When FC Bayern host VfL Bochum on Saturday afternoon (live text and free Web Radio from 15:30 CET on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app), their aim will be to claim a first home win of the year and reassert their position at the top of the Bundesliga. As ever, our preview has all the info you need.
Here are the best photos from Friday's final training session:
The situation for Bayern
After back-to-back wins in the DFB Cup at Mainz (4-0) and in the league at Wolfsburg (4-2), Bayern want to follow that up with another three points at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. "We need rhythm, we need confidence because in the last few weeks we've not been in full flow and playing everyone off the park," said coach Julian Nagelsmann in Friday's press conference, already with a nod to the crucial Champions League clash at Paris Saint-Germain, which awaits his team just three days after the match against VfL.
"We need to keep our concentration and not think about Paris," warned the 35-year-old. The game on Saturday is "an important match for the Bundesliga", and how they perform there could also be decisive for upcoming assignments. "One result always has an influence on the next match, including in the Champions League." The leaders from Munich (40 points) can't afford to drop off, as pursuers Union Berlin (39), Borussia Dortmund (37) and RB Leipzig (36) are currently hot on their heels.
Watch Julian Nagelsmann's press conference in full:
The opponents: VfL Bochum
Although Bochum were knocked out of the DFB Cup in midweek with a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, things have been going better in the Bundesliga lately. After a miserable start in which they took just one point from the first eight matches, the Ruhr club have made up ground in the relegation battle. Last weekend's 5-2 victory against Hoffenheim lifted VfL out of the bottom three.
The man behind that improvement is coach Thomas Letsch, who has racked up 18 points in his 12 games in charge – the best haul for a Bochum coach in the top flight for 20 years. However, Letsch hasn't yet been able to overcome probably the team's biggest flaw: with nine defeats from 10 away games this season, Bochum are the worst travelling team in the league. However, it won't simply be a case of damage limitation for the 54-year-old and his team in their next outing on the road. "We don't want to travel to Munich with the aim of just avoiding a thrashing. We know what we're capable of when we're at 100 percent."
The facts on the clash with VfL:
The team news for Bayern vs. Bochum
Bayern must do without the suspended Joshua Kimmich against Bochum, while Ryan Gravenberch will miss out again due to a knock. "He's relatively pain-free but this match is too soon," said Nagelsmann, who is however hopeful that the 20-year-old will return soon. "He'll do the training session for the players who don't play on Sunday and be available for Paris." On top of that, long-term absentees Sadio Mané, Lucas Hernández, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Neuer remain sidelined.
The visitors are almost at full strength for the trip. "The personnel situation is still good," confirmed Letsch. Only back-up goalkeepers Paul Grave and Michael Esser as well as right-back Cristian Gamboa are unavailable.
What the coaches say
Bochum have a lot of fresh legs they can bring in after the cup match. They play with very high intensity. Bochum bring a healthy chaos to the game, they have good physicality and play off the second balls a lot. They’ll look to get their fast wingers into the game. I assume they’ll continue to put the pedal to the metal, but that also depends on our performance. It’s up to us how much Bochum can bring their quality into the game.
Julian Nagelsmann
We know how good FC Bayern Munich are. We’re talking about a team who want to win the Champions League and who are definitely among the top five teams in Europe. We’re even clearer underdogs than on Wednesday against Dortmund. In our preparations, I’ve not really identified any major weaknesses in FCB. We know what we’re up against and must adopt our game accordingly. FCB are extremely assured on the ball, whether it’s in attack or defence. We want to look for our chances and when we get them, we have to be clinical with them.
Thomas Letsch (VfL Bochum)
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