Bayern Munich: Three things to watch for in January
By Daniel Garza
Three things to watch for as Bayern Munich begins the January portion of the 2020/21 season.
A full slate of matches awaits Bayern Munich in January as the reigning Bundesliga champions look to increase their lead in the German top flight. They will have a total of seven fixtures to play with six being Bundesliga matches and one DFB-Pokal fixture against Holstein Kiel in the second round of the domestic cup competition. There’s plenty of football to look forward to from Die Roten in January and here are three things to watch for.
Extending the lead at the top
Bayern enters January with a two-point advantage over Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga table. They have faced tough competition from these two clubs who have been very consistent thus far. It appears these two clubs will be the main contenders to dethrone Bayern from the top of the Bundesliga as the season continues.
December was arguably the most difficult month of the Bundesliga season for Bayern. They had fixtures against four of the current top six clubs in the league and were able to take eight points from those matches. Now the roles will be reversed in January as Leipzig and Leverkusen will both have very difficult schedules in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig have a brutal start to 2021 with fixtures against Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg, and Union Berlin. There’s a strong possibility they could drop points during this stretch of the season. For Leverkusen, they await matches against Union Berlin, Dortmund, Wolfsburg, and Leipzig in their final four matchdays in January. Like Leipzig, they could very likely lose ground to Bayern if Die Roten can consistently win matches over the course of the month.
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Aside from their matchday 15 fixture against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern’s remaining matches in January will all be against clubs that are currently in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table. For this reason, Bayern can extend their lead at the top with a consistent run of victories. There’s a real opportunity here to carry a healthy lead in the table into February. Much like December, January could prove to one of the pivotal months of the 2020/21 season for Bayern in their quest to retain the Bundesliga title.
Redemption against Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim handed Bayern their lone defeat in the Bundesliga this season. They completely shocked the football world on matchday two when they routed Bayern by a final score of 4-1. So far, this defeat has been the one blemish on an otherwise strong season so far from Bayern. Die Roten will have the opportunity to avenge their defeat on January 30th when they host Hoffenheim at the Allianz Arena. This match should promise to be another exciting clash between the two clubs.
Next. Four things to watch out for in 2021. dark
More goals from Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski could very well reach or eclipse the 25 goal mark as he continues on his quest to set a Bundesliga record for most goals scored in a single season. With 17 goals scored so far in the current Bundesliga campaign, Lewandowski should have plenty of opportunities in the month ahead to stay on pace to break the record. All but one of Bayern’s opponents during January currently ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of goals conceded. The goals should continue to come in droves for the star striker.