Preview of Bochum vs. Bayern

Bayern are going into their first busy period of the new year as they head to Bochum on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET, coverage on fcbayern.com with our live text commentary and free web radio) for Bundesliga Matchday 22 before heading to Salzburg for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday. After three wins in a row, Julian Nagelsmann’s team want to further cement their position at the top of the table with victory on the road. Here’s all you need to know in our preview.

Check out the best photos from training before the game in Bochum:

Situation for Bayern

The 3-2 victory at home to RB Leipzig last Saturday saw Bayern lay down a real statement in the Bundesliga title race. And the result became even more significant on the Sunday when second-placed Borussia Dortmund were thumped 5-2 at home by Bayer Leverkusen and FCB’s lead at the top grew to nine points. “We have the aspiration to maintain the advantage and ideally increase it. We want to win, regardless of who it’s against and how big our lead is,” Nagelsmann said at his press conference on Friday.

Watch Nagelsmann’s pre-match press conference in full here:

Opponents Bochum

Bochum returned to the Bundesliga in the summer to end 11 years down in the second tier. The Ruhr club had an indifferent start to the campaign but are now having a good season, which coach Thomas Reis also brings back to their 7-0 thumping in Munich: “That defeat was very educational for us. It maybe helped us have the season we’re having at the moment.” Bochum are currently in 11th place on 25 points. They have been particularly impressive on home soil, where they’ve picked up 18 points from 10 games. “Bochum have stabilised well, especially at home. They have very clear patterns. They’re a team who are strong in challenges, who try to stand up against you and play with good emotion,” Nagelsmann said of the weekend’s opposition. “Of course, it’s a highlight game for them. It’ll be an emotional game for the whole club,” the 34-year-old continued.

We spoke with former Bayern and current Bochum player Milos Pantovic ahead of the match:

Player update

Manuel Neuer will miss the trip to Bochum after the FCB captain had an operation on his right knee on Sunday. Bayern are also without Bochum native Leon Goretzka (recovery training after knee problems), Jamal Musisla (COVID-19) and Alphonso Davies (myocarditis).

Bochum are also without their first-choice goalkeeper after Manuel Riemann tested positive for COVID-19. Michael Esser will deputise for him. Long-term injury absentees Simon Zoller and Paul Grave are also out. However, captain Anthony Losilla, Erhan Masovic and Eduard Löwen are available again following their COVID infections.

What the coaches say

Julian Nagelsmann: “The opposition will demand everything from us because they have very much stabilised physically and emotionally, getting good results at home. We also want to win tomorrow. You always need to have that emotion because that feeling of winning is always nicer than the feeling after a draw or loss.”

Thomas Reis (Bochum): “We’ve waited 11 years for a home game in the Bundesliga against Bayern. I think they’re the best team in the world at the moment, but we want to show that we’ve progressed.”

Check out the facts and figures on the game in Bochum: