Bayern Munich will be keen to keep their noses ahead at the top of the Bundesliga when they welcome Augsburg on Saturday.
Defending champions Bayern Munich will be keen to keep their spot at the top of the Bundesliga when they take on Augsburg at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side are level on points with Borussia Dortmund but have a superior goal difference. As long as they secure all three points, there is no reason to believe Die Roten will relinquish their position at the top of the standings.
Confidence in the Bayern squad will be high following their midweek win over Paris Saint-Germain. Nagelsmann’s men have been inconsistent at times this season but will go into the weekend’s clash as favourites.
Augsburg have failed to pick up a single point on their travels this year, and the task will not get any easier when they visit the Allianz Arena. An upset on the cards will see the visitors potentially move 11 points clear of the relegation zone, should other results also go their way.
With Dortmund set to face Schalke in the Revierderby later on, the onus is on Bayern to set the benchmark on the night. A win will see the pressure mount on Edin Terzic’s side and hand Die Roten the chance to pull away in the standings.
Augsburg hold the upper hand in the fixture since Nagelsmann took over in Bavaria and have in the past shown themselves capable of springing a surprise. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
I’M BACK 🕺👊🏼😍 pic.twitter.com/Diu6RMQEVS
— Lucas Hernández (@LucasHernandez) March 9, 2023
Bayern Munich will be without Lucas Hernandez and Manuel Neuer as the duo continue to recover from long-term injuries. The former is back on the field but is not close to returning to action. The home side have an otherwise fit squad and should have no excuse to come away with anything less than three points.
Die Roten will make a few changes given their midweek exertions to keep things fresh. A 4-2-3-1 formation appears to be on the cards, with Yann Sommer in goal, acting as the home side’s last line of defence.
Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, and Alphonso Davies are likely to form the backline. Joao Cancelo could also be handed an opportunity instead of Davies at left-back if the latter is deemed to be too tired.
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka should form the double pivot, giving the attacking trio of Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane opportunities to get forward. Cancelo and Gnabry linked up well against PSG and will be keen to push on if they play on the night.
Sadio Mane should get the nod to start up front, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting handed a rest. The striker can come off the bench if needed, but given the names available, Bayern should have enough to get the job done comfortably.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sommer; Pavard, Upamecano, de Ligt, Cancelo; Goretzka, Kimmich; Gnabry, Musiala, Sane; Mane
Augsburg
Enrico Maassen’s side are in no danger of relegation but could be drawn into the dogfight should they fail to improve their home form. Augsburg are seven points off the drop zone and have picked up one point from their last seven away games.
A trip to Bavaria is never easy, and Der Fuggerstadtr will need to be at their best to spring a surprise. Maasen will be without Felix Uduokhai, Fredrik Jensen, Reece Oxford, Elvis Rexhbecaj, Tobias Strobl and Andre Hahn.
The 4-4-2 formation appears to be the preferred choice as Augsburg appear likely to retain the starting XI that won against Werder Bremen last weekend. The rigidity the formation offers could make things difficult for Bayern, especially in transition.
Das war’s, es gibt keine weiteren Fragen mehr. Wir sehen uns am Samstag in München! 👋 #FCBFCA
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— FC Augsburg (@FCAugsburg) March 9, 2023
Rafał Gikiewicz should start in goal behind a back four of Robert Gumny, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Renato Veiga and Mads Pedersen. Arne Engels and Niklas Dorsch will hold the fort in the midfield, going up against Joshua Kimmich and co, intent on gaining the upper hand in the middle of the park.
Arne Maier and Ruben Vargas will be allowed to provide width, while Ermedin Demirovic and Dion Drena Beljo should lead the line upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Gikiewicz; Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Veiga, Pedersen; Maier, Engels, Dorsch, Vargas; Demirovic, Beljo
Key Stats
- Julian Nagelsmann has lost two of the three Bundesliga meetings against Augsburg since taking over at the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich have suffered two or more Bundesliga defeats to the same side just thrice under Nagelsmann, one of them being Augsburg.
- Bayern Munich have failed to score at home against Augsburg in the Bundesliga just once, in 2015, also their last loss at home soil to Der Fuggerstadtr.
- Bayern are currently on a 51-game run of scoring in the Bundesliga. This is the third-longest such streak in German football history.
- Augsburg are yet to pick up a single point on their travels in the Bundesliga in 2023, despite winning all four of their home games in the competition so far.
- Bayern Munich have had more shots on target this season in the Bundesliga. They have also faced the fewest shots on target of any side in the German top flight.
Player to Watch
Sadio Mane
The former Liverpool man recently returned from injury and will be keen to get back to goalscoring ways. He has made some impressive cameos of late and should get the opportunity to lead the line on the night.
An excellent goalscorer whose movement is hard to gauge, Mane has thrived as a striker in recent years. His ability to link up well with those around him and bring them into play should make life difficult for the Augsburg defence. The Senegalese ace has seen better days but still has it in him to make a difference.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-0 Augsburg
Die Roten are the clear favourites and, with home support to boot, will go into the game as overwhelming favourites. Despite games coming thick and fast, Bayern’s strength in depth should see them come out on top by a margin of two goals.
