Bayern Munich desperately need a win against Werder Bremen

Bayern Munich hope to carry some of their midweek momentum into their Bundesliga campaign with a victory over Werder Bremen on Saturday.

The mood at Bayern Munich is much better now than it was after the full-time whistle against Fortuna Dusseldorf last weekend. The Bavarians delivered a dominant 5-1 win against Benfica on Tuesday and sealed their place in the next round of the Champions League. It was the first convincing performance of the season at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern will now focus on the Bundesliga till the winter break. The defending champions are looking to get back to winning ways in the league against Werder Bremen on Saturday. Bayern are currently out of the top four and trailing Borussia Dortmund by nine points. They cannot afford to have any more slip-ups in order to defend their league title.

Werder Bremen has been fairly decent in the Bundesliga this season, meanwhile. They are scoring a good amount of goals but their defensive record is quite poor. The hosts have won only one league game out of their past five fixtures, but a win on Saturday will bring them level on points with Bayern.

Team News

Bayern Munich received a major boost this week on the injury front. Kingsley Coman and Thiago Alcantara have completely recovered from their respective injuries and started training with the squad. The duo is likely to get minutes from the bench against Werder Bremen. Serge Gnabry is also back in training after missing the last two games with an adductor injury.

Mats Hummels missed the game against Benfica due to illness. The German defender was initially reported to be fit for tomorrow’s match, but recent reports suggest otherwise. James Rodriguez continues his recovery from a serious ankle injury and will not be back until 2019. Corentin Tolisso is the only long-term absentee for Bayern Munich right now.

Predicted XI

Kovac will have a big squad for this game as many injured players are set to make their comeback. Manuel Neuer will keep his place in goal, as the search for only a third Bundesliga clean sheet of the seasons continues. Jerome Boateng and Niklas Sule are likely to play their third game in a row in central defense. David Alaba and Rafinha are likely to resume their roles as left and right full-back.

Kovac said in his press conference that he will stick with a double pivot in defensive midfield going forward. He is likely to stick with Joshua Kimmich in the holding midfield role on Saturday, while Renato Sanches could replace Leon Goretzka in the lineup and execute the role of a box-to-box midfielder.

Thomas Muller has been very effective in the past two games. The Bavarian has been causing the opponent’s defense all sorts of problems with his clever movement. He is surely going to start in the central position against Werder Bremen. Gnabry and Coman are not likely to start the game, so Kovac will stick with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery in the wide positions. Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the visitors on Saturday.

"NeuerRafinha-Sule-Boateng-AlabaKimmich-SanchesRobben-Muller-RiberyLewandowski"

Opposition Focus

Werder Bremen has endured mixed fortunes at home this season, but they will be confident of hurting this fragile Bayern defense. The Bavarians have been very sloppy; their defenders are committing mistakes in almost every game. Werder Bremen is likely to sit deep and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

The home side has an impressive set of midfielders and forwards. Maximilian Eggestien has been the most impressive player for Bremen this season, scoring four goals from midfield. Davy Klaassen is another midfielder who can cause serious problems to Bayern with his precise passing in the final third. Max Kruse and Yuya Osaka are the attacking players which can hurt Bayern’s defense.

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Prediction

Werder Bremen 1-3 Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich has been fairly consistent in getting results away from home this season. Their confidence will be high after Tuesday’s performance against Benfica, so expect them to come out all guns blazing against a very good Werder Bremen side. However, I don’t expect Manuel Neuer to keep a clean sheet in this game, as Bayern’s defense still remains porous.