The magic moment is approaching fast! On Tuesday evening, Bayern have a great chance to wrap up the 2019/20 Bundesliga title. A win over Werder Bremen (follow the match on fcbayern.com from 20:30 CEST with our live updates and free web radio) would mean the Munich side could no longer be knocked off the top of the table over the final two matchdays - no matter what Dortmund do the following day. With a draw in Bremen, Bayern would lift the trophy if BVB failed to beat Mainz on Wednesday. Should Bayern lose, the title could still be theirs in the event of a Dortmund defeat. Here's everything you need to know about the duel with Werder in our preview.
The situation
Bayern do not want to get involved in games of arithmetic. After ten wins in a row, three more points in Bremen would ensure the league title on Matchday 32. "In Bremen, we want to play just the way we have in the past few weeks, with dynamism and intensity. We want the three points. That would make us champions, which is even better," said Hansi Flick in the press conference on Monday, leaving no doubt about the objective. In the home fixture against Werder, Bayern managed a 6-1 win after falling 1-0 behind.
Tuesday's opponents
Bremen had a huge lift in the relegation battle on Saturday, defeating direct rivals Paderborn 5-1. The Hanseatic side are still in the relegation zone, but they are level with Fortuna Düsseldorf, who occupy 16th place, the play-off spot. Coach Florian Kohfeldt's team are only three points from the guaranteed safety of 15th place, currently occupied by Mainz. "We have to win games to stay in the league. We want to leave the relegation zone whatever it takes. Everything else is irrelevant," said the 37-year-old.
In the final training session on Monday, the focus was primarily on recovery. "We staged rondo drills and passed the ball around. That was enough for today. Now we have 24 hours to recharge our batteries and prepare. I don't feel anyone is so tired that they can't play," said the coach. Here are the pictures:
Team news
FCB will be without Thiago (groin surgery), Niklas Süle, Philippe Coutinho and Corentin Tolisso in Bremen. Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski return to the squad after suspension against Gladbach and will feature in the starting line-up, Flick revealed in the press conference. There are slight question marks over Javi Martínez (gastrointestinal infection), Joshua Zirkzee (muscular problems) and Ivan Perišić (illness). "But I assume they can all play," said the coach.
His counterpart can choose "almost from the full squad", as Kohfeldt said at Werder's press conference. Only Ömer Toprak and Kevin Möhwald are definitely out.
What the coaches say
Hansi Flick: “Werder Bremen will try and make the channels narrow. Their players are fast and sharp and switch quickly. We saw that here in December. In the last game, they showed they have enormous quality in attack. But we're focused on ourselves, we don't want to allow them easy chances. We want to finish the job on Tuesday. It's in our hands."
Florian Kohfeldt (Werder Bremen coach): "It's an incredibly difficult task. They've dominated the league and marched clear after a difficult opening phase of the season. But of course we have an idea of how we want to play. We won't go easy on them and we're not already looking at [Werder's next opponents] Mainz. We want to win. We need points in our situation."
Top fact
Will Leon Goretzka be the difference maker against Bremen? The Germany international is in great shape. Playing alongside Joshua Kimmich, Goretzka has compensated for Thiago's absence with his strong performances. The Bayern number 18 wins the ball time after time and also offers a threat in front of goal. The winner against Gladbach was his sixth goal of the season - all of them scored after the winter break. Another against Bremen could help seal the Bundesliga title. "We want to win in Bremen and take the trophy home!" Goretzka declared.
We took a closer look at Leon Goretzka against Gladbach:
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