Bayern Munich showed a lot of resilience on Tuesday evening to keep their treble hopes alive. The Bundesliga champions found themselves 5-2 down away at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. However, Bayern managed to keep themselves alive in the competition by reducing the deficit but losing the game 5-4.
The return leg against PSG at Allianz Arena is Bayern’s biggest game of the season until now. Before starting the preparations for the clash against the French club, Die Roten will host Heidenheim on matchday 32 of the Bundesliga.
Bayern have not taken their foot off the pedal ever since winning the Bundesliga title. They would like to continue their winning run on Saturday. Getting a win will help Bayern to bounce back from midweek’s disappointing defeat and get the winning feeling back in the team.
Meanwhile, Heidenheim are looking to engineer a great escape from relegation. They remain at the bottom of the points table, but two wins and two draws in the last five games have given them a glimmer of hope to climb up the table. A win on Saturday for Heidenheim will certainly shake up the relegation battle.
Team News
Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany gave positive updates on the injury front while talking to the media on Friday. Tom Bischof is expected to be in the matchday squad on Saturday after missing out the last two weeks due to injury.
Lennart Karl has resumed training with the first team, but he is not expected to feature against Heidenheim. Alphonso Davies has also recovered from a minor knock that he suffered against Paris Saint-Germain. Raphael Guerreiro is training individually at Sabner Strasse. The Portuguese full-back will not be fit in time to play against Heidenheim. Serge Gnabry remains the only long-term absentee for Bayern.
Predicted Starting XI
With the big game against Paris Saint-Germain in mind, Vincent Kompany is expected to make several changes to the starting XI on Saturday. Jonas Urbig will get a start in the goal against Heidenheim. Urbig is likely to get more game time next season, as Manuel Neuer is open to sharing playing time next season and mentoring the young German goalkeeper.
After an intense midweek game against PSG, Die Roten will make several changes in the back four. Kim Min-jae and Hiroki Ito will be the center-back pairing for Bayern on matchday 32. Josip Stanisic will start in the left-back position, while Konrad Laimer will slot in the right-back role.
Bara Ndiaye will start in central midfield for Bayern on Saturday. The Senegalese midfielder is likely to play alongside Aleksandar Pavlovic in the center of the park, allowing Joshua Kimmich to get rest ahead of Wednesday’s clash against PSG.
Kompany doesn’t have the luxury to heavily rotate in the attack. Nicolas Jackson will lead the attack for the hosts on Saturday. Leon Goretzka will operate in the number ten role. Luis Diaz will start on the left flank, while Jamal Musiala will play on the right side of the attack.
Predicted Starting XI: Urbig; Stanisic, Ito, Tah, Laimer; Ndiaye, Pavlovic; Diaz, Goretzka, Musiala; Jackson
Score Prediction
Bayern Munich 3-0 Heidenheim
Even though Bayern will rotate heavily, they will still have too much for a resurgent Heidenheim side. The Bavarian club may finally keep their first clean sheet in the league since the last international break in March.
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