League leaders Bayern welcome Freiburg to the Allianz Arena on Saturday (15:30 CET) for a match of a magnitude that not everyone would have expected before the season. The Breisgau side, third in the Bundesliga, are the surprise package this season and the only team still undefeated in the league. Read the preview to find out how Bayern plan to change that.
Check out the photos from Friday's final training session:
Situation for Bayern
With two 5-2 wins in just four days, at Union Berlin and against Benfica, Bayern have maintained their top spot in the Bundesliga and Champions League. But even if the results were good, coach Julian Nagelsmann is not yet 100% satisfied with their form: "I like to win 5-2, but I'd rather have won 3-0," the 34-year-old said, calling for more defensive stability in the clash against Freiburg: "I love attacking, but with a good connection to the defence, with small distances between the lines and a good structure in possession."
On Saturday it is once again a matter of "keeping the competition, hot on our heels, in check in games we can influence ourselves - and that is the Freiburg game," said Nagelsmann, who made a simple calculation for the rest of the season: "As things stand, we are top of the table. If we win everything from now on, we will be champions. That is our aim."
Nagelsmann spoke to the press on Friday before the game:
The opposition
Freiburg are off to their best-ever start to a Bundesliga season in their 22nd campaign. They are still unbeaten after 10 games and have 22 points to their name - three behind Bayern. Looking ahead to the upcoming clash in Munich, fans in the newly opened Europa-Park Stadion were already chanting "pull Bayern's lederhosen down" after the team beat Fürth 3-1 last week. But, despite being in-form, Freiburg remain down-to-earth as usual. "We are realistic enough to know who we are playing and what the game is normally like," midfielder Nicolas Höfler explained on the club's website, referring to Freiburg having only ever picked up three points from 21 Bundesliga games in Munich.
But the 31-year-old now wants to build on this: "Still, we rightly have a lot of confidence and we'll take that with us into the game in Munich. We want to do everything we can to be as successful as possible. And if that doesn't work, we at least want to take a point with us." Coach Christian Streich sounded similarly confident: "We haven't won away there yet, but we always go to Munich with a good feeling. We want to stand up to them and make life difficult for them."
An interview with Freiburg's former Bayern man Wooyeong Jeong:
Squad updates
"The squad basically looks good," Nagelsmann confirmed in the press conference on Friday. Marcel Sabitzer is not yet an option for the Freiburg game after suffering a stomach bug during the week. However, the Bayern coach was able to welcome back striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to the team's final training session before Saturday after he overcame a muscle strain in his thigh. Lucas Hernández and Niklas Süle, who were left out on Tuesday evening against Benfica due to minor knocks, also took part. Sven Ulreich could also be back in the squad for the first time since his knee injury.
Freiburg will have to do without attackers Roland Sallai and Nils Petersen, who are both suffering from knee problems. In addition, right-back Jonathan Schmid is still missing after having Covid-19.
An update on the squad ahead of the weekend:
What the coaches say
Julian Nagelsmann: "Freiburg will demand a lot from us, they have the most solid defence. They are incredibly disciplined. They have good moments where they press high, but also times where they defend very deep. The most striking thing about their success is their discipline in defending. When you win the ball, you don't have much time to counter. They get behind the ball quickly with a lot of passion and speed. Christian Streich also demands this discipline. They are difficult to play against and are having a very, very good season."
Christian Streich (Freiburg head coach): "We have never gone to Munich to just seek damage limitation, but we want to stand up to them. Even if we're half the size of Bayern. We're in a good position, the team is in good shape and we have already collected a few points. We're in a slightly different position in the table before the game than we usually are when we go to Bayern, but that doesn't change our attitude. I'm curious to see if we can keep it up."
Stats and facts ahead of the game:
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