A classic under the floodlights: Kane sidelined for Gladbach clash

An evening kick-off under the floodlights at the Allianz Arena - when FC Bayern host Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday evening (live text and free Web Radio commentary from 20:30 CET on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app), the air will be rife with a special kind of excitement. It's a clash between two clubs steeped in tradition, an encounter full of history that has been thrilling us for decades. "It's a classic, Gladbach have a large fanbase and are a club steeped in tradition with a lot of power. A special club that has achieved a lot and has an important history in football - and that's why we're really looking forward to this game"' said sporting director Christoph Freund, summing up the anticipation. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our preview.

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With five wins in a row against the Foals, the record champions most recently made history - the only time they won as many Bundesliga consecutive matches against Gladbach was between 1965 and 1967. But the stats are a reminder to be vigilant: FC Bayern have suffered more defeats to the Borussia men (28) than to any other team. And there's also the memory of the last Friday night setback: At the beginning of January 2022, the only home defeat on that day of the week in the new millennium came against Gladbach.

Vincent Kompany's team will, of course, go into the game with quite some momentum. 88 goals after 24 matchdays - they're making great strides towards 101, which is the Bundesliga record to date. Only Borussia Dortmund have scored in every league match - FC Bayern were victorious in the top-of-the-table clash in Dortmund last weekend. In a thrilling attacking extravaganza, the league leaders won 3-2 and extended the gap at the top of the table to 11 points. "We won't let anyone take that away from us," announced Joshua Kimmich, the scorer of the winner, with one eye on the title.

Mindset and rhythm are key

The weeks with extra midweek fixtures are coming up, the rhythm will get more intense. Kompany is quite calm: "If I assess it objectively, there are perhaps two players who have less rhythm because we've had fewer games. That will change again in the next three or four weeks. I'm not worried about the fitness of our lads. The lads are ready, we've prepared ourselves mentally for the weeks with extra midweek fixtures that are coming up plus the international games - and we're looking forward to it."

Bayern are used to it, the squad is built for this kind of pressure: "The funny thing was when we didn't have one, when we could enjoy a Sunday off. What's coming up is what we're used to. We have the squad to play these games - and when we only have a few games, there are players who only get a few minutes; it's different this way. It's what our squad is built for."

Read the key statements from the press conference here:

The opposition: Borussia Mönchengladbach

Mönchengladbach may be heading to Munich as underdogs, but they have no intention of hiding away: "We're aware of Bayern's outstanding qualities. It's about going there as a team and performing in such a way that we have the belief that we can hold our own. To do that, we'll need absolute commitment. We'll have to be focused, aggressive in the tackle and at the same time clever in possession," said coach Eugen Polanski.

Gladbach only ended a dry spell of seven games without victory last weekend with a 1-0 win against Union Berlin. It was the ninth time the defence hadn't conceded a goal - a figure that only Borussia Dortmund have bettered this season. Three points separate Gladbach in 12th place from Werder Bremen, who are in the relegation play-off spot.

However, coach Eugen Polanski does not believe his team have no chance: "We’ll have to annoy Bayern by not letting them get into their rhythm. That means tackling, staying close to them and sometimes playing in a deep block. At the same time, we’ll have to create some breathing space when we have the ball and pose problems for our opponents," said the coach in his press conference.

The team from the Lower Rhine proved to be stubborn opponents in the reverse fixture: Gladbach kept the score at 0-0 for a long time, only conceding the opener on 64 minutes and ultimately losing 3-0 to FC Bayern.

We take a look at our upcoming opponents in our analysis:

Team news

However, the headlines ahead of kick-off are dominated by absentees. The hosts will be without Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies (both torn muscle fibres). Top striker Harry Kane is also out: "He took a knock to his calf and hasn't recovered yet. It's just a knock, it's nothing serious for the time being, but we'd need maybe another a day for him to be involved. We're pretty relaxed. Of course we would have liked Harry to play but these things can happen," explained Kompany at the press conference.

Instead of Kane, whose 30 goals after 24 matchdays have only ever been surpassed by Robert Lewandowski (31 in the 2020/21 season), other players will take centre stage: "The lads who are involved tomorrow against Gladbach are really looking forward to it. If Harry isn't there, some of the lads are hoping they can get their moment. We as the staff are also looking forward to being part of that."

Manuel Neuer (fibre tear in his left calf), on the other hand, is fit again and will lend stability to the defence. Kompany believes his team are ready for the challenges ahead: "We've had an 11-point lead before and we know how quickly that can change. We're just looking at our performance and our victories - I looked at the table once after the game against Dortmund and it looked good. But after that, once again the only thing that mattered was Gladbach - it sounds like a cliché, but it's a way of life for me."

Test your knowledge of the fixture in our Matchday Quiz:

What the coaches say

There was some encouraging news from the training pitch ahead of the clash: