Hoffenheim 0-2 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Three points, a clean sheet, and the youngsters got minutes. Pretty much a perfect game from Bayern Munich tonight. Yes, the second half was incredibly dull, but both teams seemed content to just take the result at that point. This wasn’t a very competitive game.
• Joshua Kimmich had another quietly good performance. Him and Goretzka will probably be the ones to start against FC Barcelona in midweek.
• Did Kingsley Coman go off injured? We’ll have to keep an eye on that in the postgame press conference.
• Is Choupo-Moting a guaranteed starter? With all the goals he’s scoring nowadays, it doesn’t seem like much of a question.
• For all his faults, Sven Ulreich does make a few decent saves in every game. He’s no Manuel Neuer, but as a backup he gets the job done.

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Want more discussion about the game? Check out our postgame podcast! Listen to it below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all the support!

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Full time: Bayern win 2-0.

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78’ — Dayot Upamecano is down after a bad elbow to the face. Bayern down to 10 men.

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75’ — Subs: Final substitutions, Mazraoui and Gravenberch come on for Musiala and Gnabry.

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69’ — Subs: Mathys Tel and Marcel Sabitzer come on for Choupo-Moting and Leon Goretzka.

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60’ — Sub: Sadio Mane comes on for Kingsley Coman.

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45’ — The second half is underway!

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Halftime observations and analysis

• Bayern Munich have mostly been cruising so far. Hoffenheim have had their chances but they weren’t dangerous. Comfortable half of football for the Bavarians.
• Outside of his goal, Jamal Musiala has had quite a mediocre game.
• Choupo-Moting is playing himself into Ballon d’Or contention.
• Bayern seem to be saving energy. For Barcelona maybe?
• Would be nice to see some youngsters play in the 2nd half.

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Halftime: Bayern lead 2-0.

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37’ — GOOOOOAL! Choupo-Moting makes it 2-0!

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17’ — GOOOOAL! Jamal Musiala makes it 1-0 from a corner.

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Kickoff: We’re underway!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! Julian Nagelsmann fields Bayern Munich in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting up top, Gnabry, Coman, and Jamal Musiala behind him. Sadio Mane is rested for a change, but no other rotations to the starting XI. Noussair Mazraoui and Marcel Sabitzer are both on the bench.

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It’s hard to win games when half your starting XI is injured, but that’s the task facing Bayern Munich this weekend. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are always a formidable opponent, and they’re coming off a huge win over Schalke in midweek so they’ll be confident. With Union Berlin showing no signs of slowing down, three points will be crucial for Bayern to keep up the pressure this week.

Julian Nagelsmann does have a fine balancing act to maintain, though. Muscle injuries are piling up, and the unexpected loss of Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller upsets the team balance in a big way. However he can’t keep players like Ryan Gravenberch and Marcel Sabitzer on the bench forever and expect them to be happy about it. With the World Cup looming, everyone wants their moment in the spotlight. It’s going to be an interesting challenge for the manager.

It’s Bayern time.

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our preview podcast? Listen to it below or at this link.

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Match Info

Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim, Germany

Time: 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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