The 51-year-old friendship between Bayern Munich fans and their Bochum counterparts will count for little when the two sides collide in a Bundesliga blockbuster on Sunday evening. Allianz Arena coach Thomas Tuchel is under pressure to arrest a slide that saw his side fall 0-1 to Lazio in a Uefa Champions League fixture on Wednesday night days after the Bavarians were clobbered 3-0 by League leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Inspirational midfielder Joshua Kimmich is in line for his first Bundesliga start in over a month but Tuchel is still without injured full backs Konrad Laimer and Alphonse Davis. Their positions are to be filled by Noussair Mazraoui and January signing Sacha Boey as Tuchel plots to bridge a five point deficit on Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso’s Die Schwarzroten have their work cut out if they are to temporarily extend their advantage at Heidenheim on Saturday as the newly promoted outfit are protecting a nine match unbeaten sequence. Alonso could retain the Amine Adli-Nathan Tella front pairing that wreaked havoc on Bayern Munich, or with Victor Boniface still injured, field Patrick Schick.
Bundesliga action commences tonight with Koln hosting Werder Bremen before Borussia Dortmund’s visit to Wolfsburg headlines Saturday’s action. Signal Iduna Park boss Edin Terzic will have one eye on next week’s Uefa Champions League trip to unbeaten Dutch Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven when he selects his starting line up. Africa Cup of Nations hero Sebastian Haller is in line to start as Terzic tries to keep Niklas Fulkrug fresh for Europe.
Elsewhere, Sebastian Hoeness’ third placed Stuttgart will unleash the deadly striking duo of Denis Undav and Serhou Guirassy, who have netted a combined 31 goals, at bottom club Darmstadt who are still buzzing after picking up a valuable point in a goalless draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach. Moneybags RB Leipzig date Gerardo Seoane’s 1970s behemoths Gladbach in Saturday’s late kick off.
FRIDAY
Koln v Werder Bremen
SATURDAY
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund,
Mainz v Augsburg,
Hoffenheim v Union Berlin,
Heidenheim v Bayer Leverkusen,
Darmstadt v Stuttgart,
RB Leipzig v Gladbach
SUNDAY
Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt,
Bochum v Bayern Munich