Vincent Kompany will hope his Bayern Munich side can take a huge step towards the Bundesliga title when they welcome RB Leipzig to Allianz Arena on Friday.
Bayern lead the way in the top flight with 33 points after 14 matchweeks, but they lost for the first time in the league when they were beaten 2-1 by Mainz 05 on December 14, while Die Roten Bullen are fourth with 27 points and defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on December 15 in the Bundesliga.
Match preview
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Kompany's side lost their status as the division's only unbeaten top-flight team when they played Mainz, a match in which the Bavarians produced just one shot on target, significantly fewer than their average of 7.8 attempts on target per game in the league.
The Belgian boss said that he did not believe his players lacked desire, and told reporters that they would use the defeat as fuel, saying: "We weren't at our best today. This game is over. We'll use this defeat to light a fire under us over the next few days and prepare for Friday."
Prior to their loss last time out, Bayern last lost a game in the Bundesliga on May 18, with the club going on to win the four subsequent matches by a cumulative score of 16-3.
The Bavarians have failed to keep a clean sheet in their five most recent fixtures, whereas they had kept their opponents at bay seven times in the prior seven matches.
Bayern come into Friday's clash having lost two, won two and drawn one of their past five outings, though they have triumphed in six of their last eight Bundesliga games.
Despite encountering difficulties of late, the hosts still boast a phenomenal home record considering they have achieved victory in 12 of their last 15 fixtures at Allianz Arena, being held to a stalemate twice in that time.
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Kompany's counterpart Marco Rose will hope that he can survive the winter break following Friday's matchup given reports have emerged that the club will decide his future in that period.
Die Roten Bullen were able to prevent Eintracht Frankfurt from creating a single big chance last time while producing four of their own.
However, the result came after Leipzig were beaten 3-2 by Aston Villa in the Champions League on December 10, a defeat that saw them become the first team to be eliminated from the competition.
Rose's side have won three of their last four games - including their two most recent Bundesliga matches - but they did lose five and draw one of their previous six outings.
Leipzig have netted on nine occasions in their past six league fixtures, though they have also conceded 12 goals in that time.
The visitors' record away from home is poor, as while they beat Holstein Kiel 2-0 at Holstein-Stadion on December 7, they lost each of their prior four matches on the road.
Team News
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Bayern are dealing with a number of injury issues and will not be able to select defenders Sacha Boey, Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic, while midfielder Konrad Laimer – who has been used as a right-back – pulled out of training this week.
Given their absences, Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae are likely to start as centre-backs, but one of Raphael Guerreiro or Alphonso Davies may be forced to play right-back despite both preferring to operate on the left.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set to miss out until January and so Kompany will almost certainly field Daniel Peretz in goal, while Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane could start in attack behind Thomas Muller given Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are injured.
Harry Kane will likely have to settle for a place on the bench, though midfielder Joao Palhinha's groin issue has ruled him out until the middle of January.
Meanwhile, Leipzig will be without midfielders Amadou Haidara, Eljif Elmas and Forzan Assan Ouedraogo, so expect to see Rose start Christoph Baumgartner, Xaver Schlager and Kevin Kampl in the middle of the pitch.
Defender Castello Lukeba will not return to action until February 2025, and this could mean that Nicolas Seiwald, Willi Orban and Lutsharel Geertruida are chosen to play in a back three.
Attackers Xavi Simons and Yussuf Poulsen are also set to miss out, but strikers Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda are fit and are certain to partner each other in the forward line.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Peretz; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Musiala, Sane; Muller
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Seiwald, Orban, Geertruida; Henrichs, Baumgartner, Schlager, Kampl, Nusa; Sesko, Openda
We say: Bayern Munich 2-1 RB Leipzig
Bayern's defence has struggled to cope amidst an injury crisis, and considering a number of defenders could miss out on Friday, Leipzig may have opportunities to capitalise on mistakes in the backline.
However, the visitors are yet to prove that they have overcome the issues that have plagued them in recent weeks, and given Bayern boast an exceptional home record, the hosts should be considered favourites.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
