Bayern Munich face Werder Bremen in a tricky Bundesliga clash

Bayern Munich will host Werder Bremen in the first of their two matches against the Green-Whites in the next five days.

The games are coming thick and fast for Bayern Munich as they enter in the final stretch of the season. Die Roten are set to face Werder Bremen twice over the span of five days across two different competitions. The first game between these two sides will take place at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Bayern Munich returned back to the top of the table after a comfortable 4-1 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf last weekend. The defending champions can put more pressure on league rivals Borussia Dortmund by winning again on Saturday, as the Black and Yellows host a plucky Freiburg side on Sunday. Niko Kovac will be hoping his players continue to be ruthless on the pitch as Bremen have the quality to nick a positive result.

Werder Bremen, meanwhile, are fighting hard to finish in the top third of the Bundesliga table, hoping to play European football next season. The visitors have no margin for error if they want to achieve their goal this season. Bremen can go into the remaining fixtures of the season with a perfect mindset if they manage to get at least one point this weekend.

Team News

The defending Bundesliga champions will be without numerous players for this game. Arjen Robben has been involved in some light training sessions this week, but he is still not completely fit to play. Manuel Neuer will miss this game as he continues to recover from the calf injury that he suffered against Fortuna Dusseldorf last weekend.

Franck Ribery is completely fit now after missing the last game due to illness. Alphonso Davies played for the reserves team this week, so he is now completely fit to get some minutes on the pitch for the senior team. Mats Hummels, Corentin Tolisso and James Rodriguez will have late fitness tests as each of the three has recovered from their respective injuries.

Predicted XI

Niko Kovac will be forced to make some changes to the starting lineup due to the injuries to some of his key players. Sven Ulreich will replace Neuer in goal, while Jerome Boateng will come back into the team to replace Mats Hummels. Niklas Sule will be the other center-back in the lineup on Saturday. Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba will slot in their respective full-back positions.

The Croatian will have an eye on Wednesday’s game, but he unlikely to alter his midfield plan for the weekend’s match. Javi Martinez and Thiago Alcantara have complemented each other really well in midfield this season, and the Spanish duo is favorited to play against Bremen tomorrow.

Thomas Muller will keep his place in the lineup as James Rodriguez is struggling with an adductor problem. The Bavarian will play in the number ten role, while Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry will occupy the wide areas of the attack. Robert Lewandowski will form the focal point of the attack by playing in the number nine position.

"UlreichKimmich-Sule-Boateng-AlabaThiago-MartinezGnabry-Muller-ComanLewandowski"

Opposition Focus

Werder Bremen posed many problems to Bayern in the home game earlier this season. Florian Kohfeldt will be trying to execute a similar plan on Saturday in order to stay in the game till the end. The visitors will have to defend deep and be very efficient in attack as Bayern are not conceding many chances at the moment.

Max Kruse will be the key player for Bremen against Bayern. The German striker has scored ten goals and set up nine more in the Bundesliga this season. Milot Rashica has complemented Kruse very well in attack. These two forwards will be very dangerous in the final third, while Maximilian Eggestien and Davy Klaasen are the players to watch in midfield for Bremen.

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Prediction

Bayern Munich 3-0 Werder Bremen

Bayern have gained momentum at the crucial time of the season. I expect them to deliver a professional performance against a very good Werder Bremen side. The defense has also been significantly better in the past few weeks, so the home side should be able to keep a clean sheet on Saturday.