Should Bayern Munich run out the first choice lineup against Holstein Kiel in the DFB Pokal?

Bayern Munich are set to face Holstein Kiel in the Second Round of the 2020/21 DFB Pokal on Wednesday. There’s a difficult decision facing Hansi Flick. Does he roll out a first choice lineup or does he rotate some players against the 2.Bundesliga side? Let’s dig into it.

The option to play a first choice line up is two-fold:

The first is that it’s the Pokal, and Bayern need to win. The Bavarians start every season with the goal of winning the Pokal, so winning this match is paramount. Yes, Kiel are a club in the 2.Bundesliga; however, they’re currently near the top of the table and appear set for the end-of-season promotion battle.

The second reason is that, let’s be frank, this club hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders on the field. A win where the first choice team performs well could carry on as Bayern is in the middle of a stretch of six games in twenty two days.

However, rotation could be the way to go for Flick:

Rotating the squad, whether it’s a full rotation or just a few players, could be the kickstart that the squad really needs. Could shifting players like David Alaba and Benjamin Pavard to the bench for a match or two be enough to get them back on track? Is the possibility of losing their starting jobs the kick-in-the-pants they need?

Rotating the squad would also be beneficial to just give some players a rest in this long stretch of games. While tired legs are not an excuse for the poor play currently being exhibited by Bayern, it could contribute to things over the next couple of weeks. Why not get ahead of it?

If Bayern defeat Kiel, they’ll move on to the Round of 16 against loanee Lukas Mai and Darmstadt on February 2-3.

What do you think? Should Hansi Flick rotate the squad against Holstein Kiel or go with a full strength squad?