Bayern Munich face Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow in their final match before the winter break.
The last few weeks have been very good for Bayern Munich, after their less than stellar start to the ’18-19 season. They reduced Borussia Dortmund’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga table by clinching a close fought win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday. Bayern will be hoping to go into the winter break on a positive note when they face Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
The Bavarians are currently third in the Bundesliga. They will likely climb up one place in the league if they clinch a win against Frankfurt, as Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach battle it out this weekend. Bayern thrashed Frankfurt earlier this season when they played each other in the DFL Supercup. Niko Kovac will be hoping to get the better of his former side once again on Saturday.
Despite their loss to Bayern earlier this season, Eintracht Frankfurt have coped well with Kovac’s departure. The home side are fifth in the Bundesliga, just behind RB Leipzig. Frankfurt can break into the top four this weekend if all other results go in their favor. Bayern suffered a shock defeat in DFB Pokal against Frankfurt last season, so they should expect a very difficult game on Saturday.
Team News
Bayern Munich will be without numerous players for the game against Frankfurt. Serge Gnabry suffered an muscular injury against RB Leipzig and will miss Saturday’s game after failing to recover completely. Arjen Robben will also miss this game as he continues his recovery from an ongoing thigh problem.
James Rodriguez is getting closer to first-team training. The Colombian is likely to join the squad on the pitch during the winter camp in Doha. Corentin Tolisso is also on a steady path of complete recovery from his ACL injury too. Renato Sanches is suspended for this game after getting a red card against Leipzig midweek.
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Predicted XI
Kovac is slowly settling on a fixed formation and lineup in Munich. The Croatian has just made a couple of tweaks to his starting XI in the past couple of games. Manuel Neuer has now kept three clean sheets in a row for the first time this season, and the club captain will continue to guard the goal on Saturday. Jerome Boateng and Niklas Sule will form the partnership in the heart of defense, while Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba are likely to be the full-backs on Saturday.
Thiago Alcantara has won back his place in the lineup after a few impressive performances in his last two games. The Spaniard will continue to play the role of holding midfielder against Frankfurt. Leon Goretzka is also steadily improving in his central midfield role, which he is thoroughly enjoying.
Kovac has little option in attack, so the selection is pretty straightforward for this game. Kingsley Coman and Franck Ribery will occupy the right and left flanks, respectively. Thomas Muller will continue to feature in the number ten role, while Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the visitors.
"NeuerKimmich-Sule-Boateng-AlabaThiago-GoretzkaComan-Muller-RiberyLewandowski"
Opposition Focus
Eintracht Frankfurt is a dangerous side that can cause Bayern all sorts of trouble. The home side can soak up all the pressure from their visitors and slay them on the counter. Bayern has been defensively sound in their past few games, however.
Luka Jovic has been the main man for Frankfurt this season. The Serbian is the top scorer in the Bundesliga with 12 goals. His pace and instinctive finishing will cause Bayern’s defense a lot of problems on Saturday. Ante Rebic and Sebastian Haller have also been in fine form this season. The duo has complemented Jovic very well, and they have their own special qualities that can threaten the Bavarians.
Prediction
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich showed a lot of determination to get a crucial win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday. They will need a better performance on Saturday, so I expect them to grind out another victory going into the winter break. Frankfurt has a few quality goal-scorers, so I expect them to find the net against Bayern.