Curtain down and off we go. Coach Niko Kovac opted to prepare for the FC Nürnberg match away from prying eyes. The game is crucial to start the busy last two weeks of the year with a win.
“We’re at home to Nürnberg and we’re the clear favourites. But we have to be fully focussed for 90 minutes. If we win the game then we can hopefully put together a long run of wins,” said Niklas Süle, but he did not want to look too far into the future. “We have to take it game by game and that starts on Saturday,” added the 23-year-old central defender. However, he is full of optimism given the latest results. “We’re on the right track given the way we’ve trained and played over the last few weeks.”
Kingsley Coman returned to full training on Thursday after working on his own the day before. Arjen Robben is still sidelined with a thigh problem as are James Rodríguez (knee) and Corentin Tolisso (knee). The rest of the squad worked on moves with a range of tactical alternatives as well as finishing. Süle & Co. warmed up for the weekend with shooting practice: