Bayern Munich resumes their quest to retain the Bundesliga title on Saturday with a trip to Freiburg. The record Bundesliga champions can temporarily go 12 points clear at the top of the points table with a win against Freiburg on Saturday.
Die Roten are unbeaten in the Bundesliga since the shock 2-1 defeat against Augsburg in January. Bayern went into the international break on the back of a comfortable 4-0 win against Union Berlin at Allianz Arena. After a break of two weeks, Vincent Kompany will be eager to see his men continue from where they left off before joining their national teams.
Freiburg are having a fairly decent Bundesliga campaign. They are currently eighth in the points table, nine points behind the sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen. It will take a miraculous run of form to have a chance of finishing sixth for Freiburg and qualify for a European competition. They will need all three points against Bayern on Saturday to ensure they begin the final stretch of the campaign with a bang and give themselves the best possible chance of getting European football next season.
Team News
Bayern received positive updates on injured players this week. Alphonso Davies, Raphael Guerreiro, and Jamal Musiala returned to first-team training. All three players will be available for selection on Saturday. Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig have also recovered from their respective injuries.
Luis Diaz will return to the squad after serving a one-match suspension. Nicolas Jackson will be unavailable for Saturday’s game as he must serve a three-match suspension for his red card against Bayer Leverkusen. Harry Kane will miss the game against Freiburg as he is still nursing a minor injury. Die Roten are hopeful about him recovering in time for next week’s big Champions League game against Real Madrid.
Predicted Starting XI
After recovering from a minor injury, Manuel Neuer will return to the starting XI on Saturday. The 40-year-old goalkeeper will look to get match rhythm before the big game at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Vincent Kompany may rotate a bit in the back four with one eye on Tuesday. Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano will start as the center-back pairing against Freiburg. Konrad Laimer and Alphonso Davies will start in the right-back and left-back positions, respectively.
In midfield, Aleksandar Pavlovic will start in the center of the park after getting two weeks' break due to a minor injury problem. Joshua Kimmich will play alongside Pavlovic in the center of the park.
With Harry Kane ruled out due to injury and Nicolas Jackson suspended for the game, Bayern will have to start with Serge Gnabry as the number nine on Saturday. Michael Olise will start on the right flank, while Luis Diaz returns to the starting XI to play on the left flank. Jamal Musiala likely to get a start on Saturday as he looks to build fitness for the clash against Real Madrid.
Predicted Starting XI: Neuer; Davies, Kim Min-jae, Upamecano, Laimer; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Diaz, Musiala, Olise; Gnabry
Score Prediction
Freiburg 1-2 Bayern Munich
Considering how well Freiburg has done this season, Bayern will have to work hard to get all three points on Saturday. With Harry Kane ruled out for this game, it will be a tight game, but Bayern will do enough to clinch the win.