Germany's record champions, Bayern Munich, are aiming to recover their domestic cup ambitions after an early exit for the fifth consecutive year. They will face struggling 1. FC Heidenheim in an effort to solidify their position at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Following a cup defeat to Leverkusen, Bayern seeks to reassert their dominance in the league. They also look to avenge a surprising loss to Heidenheim last April, with Frank Schmidt's team having consistently challenged Bayern in their previous meetings. Heidenheim scored two goals against Bayern in their first league encounter last November and managed four goals in a 2019 Pokal quarterfinal match.
In team news, Bayern will be without Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry, leaving coach Vincent Kompany in need of a lead striker. Thomas Müller or Mathys Tel may fill this role, while a double striker set could feature Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise. Daniel Peretz, a 24-year-old Israeli international, is set to make his first league start in place of the injured Manuel Neuer. The return of Aleksandar Pavlovic is anticipated, alongside right back Sacha Boey, who may start over Konrad Laimer.
Conversely, Heidenheim faces a challenging matchup with few giving them much chance despite their past victory. Key players from that game are no longer with the team; however, they possess Bayern loanee Paul Wanner as an "X-Factor." Having been eliminated from the Pokal, Heidenheim benefits from some extra rest, although they have lost their last four matches, including substantial defeats to top-four teams Leverkusen and Frankfurt.
Injuries are a concern for Heidenheim as leading goalscorer Marvin Pieringer remains sidelined, and his replacement, Mikkel Kaufmann, has also picked up an injury. This could necessitate increased responsibility for Maximilian Breunig or Mathias Honsak. Omar Haktab Traoré and Tim Siersleben are likely to replace underperforming players Marnon Busch and Jonas Föhrenbach.
0 Comments