Bayern Munich will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they travel away to Union Berlin. The defending Bundesliga champions suffered a minor setback last weekend as Borussia Monchengladbach delivered a spirited performance at Allianz Arena to take a point.
Die Roten bounced back from the disappointment against Gladbach with a convincing performance in the DFB Pokal game against Viktoria Koln in the midweek. Julian Nagelsmann will be hoping that the team maintains the momentum against Union Berlin. Ahead of Bayern’s trip to Union Berlin, we pick three things to watch out for on matchday five of the Bundesliga.
Selection in central defense for Bayern Munich
Nagelsmann has a decision to make regarding the personnel in the heart of the defense. Lucas Hernandez has been near flawless this season, so he is expected to start against Union Berlin. However, there is a selection dilemma over the selection of the second central defender on Saturday.
Dayot Upamecano has enjoyed a good start to the season, but he had a poor performance against Gladbach. Meanwhile, Matthijs de Ligt has done well in the limited playing time he has got this season. It will be intriguing to see which one of these two defenders will end up partnering Hernandez on Saturday.
Midfield combination for Bayern
Nagelsmann will finally have the entire pool of midfielders available for selection on Saturday. Leon Goretzka returned to action in the midweek and marked his return with a goal in DFB Pokal. The German midfielder is set to travel with the squad to Union Berlin.
Goretzka has been a key player for Die Roten in the center of the park over the last couple of seasons. However, Marcel Sabitzer has enjoyed a fine start to the season and built a solid partnership with Joshua Kimmich in the center of the park. Meanwhile, Ryan Gravenberch is also ready to get the first Bundesliga start of the season. Nagelsmann has a good selection headache in the midfield, so it will be interesting to see who will pair Kimmich against Union Berlin.
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Jamal Musiala returning to starting XI
Jamal Musiala has been the standout player for Bayern this season. The young German attacking midfielder has been scoring goals for fun and linking up well with other forwards in a fluid attack. He is in line to make a return to the starting XI after nursing a minor injury in the past couple of Bundesliga games.
Along with showing great productivity in the final third, Musiala has been a delight to watch this season. The youngster’s quick feet and awareness in tight spaces make him one of the most dangerous attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga. The Bavarian faithful will be looking forward to another Musiala masterclass on Saturday.