Bayern Munich look to bounce back against Union Berlin
It has been a tough week for Bayern Munich as they find themselves in a tricky position regarding their pursuit of defending the Champions League title. The German Champions suffered 3-2 defeat at Allianz Arena against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the CL quarterfinals on Wednesday. Flick’s men will be looking to get back some sort of momentum when they host Union Berlin on Saturday.
After last week’s win against RB Leipzig, Die Roten find themselves in a strong position to retain the Bundesliga title. They currently have a lead of seven points at the top of the table. Union Berlin will be a tricky fixture to navigate through. Let us look at the team news and possible starting XI for Bayern on Saturday.
Which Bayern players are available for the clash against Union Berlin?
Die Roten’s squad is shrinking with every passing week due to injuries. Robert Lewandowski is definitely going to miss this game due to a knee injury, while Serge Gnabry is isolating him after testing positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. Leon Goretzka and Niklas Sule were substituted early against PSG due to injuries. Both of them will not be available for Saturday’s game.
Lucas Hernandez is also out of the game against Union Berlin due to a knock he suffered against PSG. Flick ruled out Marc Roca from this game due to an injury in the training ground. Benjamin Pavard and Leroy Sane were not part of the entire team training on Friday, but they are likely to be fit for Saturday’s game. Corentin Tolisso remains the long-term absentee for Rekordmeister.
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Predicted Starting XI for Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer had a rare bad day in the office on Wednesday. The German goalkeeper will be looking to make up for that error for Kylian Mbappe’s first goal by getting a clean sheet against Union Berlin on Saturday.
In the defense, Benjamin Pavard will not be getting any rest, so he will be slotting in the right-back position. Jerome Boateng and David Alaba will form the center-back pairing against Union Berlin, while Alphonso Davies will replace injured Lucas Hernandez in the left-back position.
Javi Martinez is likely to get an opportunity to start in the midfield due to so many injury issues. The Spaniard has largely been getting minutes at the end of Bundesliga games when Rekordmeister is looking to see out games. Martinez will partner Joshua Kimmich in the center of the park.
Next. Bayern Munich expecting multiple departures in defense. dark
On the right flank, Thomas Muller will slot in while Leroy Sane could be used on the left flank. Jamal Musiala replaces Kingsley Coman in the front four as the Frenchman has been playing nonstop for a couple of months. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will lead the line for the home side on Saturday.
"NeuerPavard-Boateng-Alaba-DaviesMartinez-KimmichMuller-Musiala-SaneChoupo-Moting"