No team in the history of the Bundesliga has beaten Bayern Munich as often as Borussia Moenchengladbach. Thomas Tuchel’s Bavarians have suffered a fair share of heartache at the hands of the five time champions, including a 0-5 reverse in a DFB Pokal rubber in October 2021. Tuchel must on Saturday plot a positive outcome against a side they’ve only been beaten thrice in their last ten encounters without several first choice players.
Kingsley Coman is the latest player to join a long list of injured stars that already includes Serge Gnarby, Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Joshua Kimmich, Tarek Buchmann and Bouna Sarr. Moroccan Noussair Mazraoui should provide some relief after the Atlas Lions were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations but South Korean Kim Mi-Jae remains with his national team at the AFC Asian Cup.
Bayern Munich can’t afford any slip ups against their traditional rivals from the 1970s as they are locked in an absorbing battle for top honours with Bayer Leverkusen who carry a two point advantage into week 20 of the season ahead of next Saturday’s winner takes all showdown between the sides. Leverkusen have a winnable game away to basement club Darmstadt.
Xabi Alonso’s Bay Arena based outfit are the only team in Europe’s top five leagues that’s yet to lose a single game but they must bounce back from last weekend’s goalless draw with Gladbach. Leverkusen huffed and puffed to scant effect without the power of African quartet Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast), Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Amine Adli (Morocco) and Victor Boniface (Nigeria). Tapsoba and Adli should be in contention after both Burkina Faso and Morocco were eliminated from AFCON.
Bundesliga action commences on Friday night with newly promoted Heidenheim aiming to protect a six match unbeaten sequence at home to Borussia Dortmund. What you see is what you get from a Heidenheim team riding on the counter attacking prowess of fast improving 22-year-old attacker Eren Sami Dincki. Niklas Fulkrug is the man to watch for Edin Terzic’s Black and Yellows who have rediscovered their mojo in recent weeks.
Pressure is building on RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose following a collapse in form that’s witnessed his side lose three games on the bounce. The club’s board will read him the Riot Act unless he can arrest the slump at home to Union Berlin on Sunday. Third placed Stuttgart welcome back top scorer Serhou Guirassy from the Africa Cup of Nations for the difficult trip to Freiburg.
FRIDAY
Heidenheim v Dortmund
SATURDAY
Bayern Munich v Gladbach,
Freiburg v Stuttgart,
Mainz v Werder Bremen,
Darmstadt v Bayer Leverkusen,
Cologne v Frankfurt
SUNDAY
Wolfsburg v Hoffenheim,
RB Leipzig v Union Berlin