FCB start the run-up to Christmas with a Bavarian derby

With the international break now over, FC Bayern head into the final phase of the calendar year. The men from Munich have eight games between now and Christmas, the first of which is the Bavarian derby against FC Augsburg on Friday (live text and webradio commentary from 20:30 CET on fcbayern.com). Find out everything you need to know about the match against the Fuggerstädter in our preview.

Enjoy the best images from Bayern's final training session on Thursday before the game at Augsburg in our gallery:

The situation for FC Bayern

Thanks to a 2-1 home win in the standout fixture of Matchday 11 against SC Freiburg, FC Bayern extended their lead at the top of the table ahead of the international break. The men from Munich now have a four-point cushion over second-placed Borussia Dortmund. In the remaining six league games of the Hinrunde, the aim is to further consolidate their pole position. FCB have won their last three consecutive games.

The opponents: FC Augsburg

With just nine points from their first 11 games, Augsburg are currently 16th, occupying the relegation play-off spot. On the last matchday, Markus Weinzierl's team suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat by VfL Wolfsburg, their sixth loss of the season. However, FCA have been convincing in recent home games. In the last three matches at the WWK Arena, Augsburg picked up seven points (1-0 against Gladbach, 1-1 against Bielefeld, 4-1 against Stuttgart). Consequently, FCA keeper Rafał Gikiewicz was in a bullish mood as he confidently stated: "I want a minimum of one point against Bayern." FCB coach Julian Nagelsmann, meanwhile, had this to say about the opposition in his pre-match press conference on Thursday: "They're a team who have a clear idea of how to play in possession, and who prefer taking the direct route to their opponents' goal."

Team news, tactics and more: Watch Julian Nagelsmann's pre-match press conference before the game at Augsburg again (with English translation) here:

Team news for Augsburg vs. Bayern

Bayern will be without Niklas Süle and Josip Stanišić in Augsburg, who have both tested positive for COVID. In addition, Kingsley Coman will also miss out. "King has minimal muscular issues. This is purely a precautionary measure," explained Nagelsmann. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Alphonso Davies only returned to Munich from international duty on Thursday. "They'll travel with us to Augsburg, and we'll see how we use them. With Phonzie, there's a high probability he won't make the starting XI," continued the Bayern coach. Joshua Kimmich was also absent from Thursday's final training session: "With Josh, it was purely a precautionary measure because he had personal contact with someone suspected of having COVID. That hasn't been confirmed yet either. We're waiting for the PCR result," added Nagelsmann.

Augsburg centre-backs Reece Oxford and Jeffrey Gouweleeuw will return to the squad. Weinzierl left open to what extent full-back Iago (hand injury) will be able to play. Meanwhile, there's still a big question mark over striker Florian Niederlechner (bruised foot).

What the coaches say

Julian Nagelsmann: "They're very compact, often try to play little chips and have a very direct style of playing." In the past, they've always played against Bayern with a lot of fast-paced players to exploit their counter-attacking strengths. We want to be good while in possession and take as much of their counter-attacking strengths and pace out of the game as possible."

Markus Weinzierl (FC Augsburg head coach): "We know that we're the absolute underdogs. Statistically speaking, Bayern Munich win ten times out of ten games. We intend to be awkward opponents and give them a fight, have to be bold and stop them enjoying playing football."

If you want to know more about the game against Augsburg, check out our facts and stats: