Bayern targeting fifth straight win with Darmstadt in town

Bayern conclude another busy week by hosting Darmstadt at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga on Saturday (kick-off at 15:30 CEST, coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our live text commentary and free web radio). Here’s all you need to know about the game in our preview.

Check out the best photos from final training on Friday:

State of play

The delight was clear to see on Thomas Tuchel’s face at his press conference on Friday at the prospect of making a change to his team. It will see Manuel Neuer return in the Bayern goal for the first time in 350 days after his broken leg. “He’s excited, we’re excited,” the 50-year-old said. On the back of four straight wins in all competitions and the hard-fought 3-1 victory away at Galatasaray during the week, the atmosphere within the team is excellent. “The mood changes completely when you win a game or lose. It’s like black and white,” added Tuchel, who still pointed out that his team were “not at our top level” in particular in the first half in Istanbul.

“We’d always like dominance and top performances, but that’s not always the reality,” the boss stated while also putting that down to the Turkish champions’ aggressive approach. With Darmstadt up now, Bayern want to have the upper hand again from the start: “We’ll always prepare very seriously and be ready to give everything to win the game.”

Recap what Tuchel had to say at his press conference:

Opponent: Darmstadt

After six years away from the Bundesliga, Darmstadt needed a bit of time to get going on their top-flight return, losing their first three games but now “progressing into this division”, as coach Torsten Lieberknecht stated. The Lilies have earned seven points from five matches since then, climbing to 12th in the table. According to Lieberknecht, that record is “okay” for the promoted side, but it is also important how they win those points. “People can see that the team is developing, and the guys are capable over a still long season to gain the chance to also play in this division next year,” the 50-year old said.

However, that Darmstadt upswing suffered a blow last time out with a 3-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig. It means Lieberknecht has somewhat lowered expectations for the trip to Munich: “We need a perfect day and a moment of weakness from Bayern to get a result on Saturday. Maybe there’s a moment of weakness that Bayern haven’t even shown yet.”

Read up on the facts ahead of the game:

Personnel

While Neuer is in line for his return, Serge Gnabry’s comeback has been delayed. “Unfortunately, he’s fallen ill. Otherwise, we would’ve had the chance to bring him back into the squad after a long healing process and good adaptation to the splint,” Tuchel confirmed. Dayot Upamecano (muscular), Raphael Guerreiro (thigh) and Leon Goretzka (hand) are all still out.

Lieberknecht has an almost full squad at his disposal for the trip to Munich, with only forward Fabio Torsiello out injured, while Aaron Seydel is not yet ready despite returning to training, according to his press conference.

Neuer will be back in Bayern’s goal on Saturday:

What the coaches say