Bayern Munich head to Dusseldorf for crucial Bundesliga game

Bayern Munich gear up for a tough away clash against Fortuna Dusseldorf, hoping to keep their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.

The Bundesliga title race took a new turn last weekend. Bayern Munich are back on the top of the table after a smashing 5-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Die Roten have the league title’s fate in their hands as they enter in the business end of the season. Bayern will travel away to Fortuna Dusseldorf in the first of their final six games of the 2018-19 Bundesliga season.

Niko Kovac urged his players to maintain the intensity they showed against Dortmund to win the domestic double. Bayern have been in ruthless form over the past four league games, winning three of these games by five or more goals. They cannot afford to relax in any of their remaining games to avoid forfeiting the lead they worked so hard to achieve.

Fortuna Dusseldorf, meanwhile, have enjoyed a fantastic return to the Bundesliga. They are currently 10th in the league table with an outside chance of finishing in the European places. The game on Sunday is a potential banana skin for Bayern, as Dusseldorf have the quality to get a positive result as they did at the Allianz Arena earlier this season.

Team News

Bayern Munich will be without a few players for the game against Fortuna Dusseldorf. Franck Ribery has not been able to participate in training this week due to illness, and the Frenchman will not be ready for the game on Sunday. Alphonso Davies, meanwhile, has completed his recovery from a minor injury and will be in the squad for this game.

The chances of Arjen Robben playing again this season are getting slimmer by the day, as he is still not able to shrug off his injury problem. Niko Kovac said there is no specific return date for the Dutchman despite him being involved in light training on Friday. Corentin Tolisso is still not completely ready to play, so he will also miss this weekend’s game.

Predicted XI

The last six league games will all be like finals for Bayern Munich, so Kovac will surely stick with his best starting XI. Manuel Neuer recovered from a calf injury last weekend to play against Borussia Dortmund. The German goalkeeper will keep his place in the lineup on Sunday. Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule will be kept in central defense, while David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich are likely to resume their roles as left and right full-back.

Javi Martinez delivered yet another impressive performance last Saturday against Bayern’s title rivals. The Spaniard will be needed in the game against Dusseldorf to provide solid shielding to the fragile defense. He is likely to be partnered with Thiago Alcantara in the middle of the park.

Thomas Muller showed his best qualities last weekend in his favorite second striker role. Kovac will be tempted to keep the German forward in the lineup despite the good form of James Rodriguez. Robert Lewandowski will lead the attacking line for the visitors. The Polish striker will receive support in attack from Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.

"NeuerKimmich-Sule-Hummels-AlabaMartinez-ThiagoGnabry-Muller-ComanLewandowski"

Opposition Focus

Fortuna Dusseldorf will be without numerous players for the game due to injuries. However, these absences will not make the game easy for Die Roten. The home side has the ability to spring a surprise as they did in the 3-3 draw at the Allianz Arena earlier this season. Bayern remain vulnerable in transition, so Friedhelm Funkel’s gameplan will be to soak the pressure and exploit this weakness.

Benito Raman and Dodoi Lukebakio will be the key players in the final third for the home side. The duo has scored 17 goals between them in the Bundesliga. Kevin Stoger and Oliver Fink are two players to watch out for in midfield. The duo has an eye for a killer pass along with a knack of scoring goals. Dusseldorf executed a solid counter-attacking gameplan against Borussia Monchengladbach in their last home game, so Bayern cannot afford to be complacent going into tomorrow’s match.

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Prediction

Fortuna Dusseldorf 1-3 Bayern Munich

It will be a very difficult game for Bayern, but I think they will come back home with three crucial points. They have scored a lot of goals in the past four Bundesliga games, so they will eventually score a few goals in this game. However, I cannot see them keeping a clean sheet despite their recent improvements in defense.