The next challenge in Bayern München’s bid to be crowned Bundesliga champions comes on Saturday at Allianz Arena in the form of Hoffenheim, who sit in mid-table ahead of their visit.
Bayern München are two points above Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table. Bayern München won their last Bundesliga match 1-0 at Europa-Park Stadion against Freiburg.
Hoffenheim’s last Bundesliga match saw them triumph 2-0 over Schalke 04 at home, their third consecutive win, leaving them in 14th place on 28 points. Die TSG have scored 37 goals and conceded 46 through 27 matches, leaving them trailing sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen by 15 points for a spot in the Conference League Qualifiers.
Bayern München won the last Bundesliga meeting between the teams, triumphing 2-0 at PreZero Arena in October. Jamal Musiala struck first for Bayern in the 17th minute. Eric Choupo-Moting also found the net.
Bayern München have got the better of Hoffenheim of late, unbeaten in their last four Bundesliga matches (W3 D1 L0). Hoffenheim are looking for their first league win in encounters between the two sides since September 2020. Bayern have outscored die TSG 11-2 during their unbeaten streak.
Musiala, Choupo-Moting, and Serge Gnabry have made a difference in front of goal for Bayern München this season. Musiala is the club’s leading scorer with 11 goals, followed by Choupo-Moting with 10 and Gnabry with nine.
Hoffenheim’s leading attacking threats have been Andrej Kramaric and Christoph Baumgartner, who have netted eight and six times, respectively.
In 13 Bundesliga contests at home this season, Bayern München are unbeaten with nine wins and four draws. Bayern are in the midst of a 20-match home unbeaten streak (W14 D6 L0) dating to February 2022 against RB Leipzig. Hoffenheim have three wins, two draws, and eight losses on their travels this season in league matches.
In their last six league matches, Bayern München have won five and lost one. Hoffenheim, meanwhile, have won three and lost three in their last six.
The reigning champions – who are aiming to win the Bundesliga title for the 11th successive season – moved back above BVB at the top of the table by beating Edin Terzic’s side 4-2 in the latest rendition of Der Klassiker earlier this month, which was Tuchel’s first match in charge after replacing Julian Nagelsmann during the recent international break.
Matthijs de Ligt’s thumping strike handed the Bavarians a scrappy 1-0 win away to Champions League qualification hopefuls Freiburg last time out in the league, with Dortmund keeping hot on their heels by knocking another title contender out of the mix by dispatching Union Berlin 2-1.
Although Bayern were distinctly second best throughout most of their trip to Manchester to take on Pep Guardiola’s side in midweek – with goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland putting the Premier League champions firmly in the driving seat ahead of next week’s reverse leg in Munich – Tuchel remained effusive in his praise for his players’ performance levels.
Whether this was an honest appraisal of his team or an attempt to keep spirits high having also recently seen their hopes of reclaiming the DFB-Pokal dashed by Freiburg is up for debate, but their destiny in the league is still clearly in their own hands, with six wins and one draw between now and the end of the campaign enough to see them crowned title winners once again.
Likewise, after enduring a winless streak of 14 league matches to fall to the bottom of the table last month, Hoffenheim have eased their relegation fears by winning three consecutive games in recent weeks.
Crucial home victories against relegation rivals Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 sandwiched an impressive 2-1 win away to Werder Bremen, with Pellegrino Matarazzo finally implementing the style of football that made him such a popular figure at Stuttgart.
The 45-year-old replaced Sebastian Hoeness in Hoffenheim’s dugout in early February, losing his opening five games in charge before their recent turnaround, with Schalke boss Thomas Reis admitting his side were comfortably second best throughout their 2-0 defeat at Rhein-Neckar-Arena on Sunday.
Still, Matarazzo will point to plenty of areas for improvement given that his team’s victory came via Alex Kral’s own goal and Ihlas Bebou’s own goal, but with Andrej Kramaric scoring three goals in two matches prior to their most recent win, they clearly possess enough firepower to remain out of trouble.
Whether they will be able to trouble Bayern at the Allianz Arena this weekend is another matter altogether, of course, but even with Hertha and Schalke facing each other on Friday evening – and therefore guaranteed to close the gap one way or another – Matarazzo’s side have provided themselves with some breathing space ahead of the closing weeks of the campaign.
Bayern have been without Eric Choupo-Moting since the forward was substituted during his side’s cup defeat to Freiburg earlier this month, with the Cameroon international struggling with a knee injury. Tuchel is unlikely to risk him ahead of next week’s crucial home tie against Man City, especially after noticeably missing a focal point during their 3-0 defeat on Tuesday.
De Ligt may also be saved due to a minor ankle issue, with Benjamin Pavard likely to tuck inside to allow Joao Cancelo to come into the side as a more offensive right-back, while Thomas Muller will expect to start after being named on the bench in midweek.
Sadio Mane will not be involved after reportedly being involved in a significant bust-up with Leroy Sane in the dressing room after the defeat to Guardiola’s side, with the former Liverpool forward’s future at the club seemingly in doubt after enduring a difficult debut season in Germany. Manuel Neuer and Lucas Hernandez remain long-term absentees.
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, will travel without Jacob Bruun Larsen and Justin Che due to injury, while Munas Dabbur will serve the last game of his three-match suspension after being sent off against Hertha last month.
Grischa Promel and Robert Skov are also significant doubts due to ankle and muscle issues respectively, with Matarazzo likely to name an unchanged starting XI for the third successive matchday given his side’s impressive form.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Cancelo, Pavard, Upamecano, Davies; Kimmich, Musiala, Muller; Coman, Gnabry, Sane
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Vogt, Brooks, Akpoguma; Kaderabek, Geiger, Becker, Angelino; Kramaric, Baumgartner; Bebou
