Bayern Munich vs Wolfsburg: Lineups, team news, Lewandowski chasing Ronaldo’s scoring record, and more! (Updated)

Guess the DFL took the term “English week” a little bit too literally this year, because it’s barely been two days since Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart, and the club have yet another Bundesliga game scheduled on Friday. At least the winter break will provide some relief to players, but it’s ridiculous how congested this final week of the Bundesliga calendar has been.

Anyway, let’s talk about the game.

Team news

First of all, let’s recap — the players who were unavailable against Stuttgart continue to be unavailable. Joshua Kimmich, Choupo-Moting, Leon Goretzka, Josip Stanisic, and Marcel Sabitzer are all confirmed out, with Nageslmann reluctant to take any risks. Joining them is Kingsley Coman, who tore a muscle in his thigh during the Tuesday’s game.

Let’s talk about the lineup. Robert Lewandowski HAS to start up top because a) we have no backups for him, b) Wolfsburg are his favorite opponents, and c) he is on the verge of breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s personal scoring record. Which one? Take a look:

If not for that injury earlier in the year, Lewy probably would’ve broken this record already. Hopefully, Nagelsmann sets up the team in a way that complements the striker’s playstyle, because he’s been having trouble getting service lately.

Thomas Muller will also start tomorrow, behind Lewandowski in the attacking midfield role. Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry are the only senior wingers fit enough for the starting XI, but expect Malik Tillman to come on as a substitute at some point during the game.

In midfield, Marc Roca (gasp!) could be set to make his second appearance in a row! After a good showing against Stuttgart, this is another chance for the Spaniard to show his quality in a Bayern shirt and maybe reignite his career. He’s still young, there’s plenty of football left in his future.

Joining him will probably be Jamal Musiala, who has been playing with a hand splint due to a metacarpal injury. What the 18-year-old has been doing in these last few games is seriously impressive — playing through pain, in an unfamiliar position, without any senior players in midfield to support him. This kid his really special, and I’m glad he’s at our club.

The defense might end up being mostly unchanged from the Stuttgart game, given that Bayern actually kept a clean sheet. That means a backline consisting of Alphonso Davies, Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, and Benjamin Pavard protecting Manuel Neuer in goal. Niklas Sule missed training today, so he seems doubtful for the game.

What would that lineup look like? Here you go:

By the way, we have a podcast on all things Bayern Munich, where we did a preview of the game. Why not check it out below or at this link?

As always, we appreciate the support!