After the poor results, the tough opponents are coming. It starts this Friday evening with the record champions and last season’s third-placed team.
We just talked about it on Wednesday evening in the podcast: Of course, the last VfB games were anything but enjoyable, and the team with the chest ring has put itself in a worse starting position. But the situation is not as dramatic as some make it out to be. Before the game against Bayern, which kicks off Matchday 24 of the Bundesliga, we are in 7th place and still within striking distance—not just of the European spots but even of 4th place. Reaching that would be phenomenal, but it shouldn’t be the expectation. Sure, one can be frustrated about the points lost in the past week, but declaring the season a failure should definitely be avoided. Because even though the next few weeks will be tough, there will be more beatable opponents afterward, just like in the first half of the season.
Regardless of the opponent, the team needs to find a way to push itself to the limit again. Against Wolfsburg, they struggled through for a long time and then threw everything away despite leading. In the home game against Hoffenheim, they were punished for poor finishing and also for gradually losing intensity as the game went on. Against Bayern, we can’t afford any of that. Instead, the team must show all the qualities that have recently been lacking: resilience, focus, and above all, clinical finishing. Why should that work in the so-called “South Summit” (yes, I’m just going to call it that again)? Because this team—yes, I’m repeating myself—has shown time and again that it can rise to the occasion. And maybe, just maybe, the third full training week in a row will finally bear fruit.
Squad Updates
Unfortunately, there are a few setbacks when it comes to the squad. Ameen Al-Dakhil is still not fit, and Leo Stergiou apparently played almost the entire Hoffenheim game with a heel injury. On the bright side, El Bilal seems likely to participate in a large part of team training next week. However, Niko Nartey suffered a thigh injury in the reserves’ win against Cottbus. Daxo Zagadou and Luca Raimund remain unavailable.
Possible Starting Lineup
Sebastian Hoeneß has already given some hints about the lineup:
He has indicated that he trusts Finn Jeltsch to play against the league leaders. Vagnoman will replace Stergiou, while the rest of the back four is set, as well as the double pivot in midfield. Up front, Millot and Demirović should get another chance to showcase their abilities. Führich, who is the only attacking player currently in normal form, is a guaranteed starter. I find the idea of Undav in a slightly unfamiliar half-right position interesting. If I recall correctly, we saw something similar last season when Guirassy was locked in as the starting striker. Bringing full attacking firepower from the start is certainly not a bad idea.
Statistics
Once again, Bayern are leading almost every league-wide statistic: most points, most goals, fewest goals conceded, most penalties converted, best passing accuracy, most possession, second-fewest cards, fewest fouls—and even in running stats, they are relatively high up. However, it’s also true that VfB isn’t lagging far behind in terms of distance covered, sprints, and high-intensity runs. In the standings, though, ahead of the 112th meeting between these two teams, there is now a bit of a gap. Finishing ahead of Bayern for two consecutive seasons would be extraordinary, especially since they have only lost to Mainz and dropped points against Dortmund, Frankfurt, and Leverkusen (twice). Bayern’s top players—Kane with 21 goals and 10 assists, Musiala with 11 goals, and Olise with 11 assists—are no surprise. Neither is the fact that games against Bayern tend to be a thankless task in nine out of ten cases.
Conclusion
Despite a “courageous performance,” we usually walk away with no points. So what? What I want to see above all is a VfB team that throws everything—physically and mentally—into this game and proves that they remain a force to be reckoned with in the battle for European spots. Whether that will be enough to earn a point remains to be seen. The most important thing is that we don’t beat ourselves again.
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