Three key battles as Bayern Munich host Borussia Monchengladbach
Leon Goretzka vs Jonas Hoffman
The starting lineup for Bayern on Saturday will be one to watch out. Flick confirmed on Thursday that Thiago Alcantara is set to miss the game due to injury, while Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski are suspended for this game. The German manager will need a strong performance from Leon Goretzka to compensate for Muller’s absence in number ten.
Goretzka is unlikely to play as number ten due to Thiago’s injury, but he will have the duty of linking up midfield and attack. The German international has been phenomenal as a number six and eight in the past few games, delivering complete performance, which involved goals from midfield.
Gladbach has been using Jonas Hoffman in midfield in the past few games. He is primarily a central midfielder, but due to the absence of Denis Zakaria, he has dropped a bit deeper. Hoffman is likely to be given the task to keep Goretzka out by giving him less time on the ball.
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Goretzka thrives with his movement and positioning just around the box. He is tidy on the ball, but not better than other midfielders in Die Roten squad. Hoffman will have to make sure that he aggressively presses Goretzka, and cuts off the link between attack and midfield. In big games, midfield battles have a huge impact on the result, Saturday’s game is going to be no different.