SC Freiburg vs. Bayern Munich preview: Hosts look to bounce back against depleted Bayern
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Freiburg
After an outstanding start to the season, Freiburg have endured a difficult week, suffering their first two defeats of the campaign across all competitions.
Julian Schuster's side travelled to Leverkusen last weekend as Bundesliga leaders, but despite an early goal from Derry Scherhant, they eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Things went from bad to worse on Thursday, when they were comfortably beaten 3-0 away at Monaco in the Conference League.
However, the Breisgau side remain third in the Bundesliga with 13 points from six matches, just one behind Sunday's visitors, and have plenty of reasons to be confident heading into the encounter.
Freiburg have won all five of their competitive home matches this season, and have not suffered a defeat at the Europa-Park Stadion since Bayern's visit in April, when Tom Bischof and Lennart Karl inspired Der Rekordmeister to a late comeback.
Team news
Heading into Sunday, the hosts remain without attacker Florent Muslija, who is recovering from a knee issue after returning from Düsseldorf.
Yannik Engelhardt is also a doubt after being forced off just 15 minutes into Thursday's defeat against Monaco, while Philipp Lienhart faces uncertainty over his availability.
Should Engelhardt miss out, Patrick Osterhage could be handed a starting place in midfield, while Max Rosenfelder is an option alongside Matthias Ginter in defence.
Click here to see our predicted Freiburg lineup
Bayern Munich
Bayern head into Sunday's encounter unbeaten in the Bundesliga, but preparations have been overshadowed by concerns surrounding head coach Vincent Kompany.
The Belgian collapsed during training on Friday and remains in hospital, although Bayern sporting director Max Eberl confirmed on Saturday that he is in a stable condition.
Assistant coach Aaron Danks will take charge in Freiburg, with Kompany expected to remain away from the touchline for several weeks.
On the pitch, the Bavarians have been in impressive form, thrashing RB Leipzig 6-1 last weekend to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga.
That result took Bayern to 22 goals from their opening six league matches, although they have been less convincing away from home, winning just one of their three Bundesliga fixtures on the road.
On Wednesday, Bayern drew 2-2 with Arsenal in the Champions League, overturning an early deficit with goals from Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane before Declan Rice equalised late on.
Despite their strong attacking form, they have proven vulnerable this term, having dropped points at Schalke and Augsburg, and could well face the same in Breisgau.
Team news
Bayern have a lengthy list of absentees ahead of Sunday's encounter, with Manuel Neuer the latest player to be ruled out due to a persistent tendon problem in his foot.
Jonas Urbig is expected to deputise in goal, while Minjae Kim is also unavailable after picking up a minor muscular injury against Arsenal.
Luis Diaz and Jamal Musiala are sidelined with muscle injuries, while Joshua Kimmich continues to spend time with his family following a bereavement.
Aleksandar Pavlovic is also reportedly set to miss the trip due to calf problems, potentially leaving Bayern short of options in central midfield.
