Earlier in the week, Niko Kovac said that Union Berlin is a tougher opponent than Bayern Munich right now. That didn’t go down well with the squad. It’s one thing for a random coach to say it, it’s quite another for a former Bayern coach to say it.
Of course, motivation doesn’t always translate to points earned. Julian Nagelsmann has seen his team’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga vanish after dropping six points in the space of three games. With the way the table looks right now, another disappointing matchday could see Bayern slip as low 3rd place. That’s unacceptable with Champions League games coming up. Good thing the coach has some new ideas up his sleeve.
Team news
Ryan Gravenberch has a bruised knee and Josip Stanisic has a tendon problem — they both join Sadio Mane, Noussair Mazraoui, Lucas Hernandez, and Manuel Neuer on the injury injury list. Dayot Upamecano seems to be struggling with an undisclosed injury that Nagelsmann keeps mentioning in press conferences, but only in the context that he’s being “treated” or “rested” for it. The Frenchman isn’t missing any games ... yet. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is also doubtful due to a stomach problem, but the coach said he thinks he will be ready.
As far as the lineup is concerned, a back three seems to be on the menu. This means we could see a setup where Choupo-Moting plays with Thomas Muller up top, supported by Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane as pseudo central-midfielders. Joao Cancelo is the favorite to start in the right wingback position, while left wingback is a toss-up between either Kingsley Coman or Alphonso Davies. Given that Davies was rested against Mainz, let’s assume he’ll play vs Wolfsburg.
Joshua Kimmich will likely sit as the lone DM in front of the defense, which will probably consist of Matthijs de Ligt, Dayot Upamecano, and Benjamin Pavard. This lineup is rounded out by Yann Sommer at keeper, who recently got his first ever clean sheet in a Bayern shirt.
Alternatively, Leon Goretzka could return to the starting XI in place of a defender, with Bayern changing from a back three to a back four. Here’s what both those potential formations could look like:
Update
Uh oh.
Choupo-Moting, Upamecano und Gravenberch fallen sicher gegen Wolfsburg aus! Das Trio, das heute schon beim Abschlusstraining fehlte, steht nicht im Kader für das Auswärtsspiel am Sonntag. #WOBFCB #FCBayern @SPORT1
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) February 4, 2023
According to Kerry Hau, Choupo-Moting, Upamecano, and Gravenberch are all out of the squad. With Upamecano missing out, Nags has two options. A back-four with Pavard and De Ligt as center-backs, or a back-three with Daley Blind making his first Bundesliga start. Meanwhile, with Choupo-Moting unable to play, either Serge Gnabry or Mathys Tel could start in his stead.
Not ideal at all.
Interested in more Bayern Munich content? Why not check out our Weekend Warm-up Podcast? In the latest episode, Chuck previews the game vs Wolfsburg, does a retrospective on the winter transfer window, and talks about a lot more besides. Listen to it below or on Spotify.
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