SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich: Bundesliga Matchday 24 Preview
On the back of a much-needed victory over RB Leipzig, can Bayern Munich continue to gain momentum as they visit SC Freiburg on matchday 24 of the Bundesliga?
Bayern Munich finally put an end to their run of three straight defeats on Matchday 23 as they claimed all three points against RB Leipzig. A less-than-stellar first half by both teams gave way to a very entertaining second half. Harry Kane scored first for Bayern Munich in the second half, while Manuel Neuer played his role in keeping Leipzig a goal behind for much of the second half. RB Leipzig eventually found the equalizer through Benjamin Sesko. Kane would strike again for Bayern in stoppage time to grab the winner and finally end a terrible two weeks for Die Roten.
The victory over Leipzig will be a much-welcomed step in the right direction as the Bavarians look to find some solace in the last few months of the season. With Bayern Leverkusen leading the points table by eight points, the Bundesliga title is probably out of reach for Rekordmeister.
Thomas Tuchel will look to keep what little momentum Bayern gained against Leipzig going as the team travels to Freiburg on matchday 24. With injury issues still hindering Bayern, let us look at possible team selection for Tuchel on Friday.
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer proved against Leipzig why he is still rated highly as one of the world's best goalkeepers. His 1v1 save against Sesko was a flashback to his younger days. He seems to be putting the injury woes behind him and getting in top form just when Bayern need him the most.
With Noussair Mazraoui out and Konrad Laimer just returning from injury, Joshua Kimmich got the start at right back against Leipzig and played quite well. He picked his moments to get forward and make the most of his good passing range. With Laimer now back, I still think Kimmich should get the start at right back.
Centrally, Dayot Upamecano was suspended for the Leipzig match, and Kim Min-jae was given a rare break, meaning the center-back pairing was Eric Dier and Matthijs de Ligt for much of the match. With the Dutch defender picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign, he will miss out on the Freiburg match. With Upamecano ruled out for the Lazio return leg, does Tuchel go with Dier and Kim, or give Upamecano a start to rest Kim again? Alphonso Davies seems ready to return, but Tuchel will not risk him with a start. Raphael Guerreiro will start in the left-back position on Friday.
With Kimmich playing at right back, the midfield partnership will be Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlovic. With Laimer back as an option, and not needed to deputize as a right back, does he finally get to start in his more preferred position centrally or does Tuchel stick with the Goretzka-Pavlovic pairing? Thomas Muller has gotten a run of games, and with Gnabry and Coman still out, he should still get the start as the attacking midfielder so Tuchel can utilize Jamal Musiala higher up the field
The aforementioned Musiala should start, but with Sane likely out for Friday's match, he will start on the right. I am hoping to see Mathys Tel start on the left side since Gnabry, Coman, and Sane are all out. Having said that, I would not be surprised at all to see Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting start as Tuchel prefers using Tel from the bench. Harry Kane will lead the attack for the visitors.
Bayern Munich Predicted Starting XI
Neuer
Kimmich-Dier-Kim-Guerreiro
Pavlovic-Goretzka
Musiala-Muller-Tel
Kane