Bayern Munich: Three things to watch for in trip to Leipzig

Saturday’s trip to Leipzig could prove to be the biggest match of the 2020/21 Bundesliga campaign for Bayern Munich. Die Roten will hit the road to face second-place RB Leipzig, who are just four points behind them in the table.

A victory has the potential to put Rekordmeister on a clear path to another title while a defeat keeps Leipzig’s hopes alive for dethroning the defending champions. Here are three things to watch for ahead of the big match.

Can Bayern win without Lewandowski?

The absence of Robert Lewandowksi will be a massive test for Die Roten offensively. Their star striker has scored 35 of Rekordmeister’s 78 goals this season in the German top flight and has played a major role in recent victories.

For this reason, his absence will mean goals will have to come from other sources such as Thomas Müller or Serge Gnabry. This will certainly be a storyline to watch for in this match as it’s not often that Lewandowski does not appear in the starting 11 for the German Champions in a big-time fixture.

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A deciding fixture

This fixture could prove the be the deciding match of the title race. With Leipzig trailing Bayern by four points in the table, a victory for the visitors would put them seven points ahead with seven matches remaining in the league. It does feel like a game where Die Roten will be fine with avoiding a defeat to maintain a healthy lead at the top.

It’s difficult to see Rekordmeister relinquishing this advantage. For this reason, Leipzig needs to ensure they pick up all three points against their opponents. They can’t afford to trail by seven points at this stage of the campaign.

A victory for Leipzig would put them just one point adrift of Bayern and would set up what could be a thrilling finale to the season. Without Lewandowski in the lineup, a one-point advantage for Bayern would make them vulnerable in the coming weeks. It simply has to be either a victory or draw for Leipzig on Saturday if they want to continue to contest for the title. If the hosts are met with a defeat it could be all over for their title hopes.

Finding it difficult to win

Bayern and Leipzig have found it difficult to record victories when they face each other. The last four meetings between the two clubs have ended in draws. When the Bundesliga’s top clubs last met in December, they produced a thrilling 3-3 draw and Saturday’s fixture could be yet another stalemate. This will be an interesting storyline to watch for as it could be five draws in a row if neither side is able to find a winning goal.