SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Bayern Munich will resume their Bundesliga campaign on Saturday when they lock horns with SC Freiburg at the Europa-Park Stadion.

After a brief hiatus, the Bundesliga is set to resume this weekend, with defending champions Bayern Munich travelling to Europa-Park station to face SC Freiburg.

A win for the Rekordmeister could help move one step closer towards securing the Bundesliga title for the tenth consecutive time. But the Bavarians haven’t been in the best of form and have secured only one win in their last three league matches.

Their most recent triumph came against Union Berlin, just before the international break. But with this being an away game, the pressure will be on the visitors to deliver after a series of inconsistent performances. Julian Nagelsmann will also have to keep one eye on the important midweek encounter against Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League, making things far trickier, at least when it comes to team selection.

As for Freiburg, they are currently fifth in the league table with 45 points on the board. With Hoffenheim, Leipzig and Leverkusen also involved in this tense top-four race, it will be imperative for Christian Streich’s men to seal at least a point against Bayern Munich, especially with Hoffenheim breathing down their necks.

Freiburg had slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Bayern in the Hinspiel, but with added home advantage in the new stadium, the hosts will be much more confident of their chances of pulling an upset in this crucial encounter in the Bundesliga this weekend.

Team News & Tactics

SC Freiburg

#Streich: "Wir müssen eine richtig gute Leistung zeigen und die Leute mitreißen. Bayern ist immer ein besonderes Spiel. Das ist die beste Mannschaft in Deutschland. Aber wir wollen ihnen richtig Paroli bieten. Und wir wollen an diesem Tag nicht viel kleiner sein als sie."

— SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg) March 31, 2022

SC Freiburg are missing a few key players due to injury, including defensive midfielder Yannick Keitel and the speedy Kevin Schade. There are doubts over the involvement of several other stars, with Jeong Woo-yeong, in particular, hoping to be available after pulling from international duty.

Jeong will likely feature on the bench, hoping to come on as a second-half substitute. In his absence, the onus will be on Lucas Holer to operate in the number ten role, though it won’t be surprising to see him joining ranks with Ermedin Demirovic, thus forming a situational 4-4-2.

In such a scenario, Vincenzo Grifo and Roland Sallai should operate as the two wide attackers. Their creativity will go a long way in helping Freiburg pick the Bayern defence that can be quite vulnerable, especially on the wider defensive positions.

In midfield, Streich could introduce Nicolas Hofler, who could form the double-pivot alongside the hard-working Maximilian Eggestein. Janik Haberer is another option, should the hosts opt for a bit more dynamism and creativity in the middle of the park.

Defensively, there might be a few changes from the side that faced Greuther Furth before the international break. Lukas Kubler is gunning for a return at right-back at the expense of Jonathan Schmid. Philipp Lienhart is also hoping to return to the team sheet after recovering from COVID-19 during the international break. He could replace Manuel Gulde at the heart of the Freiburg back four.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Kubler, Lienhart, Schlotterbeck, Gunter; Eggestein, Hofler; Sallai, Holer, Grifo; Demirovic

Bayern Munich

Robert Lewandowski was a slight doubt for the Freiburg game after sustaining a bruised rib during the international break. However, the Pole is likely to be available for this encounter. Bayern have also been boosted by the return of Niklas Sule, who has resumed training and could be an option on the bench against Freiburg.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is a fresh absentee after being diagnosed with COVID-19. As for Serge Gnabry, he has been training with the team, but Nagelsmann is unlikely to take any risks with the German international in light of the upcoming midweek game against Villarreal.

Robert Lewandowski (bruised rib) is expected to resume team training tomorrow [Kicker]

— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 31, 2022

On a bright note, Bayern Munich are likely to have Leon Goretzka back, while Alphonso Davies could be in the squad for the first time this year. Neither of them is expected to start, though, as Bayern gear up for a difficult phase of the campaign.

With Gnabry likely to be rested, Nagelsmann could shift to a back four, with Tanguy Nianzou forming the central defensive pairing with Dayoot Upamecano. It could see Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane occupy the wider attacking roles, supporting Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski in the Bayern frontline.

There should be no changes in midfield, though, with Jamal Musiala likely to get the nod ahead of Goretzka, who may appear as a second-half substitute.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Pavard, Nianzou, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kimmich, Musiala; Coman, Muller, Sane; Lewandowski

Key Stats

• Freiburg’s top goalscorer Vincenzo Grifo has just one goal to show for his ten career meetings with Bayern but three assists across his last two.
• Jeong Woo-yeong and Nils Petersen are former Bayern players, having made two and 15 appearances respectively for the record champions.
• Christian Streich has overseen one win in 18 meetings with Bayern (D5 L12) and two against teams coached by Julian Nagelsmann (D3 L6).
• Robert Lewandowski has scored 20 goals in 19 games against Freiburg, including six in his last seven.
• Bayern have 81 goals after 27 games. The Bundesliga leaders have seven matches left to break the Bundesliga record they hold for single-season goals (101, 1971/72).

Player to Watch

Thomas Muller

After a blistering start to the season, Thomas Muller is currently going through a major slump. The influential playmaker has not registered a single goal or assist in three games for the first time since October-November 2019. It has reflected poorly on Bayern Munich as well, with the Bavarians struggling to beat teams such as Leverkusen and Hoffenheim.

In fact, Muller even scored an own goal in the draw with Leverkusen, so the pressure will be on the German international to deliver as Bayern Munich look to get back to their best after a slump in form.

Tactically, Muller’s ability to drift out wide, coupled with his positioning sense, could be critical in aiding Lewandowski. Should the Pole start on the bench, Muller may have an even bigger role of spearheading the Bayern Munich frontline this weekend.

Prediction

SC Freiburg 1-2 Bayern Munich

SC Freiburg are not an opposition to be taken lightly, especially at home. However, Bayern Munich remain the firm favourites to grab all three points this weekend, in light of the return of several star players, including Goretzka and Sule. Although neither of them is expected to play a crucial role in this encounter, it is apparent that Nagelsmann’s troops are gaining strength.

Freiburg can be quite resilient, but they are unlikely to be able to put a stop to Bayern’s attacking endeavours, though we do expect them to trouble the opposition defence at least once.