Sometimes, I wish I was a manatee. I could float around in the water and eat grass all day, instead of worrying about what Bayern Munich is doing all the time. Given the state of the squad at the moment, Hansi Flick probably feels the same. Tomorrow’s game against Union Berlin is looking like an uphill task — Bayern’s seven point lead at the top of the table looks to be in jeopardy.
Team news
There is no good news. Literally none. Here are our absentees for tomorrow:
- Robert Lewandowski (knee).
- Corentin Tolisso (thigh)
- Douglas Costa (foot)
- Lucas Hernandez (abdominal muscles)
- Marc Roca (existence)
- Leon Goretzka (some muscle, who knows at this point)
- Niklas Sule (
bad hamburgerI mean, muscle injury) - Serge Gnabry (the plague)
- Alphonso Davies (horny jail)
- Pavard and Sane (doubtful)
With an injury list that long, how is Flick even supposed to field a lineup? In addition, players need resting before the second leg against PSG. Bayern need to make a comeback win in that tie, so Hansi has barely any room to maneuver.
So how will Bayern Munich line up? Well Bild has one prediction:
Tiago Dantas expected to start tomorrow according to Bild:
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 9, 2021
Neuer – Sarr, Boateng, Martínez, Alaba – Kimmich, Tiago Dantas – Coman, Müller, Musiala – Choupo-Moting
The above lineup allows rest for Benjamin Pavard and Leroy Sane, but keeps Joshua Kimmich on the field. Honestly, it would be best to let Kimmich get some rest as well, since he played every single game for Germany over the international break. Unfortunately, with both Roca AND Tolisso out, Hansi may not have the option.
Thomas Muller and Choupo-Moting recently had a two-week break, so they should be ready to go. Buona Sarr is a big concern, but there’s no alternative — Pavard needs rest. Jamal Musiala should be considered a surefire starter, given that he’s the best winger backup left at the club right now. The 18-year-old will be critical to Bayern’s hopes of securing a win tomorrow.
David Alaba, meanwhile, is forced to move to fullback. The Austrian also probably needs rest, but like Kimmich, Bayern simply have no one to come in for him. He shouldn’t play the full 90 — Hansi said Tanguy Nianzou was set to get some minutes tomorrow, so the Frenchman will probably come in for him (with a corresponding reshuffle of the back line). However, the scoreline may determine how soon Nianzou can be subbed on.
Tiago Dantas might see his debut tomorrow, and the kid is a huge question mark at the club. At 20-years-old, the young Portuguese midfielder lacks physicality even for his age, and has failed to convince Bayern’s higher ups to buy him. Hansi could see this moment as a roll of the dice to get his preferred player the breakthrough he needs. It’s a gamble, but arguably a necessary one, given the state of the squad at the moment.
Well, that’s our critique of Bild’s predicted lineup. It’s almost impossible to predict anything else, given the situation Bayern finds itself in. How would you line up tomorrow if you were the coach? Comment below.
Update
Some new info from Bild. Looks like Sarr is gonna play tomorrow.
Benjamin Pavard and Kingsley Coman have internally signaled that they need a break. Pavard is expected to be replaced by Bouna Sarr in the lineup tomorrow [Bild]
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 9, 2021