Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola is expected to rotate his side for Saturday’s German Bundesliga clash against relegation strugglers Eintracht Frankfurt, with winger Arjen Robben ruled out of the tie due to his third adductor injury this season.
Bayern lead the Bundesliga, with second placed Borussia Dortmund still 5 points behind them. Manager Pep Guardiola will have one eye on the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against Portuguese champions Benfica, and is expected to rest some of this key players for the tie.
Robben ruled out against Frankfurt; doubt for Benfica
The Dutch winger has been missing since the draw against Dortmund earlier in March, having suffered his 3rd adductor injury of this term. While he did join the Dutch squad for international duty, Robben returned to Munich while still unfit to play.
Robben’s agent confirmed to Dutch outlet NOS that the winger will resume training next week, but is still not fit enough for the tie at the weekend.
Guardiola expected to rotate the squad
A host of fringe players, including Mario Gotze, are likely to get playing time with Guardiola looking to rotate his squad against a side that has won just once in their last 9 games in the league.
Benfica will provide a stern test to the Bavarians, and Guardiola would want his best players to be in top condition over the next fortnight.
As for the fringe players, Mario Gotze has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, with the German international having played only 12 games this entire season under Guardiola. He will look to get some more game time after having scored in midweek for Germany.
David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich will continue to play in the central defence, with defenders Jerome Boateng and Holger Badstuber out injured. Barring the trio, Guardiola has the luxury to chose his XI from the rest of the squad.
