Having clawed back some ground on Leverkusen, Bayern Munich face an injury crisis that threatens to derail the entire season. Against Union Berlin, three players — Dayot Upamecano, Konrad Laimer, and Joshua Kimmich — were struck down by various injuries. This puts the coach in an unenviable position, having to travel to a traditionally challenging away ground with a significant chunk of the team’s starting XI missing.
Team news
Aside from the three players mentioned above, Noussair Mazraoui and Kim Min-jae are also unavailable due to their international commitments. This puts further pressure on the Thomas Tuchel and his squad — frankly, the board should have seen this coming.
In terms of the lineup, it practically selects itself. Harry Kane goes up top, with Jamal Musiala behind him. Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané will join them on the flanks, while Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlovic likely man the midfield.
In defense, you’ll probably see Raphaël Guerreiro moved to right-back on an ad hoc basis, with Alphonso Davies returned to his usual spot at left-back. Eric Dier will likely make his first start for Bayern next to Matthijs de Ligt in central defense, with Manuel Neuer in goal.
Here’s what that XI could look like:
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Meanwhile, here’s what Bild predicts the lineup will be:
Bayern's predicted XI against Augsburg, according to @BILD
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) January 26, 2024
Neuer - Guerreiro, De Ligt, Dier, Davies – Pavlović, Goretzka – Sané, Müller, Musiala – Kane
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