Sane and Sadio Mane.
Having dropped five points at the end of April with a shock defeat at Mainz and a disappointing home stalemate with Hoffenheim, Tuchel’s Bayern have finally responded in recent outings with three successive victories, maintaining their slender lead at the top of the league table.
The Bundesliga leaders stamped their authority in the title race last week when they put Schalke to the sword with a comprehensive 6-0 victory at the Allianz Arena. Standing in their way on Saturday are third-placed RB Leipzig, who have more or less secured Champions League football for next season with three wins in a row and come into this game in fine form, winning seven of their past eight in all competitions.
A win would guarantee them a place in the Champions League next season. And doing so at the Allianz Arena would undoubtedly be done in style. If they don’t, they will be keeping a close eye on the encounter between SC Freiburg and Wolfsburg later in the evening.
At the moment, Marco Rose’s side have 60 points, one more than Union Berlin in fourth and four more than Freiburg. Like Bayern, Leipzig were knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester City, though in the round of 16. But they will still have a chance for a trophy this season when they meet Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal final on June 3.
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw, a result the hosts can’t afford this time around with title challengers Dortmund breathing down their neck.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
Fully focused on tomorrow's home game against
Leipzig! 💪 #FCBRBL #packmas pic.twitter.com/t9vVODWCNI— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) May 19, 2023
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has received positive news this week regarding key players returning to training after recovering from respective injuries. Thomas Muller resumed training on Wednesday after skipping the Tuesday session in order to manage his workload. So he is expected to be available for the weekend.
Alphonso Davies has started running on the grass. But this game may come too soon for his return. He may make the bench, though. Fellow defender Josip Stanisic has resumed training after missing action due to a thigh injury he suffered earlier this month, while Dayot Upamecano is nearing a return from a muscle tear.
However, Lucas Hernandez (knee), Manuel Neuer (leg), and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting remain out of contention for this game. One potential issue that Bayern may have is in the goalkeeping department, as Yann Sommer sat out this week with a stomach bug. Veteran Sven Ulreich may be called upon in between the sticks if Sommer does not recover before Saturday.
With Davies and Upamecano unlikely to start, a back four of Joao Cancelo, Noussair Mazraoui, Benjamin Pavard, and Matthijs de Ligt should line up at the back.
Up ahead in midfield, Joshua Kimmich, who has been linked with a move away from Bavaria in German newspaper back pages, has been given more freedom from his previous holding midfield role, as Thomas Tuchel wants him to be the team’s playmaking midfielder moving forward.
Leon Goretzka should return to the middle of the park to play alongside Kimmich. And the double pivot should provide the platform for the attacking midfield trio of Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, and Kingsley Coman to sustain attacks, with Serge Gnabry serving as the false nine.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sommer; Mazraoui, Pavard, De Ligt, Cancelo; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Gnabry
RB Leipzig
Similar to the manager in the opposite dugout, Marco Rose has also seen key players return to training this week. Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo, who missed out last week due to a muscle injury, resumed training on Tuesday.
Konrad Laimer and Timo Werner both picked up knocks but are ready to return and will look to start here. Another piece of good news is that goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi has returned from a knee injury that had kept him out since November and could even make the bench for this one.
Janis Blaswich will continue in goal. Willi Orban and Josko Gvardiol will be the centre-back pairing, flanked by athletic defensive full-backs in Benjamin Henrichs and Mohamed Simakan. Konrad Laimer, who is set to join Bayern Munich in the summer, and Amadou Haidara are expected to start in the middle of the park.
🎙️ Rose on Péter Gulácsi:
"Pete is in good spirits because he's back in the locker room and feels like part of the team again. He's making progress bit by bit. The plan is to have him back on board fully for preseason." pic.twitter.com/olzu5Gyejw
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) May 19, 2023
Attacking midfielder Dominik Sbozosolai has been the most creative midfielder for RB Leipzig this season and will be relied upon to create chances for his team during counter-attacking opportunities against Bayern this weekend.
The return of Spanish winger Dani Olmo has also relieved the Hungarian of the sole creative responsibility, empowering Leipzig to continue their current winning streak.
Christopher Nkunku will be the one to exploit the opponent’s weakness in the central areas. The versatile French attacker is best when he is slightly deeper behind striker Timo Werner and can then get on the ball, run at opponents, and bring others into play.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Blaswich; Simakan, Gvardiol, Orban, Henrichs; Laimer, Haidara; Szoboszlai, Nkunku, Olmo; Werner
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich are undefeated in their last 11 matches against RB Leipzig in all competitions.
- Leipzig have won eight of their last 12 Bundesliga clashes, keeping five clean sheets in that time.
- RB Leipzig have won five of their last six Bundesliga games, while Bayern Munich are riding on a three-game winning run in the German top flight.
- Bayern have rediscovered their goal-scoring form lately, having scored 10 goals across their last three games.
- With 13 goals and two games left to play, Nkunku could yet make history as the first Leipzig player to win the Bundesliga’s top scorer’s prize. He’s still three goals adrift of Bundesliga top-scorer Niclas Fullkrug.
Player to Watch
Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry is Bayern Munich’s top scorer this season with 13 goals from 20 Bundesliga starts, which is an excellent return when he has been playing on either flank and through the middle recently.
Despite being a natural winger, his pace is not his strongest suit. But his ability to dribble out of tight spaces, link up with teammates, and power shot brings something new to the table in comparison to other wide options like Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane, both of whom are lightning-quick wingers.
Gnabry comes into this game in fantastic form, having scored four goals in his last three games. He added two more to his account last weekend against Schalke and has chipped in with some important goals this season that have helped Bayern remain at the top of the Bundesliga. He will be a handful for the Leipzig defence to cope with.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-2 RB Leipzig
In a game likely to have a great impact on the title race in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will aim to take another step towards wrapping up an 11th successive league crown. They seem to be getting their act together under Thomas Tuchel and have won their last three games.
But all of those wins have come against teams in the bottom half, and two of them have come against relegation-threatened sides. Leipzig should provide a far sterner test, and they still have some work cut out to seal a top-four spot.
Clean sheets for Bayern Munich are still uncommon for the reigning German champions, especially in tricky-looking games. RB Leipzig have the firepower in attack to exploit their generous backline. So an entertaining 2-2 draw could well be on the cards at Allianz Arena this weekend, which will hand rivals Dortmund a golden chance to usurp the Bavarians to the Bundesliga title.
