A handful of Bayern Munich youngsters make Rodinghausen trip

Bayern Munich face SV Rodinghausen in the DFB Pokal tomorrow and will do so with a handful of young talent filling out their ranks.

Bayern Munich play their fourth game in 11 days tomorrow when they travel to Rodinghausen to face Regionalliga side SV Rodinghause in the DFB Pokal round of 16. Many of Die Roten‘s regular stars will miss out on the match due to injury or other reasons, leaving space for several youngsters to make their way into the first team.

A hero of last season, Sven Ulreich will miss tomorrow’s match due to the imminent birth of his child. Bayern prodigy and heir to the Manuel Neuer throne Christian Fruchtl will replace him in the matchday squad. The 18-year-old is the first-choice goalkeeper for Bayern’s second team. Though he won’t see any time on the pitch tomorrow unless something tragic happens to Neuer, Fruchtl will no doubt be pleased to travel with the squad for the first time under Niko Kovac.

Defensive midfielder Paul Will has also left behind the reserve squad and made the journey to Rodinghausen with Bayern’s first team. James Rodriguez will miss tomorrow’s match, while Javi Martinez might be requisitioned into central defense in place of Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels — who will both miss the match. Leon Goretzka will undergo a late physical test to see if he will be able to feature against Rodinghausen.

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All this leaves Bayern a bit short in midfield. Even so, it’s doubtful Will sees any time on the pitch tomorrow.

In the attacking department, Bayern will be without Arjen Robben yet again tomorrow, as the Dutchman is out with back problems. This, combined with Kingsley Coman’s long-term absence, makes the Bavarians a bit short in offense as well.

This leaves room for Meritan Shabani and Wooyeong Jeong — both players who have been exceptional for Bayern’s second team this season — to join the first team. Shabani, who primarily features as an attacking midfielder, has amassed five goals and four assists across ten appearances this season.

Korean talent Jeong, meanwhile, has six goals and three assists across 14 matches. Though he can excel on either flank, Jeong is most comfortable as a right winger and is perhaps the most likely of the four to feature in tomorrow’s match.

Due to Bayern’s lack of midfielders (not something we read often), Thomas Muller will likely fill in a central role, leaving either Jeong or Gnabry to get the nod at right wing. It is, of course, more likely that Kovac fields Gnabry, but there is a slim chance Jeong could grab some minutes or even start.