FC Bayern host VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday evening (live text and Webradio commentary from 20:30 CET on fcbayern.com) in their final home match of 2020. “It’s a big hurdle that we’ve got to overcome, preferably with a win,” said Hansi Flick in Tuesday’s press conference. fcbayern.com rounds up the key information ahead of the Matchday 12 clash.
The situation for FC Bayern
The reigning champions are unbeaten since Matchday 2, but were knocked off top spot at the weekend after a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin. FCB are now the hunters and are looking to put the pressure on leaders Bayer Leverkusen – their next opponents on Saturday – with three points against Wolfsburg. “We can’t change the past but now we have it all in our own hands,” stated Flick. “We’ll give it everything and we’re determined to win. It would be a big three points.”
Find out who Bayern’s title rivals are playing on Matchday 12:
Opponents VfL Wolfsburg
The Wolves are also hungry for three points to continue their climb up the table. In fact, a win here would move them level on points with Bayern. Oliver Glasner’s men are still unbeaten in the league this season and currently occupy fourth place with five wins and six draws. “Oliver Glasner has a good idea of football and his team are executing it well. They’re doing very well and they have a tremendous desire for goals,” assessed Flick. Wolfsburg also boast the third-best defence in the division having conceded just 11 goals.
Personnel, tactics and more: You can re-watch Hansi Flick's pre-match press conference (with English translation):
The team news
Joshua Kimmich returned to full training on Monday but Wednesday’s match is likely to come too soon for him. Flick must also do without Leon Goretzka, who limped off in Berlin on Saturday and has not recovered in time. Javi Martínez (muscle injury) and Tanguy Nianzou (muscle tear) will also miss out, but Niklas Süle, who sat out last weekend due to a thigh knock, is back in contention.
For Glasner, William is unavailable after testing positive for coronavirus, meaning he is now in isolation. Renato Steffen and Admir Mehmedi are also out, while John Anthony Brooks is a major doubt due to bruising.
See how Bayern’s final training session went in the gallery:
What the coaches say
Hansi Flick: “They’ve got two technically strong holding midfielders in [Maximilian] Arnold and [Xaver] Schlager. The way they operate impresses me. They spot the deep runs and they direct the game very well. How they press the opponents and force them into mistakes, and then play forward very quickly after winning the ball, is Glasner’s idea. They also have a lot of variations with set pieces, so we’ll need to be alert to that.”
Oliver Glasner (VfL Wolfsburg coach): “I’m not holding out much hope that we’ll be facing a weakened Bayern team. They’re the reigning treble winners. They have a big squad with a lot of quality. Nevertheless, we’ve got good confidence from our positive results, but we need an extraordinary performance to get anything.”
If you want to know more ahead of the game, check out our facts and stats:
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