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After a magical Champions League night, FC Bayern head from the Bernabéu straight to the Millerntor: Following the 2-1 win at Real Madrid on Tuesday evening, it's FC St. Pauli up next in the Bundesliga's standout fixture of Matchday 29 on Saturday (live coverage with our text commentary and free web radio on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app from 18.30 CEST). The game comes smack bang in the middle of the two quarter-final legs in the Champions League, and there's no room for any complacency. The record champions are continuing to pursue record hauls of goals and points, while the Kiezkickers need every point they can get in their battle to avoid the drop.
Check out the photos from the final training session on Friday:
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Vincent Kompany turned 40 on Friday, but there was no time for big celebrations - the coach remained in competition mode: "The short answer is: No, I can't celebrate in a big way. (...) I feel the best thing you can wish for is three points." The team savoured the historic success in Madrid, but quickly filed it away.
Pursuing records up north
The team are also in a record-breaking mood on the domestic front. In the memorable 3-2 win at Freiburg, FC Bayern turned a 2-0 deficit into a win in the last ten minutes - only the third time in Bundesliga history that a team has managed a comeback like that so late in the game. Tom Bischof in particular stole the limelight: In his 34th competitive appearance for FC Bayern, the 20-year-old scored his first two goals in an FCB shirt, both from distance, turning the game around almost single-handedly. The former Hoffenheim man has scored six of his seven Bundesliga goals to date from outside the box; only Harry Kane has netted more often from distance since the start of last season. Bischof is also the first Bayern player to score twice from distance in a Bundesliga game since detailed data collection began.
Michael Olise also remains a key factor: in Freiburg, he racked up his 18th assist in the league this season after coming off the bench - no player has recorded so many assists after 28 matchdays since detailed data collection began. In total, the France international boasts a tally of 29 direct goal contributions; only Kane currently enjoys better stats in the Bayern squad. On his next outing, Olise could break the 30 mark - another milestone in what's already been an outstanding season.
The facts on the game at FC St. Pauli:
With a tally of 100 goals for the season after 28 matchdays, the Munich men also reached the three-digit barrier earlier than any team before them and are now just one strike short of the historic Bundesliga record of 101 goals. With their haul of 73 points, FC Bayern are also enjoying their third-best Bundesliga campaign and are unbeaten in 23 away matches in the league this season - further proof of their exceptional form on the road.
Kompany still has to pull off a balancing act between the Millerntor and the Allianz Arena: focusing fully on St. Pauli - and at the same time looking ahead to the second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday. "We're only at this point on 10 April because the whole team has been involved. If we make one or two changes, it's only what we've been doing all season," explained the coach.
Read the key statements from the press conference here:
The opposition: FC St. Pauli
It's a completely different story at the Millerntor: St. Pauli are battling for survival, but are at least currently in the play-off spot. With 25 points after 28 games, the Kiezkickers are experiencing their third worst Bundesliga season, in addition to having the weakest attack in the league with only 25 goals. There's also room for improvement in their performance record in the matchday's standout fixture: This is only the sixth Saturday evening game in the club's history, and St. Pauli have not yet managed a single win (one draw, four defeats). But the Hamburg side did recently come away from the Alte Försterei with a point but - as in the 2-1 draw with Freiburg - once again let a lead slip.
For the hosts, the final six games of the season run-in also mark the start of the decisive phase in the battle to avoid the drop. Ahead of the clash with FC Bayern, the Kiezkickers are in 16th place, two points behind 1. FC Köln (15th) and four ahead of VfL Wolfsburg (17th). It's all very close, the gaps are tiny and every matchday can shift the balance of power at the bottom of the table.
What's more, the current trend does not exactly speak in favour of coach Alexander Blessin's side. St. Pauli have gone five games without a win, and have rarely managed to reconcile performance and results during this phase. Now, the league leaders from Munich, nominally the toughest opponents of the remaining games, are the visitors to the Millerntor - hardly the opposition you would want in this situation. At the same time, the game is embedded in a schedule that is hugely volatile for the teams at the bottom of the table: After the clash with Bayern, the Hamburg side will face direct rivals Köln, Heidenheim, Mainz and Wolfsburg. These games in particular will decide whether St. Pauli will avoid the drop.
And yet there are reasons to go into the match against the record champions with a certain amount of confidence. A look back at the reverse fixture (3-1) should encourage the hosts: Back then, St. Pauli resisted the favourites with real passion and great effort, defended courageously, consistently looked to get forward and kept the game open for a long time. For long stretches, it looked as though the Kiezkickers might actually come away from the Allianz Arena with a point. It was only in stoppage time that Luis Díaz and Nicolas Jackson scored to secure the win for the Munich side.
We take a look at the upcoming opponents in our analysis:
Team news
Kompany is staying pragmatic when it comes to team selection. On Kane, the head coach said: "Harry was fine after the [Real] game, he played a bit beyond the pain threshold - but there was no reaction the next day, so hopefully he'll be back to normal now." In goal, a decision will be made at short notice: "If Manu doesn't feel any problems, he'll carry on, he has to stay in the rhythm. But if there is a problem, we'll always make a sensible decision; we have a great talent in Jonas Urbig." Kompany has nothing but praise for Manuel Neuer: "Manu only has to utter one sentence and that gets the team in line. That's why his role as a leader is just as important to me as it is on the pitch."
Substitute keeper Sven Ulreich started his first running sessions this week after tearing a muscle bundle, while Lennart Karl and Maycon Cardozo (both torn muscle fibres), David Santos (thigh) and Wisdom Mike (hip injury) are also out.
For St. Pauli, Blessin will be without the suspended Jackson Irvine, as well as Ricky-Jade Jones and Simon Spari (both syndesmosis). Manolis Saliakas (recovery training), and James Sands (ankle) are also certain to miss out, while Eric Smith (calf) is still doubtful.
What the coaches say
We have a lot of respect for St Pauli. If you look at the last few games, they were always incredibly difficult. They defend very tightly and well. It's sometimes difficult to understand why they're down there.
Vincent Kompany
I'm really looking forward to the game. They're currently one of the best teams in the world. It's nice to be able to measure yourself against them. We have little to lose, but we want to throw everything we have into it.
Alexander Blessin (FC St. Pauli coach)
Test your knowledge of the fixture in our Matchday Quiz:
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