Kompany calls for hard work till the end as Bayern finish Bundesliga season at Hoffenheim

Bayern bring down the curtain on their triumphant 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign away at Hoffenheim on Saturday (kick-off at 3.30pm CEST, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our text commentary and free web radio). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our preview.

Check out the best photos from final training on Friday:

Latest news from Bayern

Even though Bayern’s squad will get a few days off after the Hoffenheim game prior to the Club World Cup, Vincent Kompany and his players aren’t thinking about switching off just yet. “We’ve had time to prepare. It was a good week,” the boss said on Friday, recalling the trait that’s been behind his team’s push for the Bundesliga title this season. “We can’t forget that we only became champions through lots of hard work and can’t gift opponents anything that allows them to have a good afternoon against us.”

Bayern also want to maintain their good run at the backend of this season, going eight games unbeaten since the 3-2 loss to Bochum at the start of March. And if they can win in Sinsheim, FCB will finish this campaign on 82 points, which would be their best total since the 2019/20 treble-winning season.

Read more from Kompany at the pre-match press conference:

Opponent: Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim still have a lot to play for on the final day. It’s the first time since 2012/13 that they’ve gone into the last game still at risk of finishing in the bottom three. On that occasion they only stayed up via the play-off, which is drama they want to avoid this year. Christian Ilzer’s side kick off three points and six goals better off than Heidenheim in 16th place, meaning survival is in their own hands.

However, the Sinsheim club have managed only one win in their last nine, beating Mainz 2-0 in mid-April. They have lost four and drawn the other four to leave them still precariously placed. Although scoring goals hasn’t been an issue, the fact they have netted two in each of their last four games hasn’t brought more than a single point away at Wolfsburg (2-2), Borussia Mönchengladbach (4-2), against Borussia Dortmund (3-2) and in Freiburg (3-2). “The fact is it’s about fighting to stay up for them,” said Kompany while also warning about Hoffenheim’s attacking threat. “They’re not a team who sit back and wait and see what happens. They have opportunities to hurt opponents with the ball,” the Belgian explained. Although his team will also have chances, he insisted that it “won’t be easy for us”.

Read up on the facts ahead of the game:

Team news

Kompany had nothing new to report on the injury front since last week’s game against Gladbach. It means Dayot Upamecano (knee), Alphonso Davies (cruciate ligament), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal) and Jamal Musiala (hamstring) are all still sidelined.

Hoffenheim are missing Valentin Gendrey (collarbone), Grischa Prömel, Ozan Kabak (both cruciate ligaments) and Ihlas Bebou (knee).

What the coaches say