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Initial reactions and observations:
- Bayern failed to capitalize on their numerous chances and it took a heavy toll.
- Bayern simply fell apart after they conceded. This implies that Bayern is still a mentally fragile team.
- This defeat will certainly cause a lot of trouble for the Bavarians. It will be difficult to catch up to first place, and it might be the end for Hansi Flick.
- Hansi Flick failed to lift his team tonight after they conceded and made weird substitutions.
Full-time! Bayern fail to win as M’Gladbach completed the comeback.
92’ — Goal for Gladbach. Bensebaini scores from the spot.
90’ — A penalty for Gladbach. Second yellow for Martinez.
88’ — Yellow card for Zakaria as he fouled Muller.
86’ — Yellow card for Robert Lewandowski
85’ — Raffael comes in for Stindl
83’ — Javi Martinez gets booked for an untimely challenge.
81’ — Yann Sommer again. Amazing save from just couple of meters
80’ — HUGE chance for Gladbach. Bayern were extremely lucky
79’ — Even if Coman was elbowed in the face, that wasn’t a foul.
77’ — Good chance for Perišić, but his shot/cross goes wide.
75’ — Fifteen minutes to go and both teams are looking good.
72’ — Good chance for Bayern. But, unfortunately nothing serious came out of it.
70’ — Bayern can’t seem to take a hold on the match. They need to shake-up a bit-
68’ — Javi Martinez comes in for Jerome Boateng. Interesting.
67’ — Thiago misplaced a pass and left room for counter attack. Luckily nothing came from it.
65’ — A good chance for Herrman, but the shot goes wide. Gladbach is dominating right now.
62’ — A yellow card for Boateng
60’ — Goal for Gladbach. Bensebaini scores from corner.
58’ — Embolo comes in for Benes. We can expect a more offensive M’Gladbach.
57’ — Good cross from Coman, but it gets cleared. Fifth corner for Bayern.
55’ — First corner for Gladbach as Boateng cut the low cross.
54’ — Gladbach looking dangerous now. They are trying their best to get level with Bayern
52’ — A decent chance for Gladbach, but luckily, Thuram was just a bit too short.
50’ — GOAL! Ivan Perišić scores a brilliant goal.
46’ — Amazing run by Davies. Bayern are pressing immediately.
Kickoff — the second half is underway.
Half-time observations:
- Bayern Munich was obviously a better side today. They had their chances, but failed to score. All in all, a good performance, only lacking goals.
- Bayern’s defensive work is astounding. I like how Bayern’s back-four are playing. Very well organized.
- I’m amazed by Boateng’s performance today. He was always on the right spot to make a clearance. His presence gives confidence to everyone around him.
Half-time!
47’ — Dangerous counter attack from Gladbach, but luckily it was stopped.
46’ — Huge fuss in the box. Bayern managed to had few shots, but every single one of them was blocked.
45’ — Two minutes of added time.
44’ — Coman again selfish. Lots of options, but he chose to shoot.
43’ — Good play from Muller, as he crossed the ball to Goretzka, but his shot was too high.
40’ — Coman manages to go through Gladbach’s defence, but was a bit selfish. His show was easily saved by Sommer,
37’ — Ivan Perišić with a big miss. Good cross from Lewandowski, but Ivan ‘s show was wasteful
36’ — Dangerous attack from Gladbach, but Kimmich cuts the pass.
34’ — Foul for M’Gladbach, but it looks more like foul for Bayern...
31’ — Acrobatic volley from Lewandowski, but the shot goes way over the crossbar.
27’ — WHAT? No goal for Kimmich. Sommer was beaten, but the ball didn’t go over the line. Literally millimeters away from goal.
26’ — Huge chance for Muller, but Sommer was phenomenal.
25’ — When under pressure, Bayern’s defence is playing perfectly. Bayern are dealing well with M’Gladbach’s high pressure. For now.
23’ — Chance for Coman, but he is too far to threaten Sommer with a header
20’ — Ivan Perišić comes in for Tolliso.
19’ — Corentin Tolliso is on the ground, injured. Seems that he has problem with his thigh.
16’ — Again a good chance for Lewandowski after a creative pass from Thiago
15’ — Foul on Lewandowski and now a good chance for Bayern
14’ — Good shot from Lewandowski. Inches away from the right post
11’ — Good work from Boateng. He cleared the ball on two separate occasions.
9’ — Huge chance for Muller inside the box, but he fires it wide.
8’ — Alphonso Davies is back on the pitch and is playing without any problems
6’ — Rough challenge on Davies as he remains on the ground. Benes got a yellow card for that challenge.
4’ — Very high tempo and work-rate. Both teams are looking good.
2’ — First chance for Bayern. Coman crosses in, but Muller couldn’t do much with the ball and it went straight into goalkeeper’s hands
Kickoff! — An interesting match is ahead of us. Enjoy!
One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Hansi surprises everyone by starting Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso in midfield, and resting Benjamin Pavard. That’s not all. It looks like Thomas Muller is on the wing and the 4-3-3 is back. This isn’t going to be pretty.
Topspiel-Aufstellung! #BMGFCB pic.twitter.com/9RsaOSeh84
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) December 7, 2019
As Bayern Munich travel to Gladbach to face the table toppers, Hansi Flick faces his biggest challenge yet. Since arriving in the summer, Marco Rose has transformed the Foals into a legitimate title contender, which isn’t something you could say about Borussia Mönchengladbach teams of yesteryear. Coming off the back of a disappointing 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen, the Bavarians need to show a strong reaction if they are to stay in the title race.
This game will likely make or break Hansi Flick’s tenure as a coach, so it’s imperative that he gets it right. Luckily, he has both Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller at his disposal, as well as a freshly rested Kingsley Coman. Serge Gnabry will be hungry for goals after his dismal finishing display versus Bayer, and between the four of them Bayern should have a good chance of scoring. If not, Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic can provide offensive firepower from the bench.
The defense is another matter. Flick was mum about which midfielders he would start for this game, but we can assume he will go with the tried and tested pairing of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka — much to Thiago Alcantara’s disappointment. Despite conceding two goals last week, the defense is unlikely to change, unless Jerome Boateng comes in for Javi Martinez.
All in all, Bayern have more than enough quality to beat Borussia Monchengladbach away and go within one point of top spot this matchday. Being top spot at the halfway mark will be a challenge this season, but the team is more than good enough to rise to the occasion.
It’s Bayern time.
Match Info
Location: Borussia Park, Monchengladbach, Germany
Time: 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST
TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country
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