Hertha Berlin vs Bayern Munich: Lineups, team news, doubts over COVID returnees, and more! (Updated)

Alright, it’s 2022 and the international breaks are all in the wrong place. I mean, who ever heard of a January international break? Just a couple weeks after returning from the winter break, Bayern Munich are set to be stripped of any semblance of squad cohesion or momentum by another two-week break in proceedings. This gives some players much-needed recovery time to get back to fitness, but it’s definitely frustrating for fans who just want to see their team play games.

Hertha Berlin have not been good in the league this year, continuing the long-held tradition of blue-and-white liveried Bundesliga clubs being a total trash fire. Thankfully, they haven’t hired Niko Kovac yet, so Bayern have a good chance of picking up all three points. Let’s take a look at the team.

Team news

It’s difficult to say what exactly is going on with the personnel at the moment. Here’s a quick rundown of what we know:

• Alphonso Davies (myocarditis), Leon Goretzka (knee), and Josip Stanisic (thigh) are all confirmed out for the game.
• Dayot Upamecano, Corentin Tolisso, and Leroy Sane are all struggling with fitness following their bout of COVID-19. All three players are doubtful for the Berlin match.
• Lucas Hernandez is indeed back in the squad, and is set to start in defense.

So what will the lineup look like? Well, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller are certain to start up top, but it’s unclear who will join them on the wings. Serge Gnabry seems fit to start, but if Leroy Sane is doubtful then Kingsley Coman may get the nod. On the other hand, Jamal Musiala got a goal in the return leg of this fixture, which may persuade the coach to go with him. It’s all up in the air right now, but both Bild and Sky seem to agree that Sane and Gnabry will start, so they must know something that we don’t.

In midfield, the question is whether Joshua Kimmich will start in the center or whether he’ll be needed at right-back. Nagelsmann confirmed that Dayot Upamecano is struggling with fitness and may not make it back for the game, in which case Benjamin Pavard would be needed in the center-back spot next to Niklas Sule, leaving Kimmich to slot in at right-back.

Upamecano still remains doubtful following his quarantine, so let’s assume that he will start on the bench and the midfield will have to be a dual-pivot of Corentin Tolisso and Marc Roca. The defense, therefore, should consist of Lucas Hernandez at left-back, Niklas Sule and Benjamin Pavard at center-back, with Kimmich at right-back. Manuel Neuer, who missed two days of training due to load management, is expected to start in goal without any issues.

Here’s what the lineup could look like:

Other options:

• Omar Richards at left-back, allowing Lucas to move to the left center-back spot.
• Marcel Sabitzer in for Corentin Tolisso if the latter isn’t fit.
• Dayot Upamecano in at center-back, with Kimmich moving to midfield alongside Marc Roca.

Update

Looks like Sane should be ready to start:

If you’re want a more detailed look at the game, why not check out our preview podcast? Listen to it below or at this link.