3. Liga side FC Saarbrucken face a daunting test in the DFB-Pokal as they welcome reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich to the Ludwigsparkstadion on Wednesday evening.
Fresh off an eight-goal hammering of Darmstadt, Bayern Munich will look to keep the juggernaut rolling when they travel to face German third-tier outfit FC Saarbrucken in a second-round DFB-Pokal clash.
After spending six seasons in the Regionalliga Sudwest, Saarbrucken gained promotion to the third tier in the 2019/20 season. They were excellent for three seasons in the 3. Liga, and missed promotion by just one point in the last season.
However, they are struggling this season as they are 15th with 14 points in 11 rounds, just two points away from the danger zone, albeit with a couple of games in hand over their nearest competitors.
Their most recent match ended in a 2-1 defeat to Rot-Weiss Essen, which extended their winless streak to three matches. The only victory they have managed in their last six came over Arminia Bielefeld at the end of last month. The hosts have been better, unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2). They beat Karlsruhe 2-1 in the first round of this competition, but they will have a mountain to climb here.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, turned in another dominant performance at the weekend, steamrolling Darmstadt 8-0 in the Bundesliga, which followed a 3-1 victory over Galatasaray in the Champions League in midweek.
The Bavarians, who have won five games on the spin across all competitions, are in top gear in the Bundesliga, already at 23 points from nine games, leaving them just two points behind Bayer Leverkusen.
The only blot on their copybook this season was their Super Cup defeat to RB Leipzig at the start of the campaign. The visitors will look to keep the momentum going in the DFB-Pokal, where they kicked off their cup quest with a 4-0 victory over Munster in late September.
A decision regarding Bayern's Pokal game against Saarbrücken has been postponed for tomorrow after another pitch inspection. The DFB are doing everything to ensure the game takes place on Wednesday and have sent experts and material to try and dry out the pitch as much as… pic.twitter.com/CNMPzlWHKI
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) October 30, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Saarbrucken
Saarbrucken will miss out on the services of striker Sebastian Jacob and Patrick Schmidt and midfielder Richard Neudecker, both of whom remain in the treatment room due to long-term adductor and leg injuries, respectively.
The hosts’ previous game against Dynamo Dresden was suspended after the first 45 minutes due to heavy rain. Parts of the pitch were waterlogged, and there is a big question as to whether the pitch will be ready by Wednesday, with the conditions not improving much since.
Saarbrucken head coach Rudiger Ziehl likes to set up in a 3-4-3/5-3-2 formation, and the hosts could line up in a similar shape on Wednesday. Saarbrucken’s defence have had massive problems lately, allowing two goals in three of the last four games.
So the back-five of Lukas Boeder, Bjarne Thoelke, Manuel Zeitz, Bone Uaferro, and Marcel Gaus will have to be at their defensive best to damage limitation in front of goalkeeper Tim Schreiber.
Having bagged seven strikes from 12 games across all competition, summer recruit Kai Brunker is the biggest attacking threat for the home side and will surely be the one to watch, lining up in a two-man strike force alongside young winger Amine Naifi.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Schreiber; Boeder, Thoelke, Zeitz, Uaferro, Gaus; Civeja, Sontheimer, Rabihic; Naifi, Brunker
Bayern Munich
Kingsley Coman suffered an ankle injury in the recent game against Darmstadt and was forced off the pitch after 65 minutes. The winger joins Dayot Upamecano, Raphael Guerreiro, Tarek Buchmann (all hamstring), Serge Gnabry (fractured forearm), and Gabriel Marusic (ACL) in the treatment room.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel will certainly shuffle his pack and deploy a team similar to what we have seen in the first round of DFB-Pokal. Tuchel will likely build around a strong defensive base of Matthijs de Ligt and Kim Min-jae while making sweeping changes in other departments.
Sven Ulreich will likely return between the sticks in order to give first-choice Manuel Neuer a breather after the Germany shot-stopper finally returned from a leg break.
🗣️ Tuchel on #FCSFCB:
"We have an extremely important game coming up tomorrow. If we want to reach the final in Berlin, then we have to deliver tomorrow. It's a knockout game, simple as that." #packmas pic.twitter.com/I3WhoY89jO
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) October 31, 2023
Leon Goretzka underwent a successful hand operation last Sunday, and the club have confirmed that the midfielder is set to miss their upcoming matches. Couple that with Joshua Kimmich’s suspension last time out and Tuchel has a riddle to solve in his side’s engine room.
Harry Kane extended his tally to 14 goals in 13 games since joining his new club by scoring a hat-trick against Darmstadt, while Leroy Sane continued his own excellent form by scoring a brace. Both of them could be rested here, with Mathys Tel and Eric Choupo-Moting always keen to impress when they receive rare starting opportunities.
Thomas Muller was only on the pitch for 25 minutes on Saturday but did well in his short time, notching two assists and a goal. He will expect to come into the visitors’ attacking unit as well.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Sarr, De Ligt, Kim, Kratzig; Laimer, Pavlovic; Muller, Musiala Choupo-Moting; Tel
Key Stats
- This will be the fifth meeting between the two sides in this competition, with the Bavarians progressing on all four previous occasions.
- Saarbrucken are on a three-match winless streak and have conceded two or more goals in three of their last four games.
- Bayern Munich, meanwhile, are on a five-match winning run and have scored two or more goals in their last four games in all competitions.
- Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has 10 goals in seven DFB Cup appearances for Bayern.
Player to Watch
Mathys Tel
While Jamal Musiala is continuing to steal all the headlines, Bayern Munich seem to have another gem on their hands in Mathys Tel. Bayern paid a fee close to €28.5 million for the 17-year-old Mathys Tel in 2022. The French forward had a decent debut season, scoring five goals across all competitions.
However, this season, he has taken significant step in his development. He has been the go-to player for Tuchel and Bayern this season to make an impact from the bench. Tel has scored five goals across Bundesliga and Champions League in 189 minutes on the pitch. He is currently averaging a goal every 37.8 minutes for Die Roten this term, while scoring against Preussen Munster in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
Should he continue his fine form, Tel can end up becoming a crucial member of the squad by the end of the season, which is an incredible feat since he recently turned 18. Indeed, a goal or two in this game against lower-tier Saarbrucken will not harm his chances of doing so.
Prediction
Saarbrucken 0-3 Bayern Munich
Saarbrucken may be spared the humiliation of a battering in their own stadium thanks to Bayern Munich’s long list of injured players. But the visitors should still possess far too much class and poise for their third-division opponent to handle. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 victory for the Bundesliga champions.
