Freiburg vs. Bayern Munich preview: The champions are looking for revenge
Just days after Freiburg pulled off a surprise 2-1 away victory to knock Bayern Munich out of the DFB-Pokal, the two sides will lock horns once again.
| Photo: Bayern München/OneFootball |
Freiburg
Freiburg will head into Saturday's contest in jovial spirits after pulling off a cup upset in midweek. Having failed to win their previous 23 away games against Bayern, hopes of a victory prior to kick off would have been slim.
Christian Streich's side fell behind in the 19th minute when Dayot Upamecano headed home, but Nicolas Höfler produced a stunning strike to restore parity just before the half-hour mark. With the quarter-final tie seemingly heading towards extra time, Freiburg were presented with the chance to score a late winner when Jamal Musiala was penalised for a handball in the box. Lucas Höler assumed responsibility to calmly dispatch his spot-kick, securing Freiburg their first-ever competitive away win over Bayern.
After securing their place in the semi-final, Freiburg will now look to replicate their cup victory when they face Bayern on Saturday. They will have a home advantage this time around, which will only fill the hosts with confidence as they are unbeaten in 12 Bundesliga matches at Europa-Park Stadion.
With fourth-placed Freiburg currently two points clear of RB Leipzig, who occupy fifth position, they will be hoping to claim another positive result on Saturday with every point crucial in the battle for the top four.
Team News
Streich has indicated that Philipp Lienhart and Lukas Kübler are doubts for Saturday's encounter, while long-term absentee Daniel-Kofi Kyereh remains unavailable.
Bayern Munich
Thomas Tuchel could not have wished for a better start to his Bayern tenure when he oversaw a commanding 4-2 victory over his former club and title rivals Borussia Dortmund last weekend. However, his mood quickly changed in midweek as the Bavarians lost a competitive home match for the first time since January 2022.
Their hopes of winning a treble have now dissipated, but they are still in the hunt for an 11th consecutive league title and the Champions League trophy.
With Bayern set to face Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in midweek, there could be a tendency to keep one eye on their crucial European contest. However, Tuchel will be urging his players to remain focused on Saturday's league game, as they look to at least maintain their two-point lead over Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern have lost two of their last three away Bundesliga matches, including a 2-1 defeat against Bayern Leverkusen in what proved to be Julian Nagelsmann's final game in charge.
They have fared well in recent trips to Freiburg though, winning four and drawing two of their last six away league games against Saturday's opponents.
Team News
Tuchel has confirmed that Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will miss out due to a knee problem. The visitors are also unable to call Wednesday's goalscorer Upamecano, who is suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Mathys Tel remains sidelined alongside long-term injury absentees Manuel Neuer and Lucas Hernandez.
