Bayern Munich will host Union Berlin in a rescheduled fixture at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
Match preview:
The Bavarian giants will look to return to winning ways after suffering a 1-0 home defeat to Werder Bremen in their last outing.
Meanwhile, Union Berlin’s last game against Mainz 05 was called off due to adverse weather conditions, and they’ll aim to build on their positive run of form under new head coach Nenad Bjelica.
Bayern Munich will aim to close the seven-point gap between them and unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
They are unbeaten in eight previous top-flight encounters with Union Berlin, but three of those have ended as draws.
Bayern Munich has won three of their last four home meetings with Union Berlin, including a 3-0 home victory in February last year.
Union Berlin’s recent form has been positive, with seven points accumulated in their previous four Bundesliga matches under new head coach Nenad Bjelica.
However, they remain in the relegation picture heading into the second half of the campaign, sitting 16th in the table, only three points clear of the three teams below them.
Form guide:
Bayern Munich Bundesliga form: W L W W W L
Bayern Munich form (all competitions): W W W D W L
Union Berlin Bundesliga form: L D W L W D
Union Berlin form (all competitions): D W L L W D
Team news:
Bayern Munich will be without several key players, including Noussair Mazraoui and Kim Min-Jae who are representing Morocco and South Korea at respective international tournaments.
Serge Gnabry (hamstring), Daniel Peretz (knee), Tarek Buchmann (thigh), and Bouna Sarr (ACL) are also sidelined with injuries.
But, Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano managed to shake off niggles to start against Werder Bremen, and the centre-back duo is set to retain their places in the first XI on Wednesday.
Union Berlin’s Aissa Laidouni is away with Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Rani Khedira remains sidelined with a calf injury.
The Irons Ones have signed Chris Bedia from Servette on a permanent deal, and the 27-year-old will battle with Kevin Volland, Mikkel Kaufmann, and Kevin Behrens for a start in attack.
Bayern Munich’s key players to watch include Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Harry Kane.
Union Berlin’s key players to watch include Kevin Volland, Mikkel Kaufmann, and Robin Gosens.
Possible lineups:
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup: (4-2-3-1)
Neuer;
Laimer, Upanecano, De Ligt, Davies;
Kimmich, Goretzka;
Coman, Musiala, Sane;
Kane
Union Berlin possible starting lineup: (3-5-2)
Ronnow;
Knoche, Vogt, Leite;
Juranovic, Haberer, Kral, Aaronson, Gosens;
Kaufmann, Volland
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Union Berlin
Bayern Munich has never lost to Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, and they’ll be aiming to continue this trend.
They’ll be looking to bounce back from their loss against Werder Bremen and claim maximum points.
On the other hand, Union Berlin has shown improvement under new head coach Nenad Bjelica, but they’ll need to put in a resilient and dogged display to get anything from this game.