Dayot Upamecano for Eric Dier
On Saturday, Upamecano was left out of the starting XI, by virtue of being on four yellow cards ahead of this game on Friday. In truth, Kim Min-Jae began to look like a player who plays every minute of every game, whilst travelling 20,000 miles every international break. However, with the speed in transition that Leipzig possess, we are going to need to squeeze one more game out of the Kim – Upamecano duo.
Whilst, due to the above reasons, you could maybe ponder which defender comes out, there is no debate about Upamecano coming back in. The center-back is now fully rested ahead of this game. On top of his defensive work, and recovery pace when defending large spaces, it could also be at the other end where the defender is key.
In both of the last two games, Bayern began their games struggling to break down a deep block. However against Heidenheim, the Frenchman was able to open the game up, by scoring from a corner. There was no such luxury against Mainz, and Bayern lost in the league for the first time this season. We should hopefully, and surely will, see the Kim and Upamecano partnership here.