Bayern Munich vs. Bochum preview: The Bavarians are aiming for third straight win
After winning their last two games in all competitions, Bayern Munich will be looking to secure a third consecutive victory when they face Bochum on Saturday.
| Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Bayern Munich
After recording three consecutive 1-1 draws, Bayern have restored an air of normality in their last two matches. A commanding 4-0 win over Mainz in the DFB-Pokal was followed by another four-goal haul against Wolfsburg last weekend.
The Bavarians raced into a three-goal lead inside 20 minutes thanks to a Kingsley Coman brace and a Thomas Müller strike. Jakub Kamiński pulled a goal back before half time, and Bayern appeared to present Wolfsburg with a chance to mount a fight back when Joshua Kimmich receive a second yellow card in the 54th minute.
However, Jamal Musiala ensured there would Wolfsburg would end up empty-handed as he produced a sublime solo goal. Mattias Svanberg grabbed a second for Niko Kovač's side, but it was too little too late, as Bayern claimed a 4-2 away victory.
While the Bavarians remain top of the table, they are only one point clear of Union Berlin, who occupy second place. With six points separating the top six, Bayern will be hoping to move away from their rivals with a run of victories.
Bayern thrashed Bochum 7-0 earlier this season, and they won by the same scoreline in their last home meeting with Die Unabsteigbaren, and they will be looking to produce another dominant performance on Saturday.
Team News
Following his red card last weekend, Kimmich will serve a one-match suspension. The Bavarians are also unable to call upon the services of Ryan Gravenbrch, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez and Sadio Mané.
Bochum
Bochum were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal in midweek, following a narrow 2-1 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Although they would have been disappointed to exit the cup competition, they have undoubtedly shown considerable improvement under Thomas Letsch's tutelage.
Last weekend, Bochum cruised to a memorable 5-2 victory over Hoffenheim, thanks to goals from Philipp Hofmann, Philipp Förster, Takuma Asano, Erhan Mašović and Moritz Broschinski. While André Breitenreiter was sacked as Hoffenheim boss following the result, the win moved Bochum three points clear of the relegation playoff place.
Bochum have now five consecutive league games, but they are still struggling to pick up points on their travels. They have lost nine of their 10 away matches in the league this season, which will not fill them with confidence ahead of the most difficult away trip in the Bundesliga.
Team News
Michael Esser, Cristian Gamboa and Paul Grave are all sidelined for the visitors.
