Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig preview: Can the Bavarians end their losing run?
Bayern Munich will attempt to end a run of three consecutive defeats when they play host to RB Leipzig on Saturday.
| Photo: Hayters - Pressbox/OneFootball |
Bayern Munich
Bayern began their poor run of form with a 3-0 defeat to title rivals Bayer Leverkusen, before they were beaten 1-0 by Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Matters got worse for the Bavarians when they suffered a 3-2 defeat in last Sunday’s away meeting with Bochum.
Jamal Musiala gave Bayern the lead in the 14th minute, before goals from Takuma Asano, Keven Schlotterbeck and Kevin Stöger turned the game in Bochum’s favour. Although Harry Kane pulled a goal back in the closing stages, it proved to be too little too late.
In response to their three-game losing run, the club announced that Thomas Tuchel has agreed to step down from his role as head coach at the end of the current season. While the 50-year-old will say his farewells in the summer, he will currently be focused on Saturday’s tricky home fixture against Leipzig.
The Bavarians will begin the game in second place and 11 points adrift of Leverkusen, who extended their advantage with Friday's 2-1 win over Mainz 05. Closing that gap will be far from simple as Bayern have failed to win any of their last four meetings with Leipzig since recording a 5-3 victory in the DFL-Supercup in July 2022.
Team News
Bayern are unable to call upon Sacha Boey, Noel Aseko-Nkili, Tarek Buchmann, Kingsley Coman, Noussair Mazraoui, Bouna Sarr, Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies. Meanwhile, defender Dayot Upamecano is suspended after being sent off against Bochum.
RB Leipzig
Leipzig bounced back from a 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid to claim all three points in last Saturday’s home league meeting with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Xavi Simons and Loïs Openda grabbed a goal apiece to help Leipzig secure a 2-0 victory and move to within one point of fourth-placed Dortmund.
Although Leipzig are now unbeaten in three league games, they have found wins hard to come by in their recent away matches. Marco Rose’s side have had to settle for two points from their previous three Bundesliga road trips, while they have won just one of their last six away matches in the top flight.
However, die Roten Bullen were able to claim a 3-1 victory in their most recent away league meeting with Bayern in May last year. That result has formed part of a four-game unbeaten run in four head-to-head matches against the Bavarians. Leipzig have already recorded a victory over Tuchel’s side this season, with Dani Olmo netting a hat-trick in the Supercup. Die Roten Bullen then went on to play out a 2-2 draw in the reverse league fixture in September.
Team News
Leipzig are without the services of midfielder Lukas Klostermann, who was forced off in the first half of the 2-0 win over Gladbach.