The Meisterschale is already a forgone conclusion as Bayern Munich return to the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon to face bottom-table Darmstadt 98. Carlo Ancelotti will make a few changes as his squad grinds out the remainder of the season with their solitary title already in hand.
Neuer and Martinez definitely out
The defensive personnel situation has gotten a little patchwork-like towards the end of the campaign. Though neither Jérôme Boateng or Mats Hummels are 100% fit, the pair are likely to start together here. Ancelotti is taking a bit of a risk, but neither centre-back should be overly troubled (fingers crossed!) despite the Lillies’ recent impression of a Bundesliga side that wants to stay up.
Should one of the pair not be able to go, FCB does have options– Joshua Kimmich will not be one of them. It would likely be David Alaba making the switch from left-back with Juan Bernat starting in his stead, or perhaps a surprise Xabi Alonso appearance at the position, as the venerable veteran gets set to hang up his boots.
Daddy issues
New fathers Robert Lewandowski and Thiago Alcântara are both available, but only one will start. Lewandowski is chasing the glory of the Torjaegerkanone, and has proved to be invaluable to the team as Bayern have no replacement. Thomas Müller returns to the ten spot in Thiago’s stead in a quest to see Bob lift the canon at season’s end.
Young guns in the middle
In the pre-match presser, Ancelotti stated that “Renato Sanches and Kimmich will both start in midfield”. Whether this proves to be wise remains to be seen, but one certainly wonders over the timing of the whole thing.
The club has recently (and rightly!) come under a barrage of fire for the way they have not promoted their youngsters, especially Sanches. Starting the pair together in midfield seems to be a way to assuage their shoddy treatment. This may not prove to be a tactically astute decision, but you would be hard pressed to find a Bayern supporter that will not be eagerly rooting for the pair’s success.
Robbery or RobCo?
Kingsley Coman has pulled up lame, so Carlito has three wingers to choose from. Arjen Robben definitely gets the nod on the right, while it’s a you-pick-’em on the left. Franck Ribéry is the easy choice, but I will go out on a limb and choose the want-away Douglas Costa over the Frenchman. The way that Costa is handled over the remaining matches will show how serious die Roten are about keeping him around.
By sschaaf
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