Bayern Munich will be aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season when they host SC Freiburg on Sunday.
The games are starting to come thick and fast for the defending Bundesliga champions as Bayern Munich welcome SC Freiburg to the Allianz Arena on Sunday.
Bayern Munich have had a somewhat mixed start to the season. They are yet to lose a game in the German top flight in 2023/24 but are two points behind Bayer Leverkusen at the summit, having drawn two of their opening six games.
Having had to come from behind against RB Leipzig to salvage a draw last time out in the Bundesliga, the German champions had to once again fight hard for their win over FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday, turning the match around to claim a narrow 2-1 victory.
Bayern Munich next face a Freiburg side that have been inconsistent throughout the campaign so far and come into the game after a UEFA Europa League loss to West Ham. The visitors did lose two straight league games against VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, recently conceding nine goals in the process, but have steadied the ship with consecutive clean sheets.
The Southerners are hovering in eighth place with a respectable 10-point tally after six rounds. Bayern completed a league double against Freiburg last term, winning 6-0 on aggregate scores, although the visitors did enjoy some success against Bayern last term, beating them in the DFB Pokal quarterfinals. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Bayern Munich
💬 Tuchel on @Manuel_Neuer: "I'm pleased that Ulle is continuing to put in good performances, that Manuel Neuer is recovering well and that with Daniel Peretz we've got a good group of goalkeepers who are pushing each other. Ulle has got the full support of Manu. That's the… pic.twitter.com/PMeRYMRH43
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) October 6, 2023
Manuel Neuer’s comeback is still on hold after breaking his leg in a skiing accident in January. Serge Gnabry broke his arm and will be out for several weeks. Defender Matthijs de Ligt is struggling with a knee issue, while Tarek Buchmann and Gabriel Marusic are all also ruled out of Sunday’s contest.
Despite Neuer inching closer to his return as the starting goalkeeper for Bayern, Sven Ulreich will continue in the goal. While not having his best game against RB Leipzig, Ulreich did redeem himself a bit with a fantastic save late in both the Leipzig match and against Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Noussair Mazraoui performed well against Copenhagen in the right-back position and may get the nod in this position on Sunday, while Alphonso Davies is set to continue on the opposite flank. So, summer recruit Raphael Guerreiro may have to wait for his first Bundesliga start.
Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae will remain as the centre-back pairing since de Ligt is unavailable here. Konrad Laimer looked sloppy in the engine room alongside Joshua Kimmich in Denmark on Tuesday, which could pave the way for Leon Goretzka to come back into the side.
In front of the midfield pivot, Jamal Musiala is certain to start in the number ten position. Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman are set to operate in support of striker Harry Kane.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Kane
SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg also had to make do without the services of a host of key players all across the pitch. Michael Gregoritsch is out with a calf injury, while Max Rosenfelder has a muscle injury. Nicolas Hofler is suspended for one more game after being sent off.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is on his way back from an ACL injury. Captain Christian Gunter has fractured his arm, while Yannik Keitel has an adductor problem. Should Keitel miss out due to a groin issue, Merlin Rohl may be asked to step up alongside Maximilian Eggestein in midfield, leaving the visitors without a natural defensive midfielder for arguably their toughest game of the season.
Minimal further alterations are expected from Christian Streich given the standard of the opponent and the extended absentee list. Defender Kenneth Schmidt is an option to come into a back three, while Maximilian Philipp and Junior Adamu are alternatives in the attack.
In front of the midfield pivot, Roland Sallai and Vincenzo Grifo will operate as the creators. Summer signing Adamu, signed from Red Bull Salzburg this summer, will pair with Lucas Holer to form the strike partnership in a very flexible 4-2-2-2 formation.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-2): Atubolu; Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Kubler; Rohl, Eggestein; Sallai, Grifo; Adamu, Holer
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have conceded in four of their five games at the Allianz Arena this season.
- The Bavarians have scored at least two goals in their last seven Bundesliga matches.
- Freiburg have scored in nine of their last 11 games against Bayern.
- The hosts have won their last four home league games against Freiburg.
- Bayern have only kept two clean sheets in the Bundesliga so far.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The Bavarians have gone up a gear in attack as a result of signing England striker Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur during the summer. The England captain has firmly established himself as Bayern’s danger man with eight goals in six Bundesliga games so far and would fancy himself getting on the scoresheet here against a Freiburg side that has conceded the most goals of the sides in the top eight of the Bundesliga table.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-1 Freiburg
While Freiburg still boasts decent quality in attacking areas to breach the shoddy Bayern Munich backline, they are depleted in other departments due to various reasons, meaning a win for Bayern looks like a more likely outcome here.
To make matters worse for the visitors, Thomas Tuchel’s troops will have had an extra couple of days to recover from their European exertions, while they are still feeling the effects of an intense game against the physical West Ham United side, which will also hamper their preparations for the trip to Bavaria.
Freiburg have only failed to score in two of their last 11 meetings against Bayern, who have a poor clean sheet record this term, so they can at least strike in defeat. Still, the hosts’ team should have more than enough firepower to secure a comfortable win on Sunday.
