Bayern Munich: Three key players against Mainz

Three key players for Bayern Munich as they face Mainz on matchday 14 of the Bundesliga season.

Bayern Munich will resume the 2020/21 Bundesliga season on Sunday as they host Mainz at the Allianz Arena. After a thrilling 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 13, Die Roten sits atop the table entering the weekend.

The reigning Bundesliga champions will be facing a club that has struggled to score and register victories so far this season. Currently, Mainz is in 17th place and face the possibility of relegation if they continue to drop points consistently. Here are three key players for Bayern as they look to start 2021 off on the right note against Mainz.

Joshua Kimmich

Bayern’s star midfielder returned to action against Leverkusen after being sidelined with an injury that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. He made an impact against Leverkusen by registering an assist on Robert Lewandowski’s match-winning goal.

The winter break will have given him more time to regain fitness and get back to good form ahead of the restart of the Bundesliga season. This match will offer him the opportunity to make another appearance as he continues to come back from the brief injury break. Whether he starts on the pitch or on the bench, he will be one to watch against Mainz.

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Robert Lewandowski

After a terrific start to the 2020/21 season, Lewandowski will be looking to add to his goal total in the German top-flight against Mainz. The Polish striker leads the race for the Torjägerkanone by seven goals entering the 2021 portion of the season. He’s scored five goals in his last six Bundesliga appearances against Mainz. With Lewandowski chasing down a potentially historic season, he could produce another multi-goal performance for Bayern in this fixture. He’s registered five goals in his last three league appearances so there’s no question he enters this match in very good form. Lewandowski will be reaching the 20 goal mark in no time.

Thomas Muller

Bayern’s attacking midfielder had two successful appearances against Mainz last season. Muller registered two assists and one goal in both victories for Bayern. He should have opportunities to set up his teammates for goals against Mainz. Bayern’s opponents have conceded the second-most goals so far this season with 26 goals allowed in 13 matches.

The German forward might not have incredible numbers like last season until now, but he is still essential for the attack to function better. After registering one assist in his last four appearances for Die Roten, Muller could use a strong start to 2021 with a big performance against Mainz.