Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will look to make it five wins in a row when they hit the road to square up against SC Freiburg.
With Bayer Leverkusen hot on their heels, Bayern Munich need to continue winning to ensure they retain the top spot; the Bavarian giants will be going up against the SC Freiburg team that have suffered three defeats in their last four outings.
The home team are eighth in the league with 27 points in their 18 outings. While Freiburg have been quite impressive for the majority of the ongoing campaign, the last few weeks have not gone according to plan for them.
Julian Schuster’s men are heading into this fixture on the back of consecutive defeats at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart. They will have to put up a much better performance if they want to take down the league leaders.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich have a four-point lead at the top of the table. At a point in time, it felt like Die Roten would run away with the Bundesliga title, but defending champions Bayer Leverkusen have picked up the pace and are waiting for a slip-up from Vincent Kompany’s team.
Vincent Kompany’s men are heading into this game on the back of four straight wins in the Bundesliga, but they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at the hands of Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League last time out. While they dominated the proceedings, they were not clinical enough in the final third. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
SC Freiburg
The home team will be without the services of Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Florent Muslija. While Matthias Ginter was subbed off in the game against VfB Stuttgart, he is expected to be back fit for this one.
Freiburg will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Noah Atubolu should take charge in goal. Lukas Kubler and Christian Gunter should be the full-backs, while Matthias Ginter should partner Philipp Lienhart in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Maximilian Eggestein will pair up with Patrick Osterhage. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure Bayern Munich midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Eren Dinkci should be the chief creator for Freiburg, while Ritsu Doan and Vincenzo Grifo should provide the much-needed width to their attacks. Junior Adamu is expected to lead the line for SC Freiburg against Bayern Munich.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Osterhage; Doan, Dinkci, Grifo; Adamu
Bayern Munich
The visitors will be without the services of the suspended Konrad Laimer and the injured duo of Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Ito.
Vincent Kompany will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Manuel Neuer will be in goal. Joshua Kimmich and Raphael Guerreiro could be the full-backs for this one, with Dayot Upamecano partnering with Kim Min-jae forming the central defensive pairing.
As for the midfield unit, Aleksandar Pavlovic should form the double pivot in the middle of the park alongside Leon Goretzka. They will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they have the majority of the ball.
Jamal Musiala will continue in the number ten role with Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry on the flanks. Harry Kane should spearhead the Bayern Munich attack against SC Freiburg on Saturday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won 32 out of the last 41 matches SC Freiburg who have only secured two wins in those outings.
- The Bavarians are unbeaten in their last 17 outings against the home team in the league.
- SC Freiburg last won against Bayer Munich back in May 2015 (2-1).
- Vincent Kompany’s team have picked up 45 points out of their 18 games which is their best tally at this stage since the 2016/17 season.
- The home team do not have that good a defensive record as they have conceded 34 goals in their 18 league games.
Player to Watch
Jamal Musiala
At 21, Musiala is already one of the mainstays in the Bayern team. The German international has 14 goals and six assists in the ongoing campaign, and he will be looking to add to his tally when he takes the field against Freiburg. Given the kind of form he has been in, the 21-year-old attacker will surely have a big say on the result of this game.
Prediction
SC Freiburg 1-3 Bayern Munich
Freiburg are heading into this fixture on the back of consecutive defeats in the league, and they will have to punch above their weight if they want to take down the league leader. While Bayern Munich are also heading into this one on the back of a defeat in the UEFA Champions League, they are on a four-match winning streak in the Bundesliga and should be able to make it five in a row. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the away team.
