Bayern Munich switch their focus back to the Bundesliga on Saturday with a trip to Hoffenheim as they continue their seemingly inevitable stroll to a third successive title.
Hoffenheim still have plenty to play for as they look to move into the Europa League qualification spots, but Bayern will arrive at the Rhein-Neckar Arena expecting to protect their advantage at the top of the table.
Hoffenheim
© Getty Images
It hass been a tough couple of weeks for Hoffenheim and Markus Gisdol, but there was good news on Thursday as the club confirmed that the head coach had extended his contract by another two years.
The new deal was a sign of the progress made under Gisdol, and he will be keen to celebrate renewing his contract by leading the team to a place in the Europa League.
With six games remaining in the season, Hoffenheim are just one point behind sixth-placed Augsburg, but with Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund following closely behind, the need for a run of good results is greater than ever.
Getting back to their best could be easier said than done for Hoffenheim, who suffered defeats to Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Koln either side of a DFB-Pokal exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
It will surely be the games against Dortmund, Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen which decide their season, but taking points off the champions could be the boost Hoffenheim need in the closing stages of the season.
Recent form: WLWDLL
Recent form (all competitions): LWDLLL
Bayern Munich
© Getty Images
Bayern must surely be looking at Saturday's fixture as an opportunity to boost confidence and rest key men after slipping to a 3-1 defeat to Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday.
It was a loss which leaves the club's Champions League hopes hanging by a thread, and the pressure is certainly on Pep Guardiola's shoulders ahead of the second leg of their quarter-final tie at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening.
Sitting 10 points clear at the top of the table with a DFB-Pokal semi-final against Borussia Dortmund to come later this month would be enough to please most sets of supporters, but Guardiola is fully aware that exiting Europe at the hands of Porto will be viewed as not good enough.
For that reason, a return to Bundesliga action arguably comes as an unwanted distraction for the Bayern squad, but the result could be more important than many fans would suggest.
Losing to Hoffenheim would hand another blow to a squad missing a number of key men due to injury, and it could be difficult for Guardiola to boost morale again ahead of the clash with Porto.
It would come as one of the biggest shocks in German football if Bayern opened the door to Wolfsburg in the closing stages of the campaign, but picking up a ninth win in 10 league games could be vital in their bid for the treble.
Recent form: WWWLWW
Recent form (all competitions): WLWWWL
Team News
© Getty Images
There's no doubt that missing so many key players was important in the loss to Porto, and it appears unlikely that Guardiola will be able to welcome back his stars on Saturday.
In truth, the Bayern boss is likely to hand rests to some players ahead of the second leg, with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Thomas Muller and Jerome Boateng all candidates for a spot on the bench against Hoffenheim.
Sebastian Rode and Mitchell Weiser are among the players who could be handed opportunities from the start as Guardiola considers freshening up his squad.
Anthony Modeste is pushing for a recall to the Hoffenheim lineup after coming off the bench to score against Koln last week, while Steven Zuber could replace Nadiem Amiri in midfield.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer, Rafinha, Dante, Badstuber, Bernat, Lahm, Rode, Weiser, Gotze, Pizarro, Lewandowski
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann, Beck, Jin-Su Kim, Bicakcic, Polanski, Rudy, Strobl, Zuber, Firmino, Modeste, Volland
Head To Head
It was a routine win for Bayern in the reverse fixture back in November as they cruised to a 4-0 victory at the Allianz Arena, and the result came as no surprise when you look at other scorelines over the years.
Hoffenheim have avoided defeat in just four of 13 Bundesliga meetings with Bayern in a run which stretches back to 2008, and they are still searching for their first league win over the Bavarian club.
We say: Hoffenheim 0-2 Bayern Munich
Bayern are certain to rest players as they look ahead to the second leg with Porto, but they will be keen to return to form with a win and Hoffenheim's European hopes could take a hit with a backlash from the visitors.
No Data Analysis info
