With the Bundesliga now slipping away, it looks like only the Champions League can save Bayern Munich from going trophyless this season. Thomas Tuchel needs a reaction from his team after the epic beatdown delivered by Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, but it is hard to say whether he will get one. To do so, the coach may need to suck up his pride and turn to a player he has tried to bench all season.
Team news
Bayern Munich have no new injuries to report. Alphonso Davies, Konrad Laimer, Kingsley Coman, and Serge Gnabry all continue to work on their comebacks, but otherwise the coach has a full squad to work with. With that settled, what kind of lineup can we expect?
According to Bild, Tuchel is going to turn to Thomas Müller to inject some semblance of leadership and experience in the lineup. The fact that it took him until mid-February to figure this out isn’t exactly a good thing, but better late than never. Müller will likely start behind Harry Kane in a 4-2-3-1, flanked by Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané on the wings.
In the middle, Joshua Kimmich could get the start after being snubbed vs Leverkusen. This might come at the expense of Aleksandar Pavlović, who would drop to the bench in such a circumstance. Leon Goretzka would be Kimmich’s likely partner in midfield, with the pair starting together for the first time since the game against Union Berlin last month.
In defense, the coach will likely revert back to a back four, after experimenting with a back three vs Leverkusen to disastrous results. Raphaël Guerreiro is the obvious candidate to replace Alphonso Davies at left-back, with Noussair Mazraoui on the right. Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae seem like the most likely choices in the middle of the defense, but we should not underestimate Tuchel’s appreciation of Eric Dier. One thing is for sure though, Matthijs de Ligt will not be in the starting XI.
With Manuel Neuer, that rounds out the following lineup:
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
