Bayern Munich vs Mainz: Bundesliga Matchday 25 Preview
After falling even further behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen last weekend due to a 2-2 draw against Freiburg, Bayern Munich had to turn their attention to a midweek Champions League encounter with Italian side Lazio. Following a 1-0 defeat in Rome, the Bavarians knew they would need to attack, and attack is what they did. Harry Kane stepped up in the big game by opening the scoring in the 39th minute before Thomas Muller doubled the lead before the half-time break. Kane went on to score the third goal in the second half to see off Lazio and book a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Having clinched progress through to the Champions League quarterfinals, Bayern will turn their attention to the Bundesliga task of catching Bayer Leverkusen. While the title race seems all but finished, Tuchel will look to continue experimenting with his squad to find the right combination. As Mainz are set to visit Allianz Arena on Saturday for the Matchday 25 encounter, what are Tuchel's plans for the lineup? Will he continue with the same lineup that was able to dispatch Lazio midweek, or will he make a couple of changes?
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer was able to keep a clean sheet midweek vs Lazio, and he will certainly look to continue his run of form Saturday. He will certainly start in goal.
Joshua Kimmich has continued to fill in at right-back while the injured Sacha Boey and Noussair Mazraoui have been out. With Aleksandar Pavlovic out due to yellow card accumulation, does Kimmich move back into his preferred center midfield role, and Konrad Laimer take charge at right back? For the first time in a while, Tuchel has all four center backs available for selection, as Matthijs de Ligt, Dayot Upamecano, Eric Dier, and Kim Min-jae are all fit and available. Tuchel will certainly need to decide whether the de Ligt/Dier pairing continues or whether Min-jae or Upamecano come back into the lineup. On the left, Raphael Guerreiro had one of his best games in Bayern colours on Tuesday, but Alphonso Davies seems to be fully fit.
As mentioned, Pavlovic is set to miss the Mainz encounter due to suspension, so the double-pivot role is a question mark. Leon Goretzka seems to be the certainty in the midfield, but who pairs with him could either be Kimmich or Laimer. Thomas Muller has been getting a run of games lately as Tuchel has elected to use Jamal Musiala wider. I think Muller will continue to play in the number ten position against Mainz.
After a fantastic start to the season, Leroy Sane has struggled to regain his scoring form. Despite dealing with some muscular issues, Sane got the start against Lazio and played almost the entire game. I think it would be a good idea to give the player some time off to recharge and refresh as Bayern only have the Champions League to focus on, and it gives the youngster Mathys Tel a chance to start and celebrate his new contract. Musiala should start on the left and continue to dazzle. Harry Kane will certainly start central and continue to chase Robert Lewandowski's goal-scoring record.
Bayern Munich Predicted Starting XI
Neuer
Kimmich-de Ligt-Kim-Davies
Laimer-Goretzka
Tel-Muller-Musiala
Kane