How will Bayern Munich line up against Augsburg?

While most eyes will already be on Liverpool, Bayern Munich have an incredibly important job to do on Friday. Now that Borussia Dortmund has finally shown some signs of weakness, the Bavarians have a chance to put even more pressure on the Bundesliga leaders. With that in mind, how will Niko Kovac line up his team on Friday night?

Team News

Corentin Tolisso has resumed individual training with the ball. He is on track to return in March, but unfortunately that means he’s still a month away from being on a matchday squad. Arjen Robben meanwhile continues to be plagued by a vexing thigh injury that has kept him out since November — in his pregame press conference, Niko Kovac could not give a date for the Dutchman’s return.

Manuel Neuer has resumed goalkeeper training, and the coach confirmed that he would be an option between the sticks at Augsburg. Beyond this, Kovac said that he did not want to rotate as the players had been given enough time to recuperate since last week’s game.

Momentum being so crucial to this stage of the season, it’s likely that Bayern Munich might line up with the exact same players as they did against Schalke 04 on Saturday, with the possible exception of Niklas Sule returning to the squad.

It’s worrying that injury-prone players like Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry will not be rested on the eve of such a crucial Champions League tie. Rhythm is important, and both players have been in great form — but you don’t want them to get injured at this stage playing against Augsburg.

However, we must assume that Niko Kovac knows the fitness of his players and how much they can take, so hopefully a lack of rest won’t bother even guys like James Rodriguez or Thiago Alcantara. Robert Lewandowski, meanwhile, had a day off from training in midweek, so hopefully that’s enough to keep him fresh. Expect prodigious use of substitutes on Friday.

All that being said, here’s how we think Bayern Munich will line up against Augsburg:

Lineupbuilder.com

Update

Manuel Neuer looks like he’s good to go.