Bayern Without Key Players Ahead of Crucial Bundesliga Fixture

It’s crunch time for Thomas Tuchel and Bayern Munich. Saturday’s game against Champions League-chasing Leipzig could help crown Bayern as Bundesliga champions once again, or put Borussia Dortmund in the driver’s seat with one more game to go.

Bayern have a one-point advantage over Dortmund in the standings, so a win over Leipzig would be enough for the title if Dortmund lose to Augsburg a day later.

Given Bayern’s big 19-goal goal difference advantage, only a win will realistically do for Dortmund.

Leipzig is a tricky opponent for Bayern. They played out to a 1-1 draw in their last game in January.

Third-placed Leipzig and coach Marco Rose have won seven of their last eight games in all competitions, and know that a win over Bayern would guarantee Champions League qualification for next season.

There are plenty of links between the two clubs, with former Leipzig players Dayot Upamecano in the Bayern defence and Joshua Kimmich in midfield.

Former Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann may have been replaced by Tuchel nearly two months ago, but his influence still shapes the way Bayern play. Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer is reportedly close to agreeing a move to Bayern when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Injury worries for Bayern

Chasing a record-extending 11th consecutive title, Bayern have got back on form with three straight wins since the 3-1 loss to Mainz last month, which briefly handed Dortmund the lead in the standings. Not all has gone smoothly for Bayern this week, though.

Bayern and Dortmund enter final straight of title battle just a point apart

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Goalkeeper Yann Sommer, himself a stand-in for the injured Manuel Neuer, missed training on Wednesday with what the club called “a stomach complaint,” as reported by Kicker. This could potentially open the way for third-choice Sven Ulreich to get a game on Saturday. Whether Sommer will be able to take part in the final training session tomorrow remains to be seen.

The chances of striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting featuring again this season are still in doubt. Choupo-Moting has been out since the beginning of April due to knee problems, and a comeback no longer seems realistic.

Meanwhile, a recent assessment provided by Bild seems to give hope to the Bavarian faithful. The news outlet reports Serge Gnabry will probably be able to play against Leipzig despite missing training.

Bundesliga relegation decider

This weekend could conclude the relegation fight in the Bundesliga. Anything but a win against Bochum will doom Hertha Berlin to relegation from the Bundesliga, a final humiliating blow after the team spent much of the last decade dreaming of becoming a “big city club” in the Champions League and putting Berlin on par with European capitals like London, Paris, and Madrid.

To make matters worse for Hertha, the city of Berlin could be getting a Champions League club next season — Union Berlin. Hertha’s cross-city rival could secure a spot in Europe’s top competition with a draw against Hoffenheim on Saturday, if Freiburg lose to Wolfsburg the day before.

Stuttgart could also be relegated, but only if they lose to Mainz on Sunday and Schalke, Hoffenheim, and Bochum all win their games.

Bayern linked to Barcelona star

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Bayern are interested in a deal that would see Barcelona’s youngster join the Bavarians in the summer.

Alejandro Balde was asked to replace Jordi Alba – who had to be left out of the team mostly because of the club's financial crisis – as the starting left-back for the Blaugrana, and the youngster has not looked back.

It remains to be seen if the Bavarians have got what it takes to lure the youngster away from Camp Nou.