Borussia Monchengladbach, who have been winless in their last five league outings, will have to defeat champions Bayern Munich to keep their chances of securing a European spot alive. Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany’s team have nothing to play for but they will still be looking to finish the season on a high.
The home team have an eight-point lead over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen with just two games to go. They could have secured the league title on Saturday with a win over RB Leipzig. But, an injury-time strike from Yussuf Poulsen resulted in a 3-3 draw, and it meant Bayern Munich had to wait until Sunday.
Bayer Leverkusen could have kept themselves alive in the title race with a win, but they could only manage a draw against SC Freiburg, gifting the title to Kompany’s team. While they have won the race, Bayern Munich will still hope to finish the season on a high.
They will be going up against ninth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, who have 45 points in their 32 outings. They are five points and three places behind a European spot, and only a miracle can help them secure that.
The visitors have been winless in their last five outings, but they will have to secure all three points against the champions to ensure their outside chance of securing a European spot remains alive. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team have been crowned champions, and they can certainly breathe easier despite being without quite a few of their first-team stars. Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, Hiroki Ito and Kim Min-jae are all unavailable for Bayern.
Vincent Kompany will stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Manuel Neuer should be back in goal. Sacha Boey and Konrad Laimer could take up the full-back role, while Eric Dier will pair up with Josip Stanisic in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic will form the double pivot. They will shield the backline and ensure they control the pace of this fixture. Michael Olise and Leroy Sane will feature on the flanks providing much-needed width to their attacks. With Musiala unavailable, Thomas Muller will continue in the number ten role. Meanwhile, Harry Kane will return to the XI after serving a suspension last time out.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Boey, Dier, Stanisic, Laimer; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Muller, Sane; Kane
Borussia Monchengladbach will be without the services of four first-team stars. Moritz Nicolas, Marvin Friedrich, Alassane Plea, and Nathan Ngoumou are all unavailable for this fixture.
The visitors will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Jonas Omlin will continue between the sticks. Joe Scally and Lukas Ullrich will be the full-backs, while Ko Itakura will partner with Nico Elvedi in the central defence.
In the centre of the park, Rocco Reitz will start alongside Julian Weigl. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure Bayern Munich midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. Franck Honorat and Robin Hack will provide width to their attacks, while Kevin ]lStöger will feature in the number ten role. Tim Kleindienst will be the one leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Omlin; Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Ullrich; Reitz, Weigl; Honorat, Stoger, Hack; Kleindienst
Kane finally secured his first major title on Sunday, and he will be eager to step on that field as a Bundesliga champion. The English striker has played a massive part in their win having contributed towards 33 goals in his 29 league outings. He will be eager to add to his tally against the visitors.
Overall, he has 48 goal contributions in his 44 outings this season. The 31-year-old averages a goal every 96th minute and given his current form, Borussia Monchengladbach might find it very difficult to stop him.
Bayern Munich might have already sealed the Bundesliga title, but they will still be looking to end the season on a high, especially in front of their own fans. With Harry Kane back from suspension, the Bavarian giants should have enough firepower to break down Gladbach’s defence.
On the other hand, Borussia Monchengladbach are under immense pressure to secure all three points against Bayern Munich to keep their slim hopes of European qualification alive. Unfortunately for the visitors, their recent form and injury concerns suggest they could struggle to cope with Bayern’s attacking threats. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
