Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga action on Saturday and will hope to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the table when they host Holstein Kiel at Allianz Arena.
The Bavarians have 48 points and extended their advantage over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen after they beat Freiburg 2-1 on January 25, whereas Holstein Kiel held Wolfsburg to a 2-2 stalemate on January 24 but are second last in 17th place with 12 points.
Match preview
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Bayern created surprisingly few opportunities against Freiburg, as while they produced nearly five big chances per game in their prior 18 league fixtures, they only mustered two last weekend.
Boss Vincent Kompany's side have still averaged nearly three goals per game in their past 10 outings having scored on 29 occasions, though they only kept two clean sheets in their eight most recent Bundesliga games.
Despite Kompany's success in the German top flight so far, he has come under pressure for his side's Champions League performances, with the Bavarians' 3-1 victory against Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday only enough to secure a round of 16 playoff spot.
The hosts comfortably swept aside Holstein Kiel 6-1 in their previous clash this campaign, finding the back of the net three times in the first 13 minutes.
In terms of results, the home team have little to complain about given they have triumphed in six of their last seven games.
Bayern's form at home in 2024-25 has been phenomenal considering their only defeat at Allianz Arena was a 1-0 loss against Bayer Leverkusen on December 3 in the DFB-Pokal, with the club winning 12 and drawing one of their other 13 outings at home.
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As for the away side, they come into Saturday's clash having scored twice against Champions League-chasing Wolfsburg despite only producing 0.22 xG and two shots on target.
Holstein Kiel currently occupy one of two automatic relegations places, but they are only two points from 16th-placed Heidenheim, who occupy the division's relegation playoff spot.
The Storks' head coach Marcel Rapp will be delighted by his side's goalscoring form of late considering they have scored 14 times in their last five league games, exactly the same tally they managed in their first 14 league matches.
Holstein Kiel's record is mixed given they have won two, lost two and drawn one of their past five outings – conceding 11 goals – and it should be noted that they did lose their previous five.
Rapp will be fearing the worst on Saturday in light of the fact the visitors are winless in all but one of their 11 away games in 2024-25, losing seven and drawing three of their 10 most recent matches on the road.
Team News
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Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies is still out due to a hamstring injury, and he is joined on the sidelines by defender Hiroki Ito and goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.
Raphael Guerreiro has featured regularly on the left side of defence, and he may be joined in the backline by Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, who will be tasked with shielding Manuel Neuer.
Midfielder Leon Goretzka has been ruled out until late February as a result of a hamstring injury, and that could mean Joshua Kimmich will be partnered by Aleksandar Pavlovic.
Holstein Kiel midfielder Nicolai Remberg is suspended, while Marvin Schulz is struggling with fitness, and their absences may lead Rapp to start Lewis Holtby, Magnus Knudsen and Armin Gigovic in the middle of the pitch.
Steven Skrzybski and Phil Harres are likely to start in attack given forward Alexander Bernhardsson is not scheduled to return from a knee injury until March.
Centre-backs Patrick Erras, Carl Johansson and Colin Kleine-Bekel are all dealing with injury issues, so perhaps Timo Becker, David Zec and Marco Komenda will be trusted in their stead.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
Holstein Kiel possible starting lineup:
Weiner; Becker, Zec, Komenda; Rosenboom, Holtby, Knudsen, Gigovic, Porath; Skrzybski, Harres
We say: Bayern Munich 6-2 Holstein Kiel
Bayern have been outstanding in front of goal all season, and they should be confident of adding significantly to their tally on Saturday.
However, while the visitors have been poor defensively in recent weeks, they have found form in the final third and may pose some problems for the Bavarians.
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Lewis Nolan
