
Bayern Munich vs. Ingolstadt: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Bayern Munich will aim to clinch the winter championship as they take on Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The three-time defending league winners had a chance to do so last time out but suffered a 3-1 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach and thus had to postpone celebrations.
Pep Guardiola and company still have a five-point lead over Borussia Dortmund in the table, and a win for Bayern or a loss for BVB in Round 16 of Bundesliga action would result in the Bavarian giants securing the lead when its traditional winter break comes later in December.
Standing in the way will be Ingolstadt, in what will be a very special game for the two sides. Located about an hour's drive north of Munich city center, the promoted visitors will have a rare chance to play a derby match against their illustrious opponents.
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The only time the two sides have previously met was in October of 2011, when Bayern were 6-0 winners over FCI in the DFB-Pokal. Die Schanzer were in the 2. Bundesliga at the time, but this spring finally made the jump to the first division. They've looked worthy of their position in top-flight football, with five wins, draws and losses leaving them 11th in the table with 20 points.
Wolfsburg and Schalke can attest to Ingolstadt's fighting ability, both having been held to draws. And Die Schanzer were unlucky to be denied three points at the death in their match against Hoffenheim last time out.
Guardiola and company are strong opposition, though, and they will be keen to seal the winter title, especially after the debacle at Borussia-Park. With bookkeepers pricing them at over 1-14, they're odds-on favorites.
Date: Saturday, December 12
Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT / 9:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. local time
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. only), BT Sport Europe (UK only, on time delay beginning at midnight)
Live Stream: FoxSoccer2Go (U.S. only)
Form Guide
| Bayern Munich | Ingolstadt |
| Dinamo Zagreb: Win | Hoffenheim: Draw |
| Monchengladbach: Loss | Hannover: Loss |
| Hertha BSC: Win | Darmstadt: Win |
| Olympiakos: Win | Monchengladbach: Draw |
| Schalke: Win | Schalke: Draw |

Predicted Lineups
Bayern Munich
Mehdi Benatia joined Bayern's growing list of injured players on Wednesday when he hobbled off with a muscular injury before half-time in the 2-0 Champions League win at Dinamo Zagreb. He'll join Mario Gotze, David Alaba, Douglas Costa, Juan Bernat and Arjen Robben in the stands.
Possible Bayern Munich starting XI: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Martinez, Rafinha; Vidal, Alonso, Kimmich; Muller, Lewandowski, Coman.
Ingolstadt
Alfredo Morales is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the last game. Danilo is in rehabilitation training and is not yet fit. Long-term casualties Markus Suttner and Konstantin Engel are still quite some time away from being ready to return to action.
Possible Ingolstadt starting XI: Ozcan; Levels, Matip, Bergerie, Bauer; Gross, Roger, Christiansen; Lex, Hinterseer, Leckie.
Players to Watch
Franck Ribery marked his long-awaited return to action with a goal in the Gladbach defeat and started against Olympiakos. It's uncertain whether he'll start on the pitch or the bench, but he'll have a point to prove as he looks to resurrect his career. Also for Bayern, Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski have proved to be a nearly unstoppable combination and will be the most likely scorers for Bayern.
Mathew Leckie is due a breakout game for Ingolstadt and could be one to watch. The 19-year-old Germany under-20 captain Max Christiansen is a big talent who will relish the chance to show himself against Bayern, even if off the bench.

Key Battles
Philipp Lahm vs. Mathew Leckie
Long hailed as the best full-back in world football, Philipp Lahm is now, at 32 years old, an elder statesman of the Bayern team. The captain is past his best but has still shown his quality on many occasions this season. Against an Ingolstadt side that will surely line up defensively, Lahm will need to balance his defensive duties with a commitment to attack.
Opposite Lahm will be Leckie, a winger who showed great talent before moving to Gladbach as a youngster in 2011 but who hasn't quite taken the next step in four years in Germany. He has just one goal to his name this season but is nonetheless a starter for Australia and has the potential to cause some real trouble to Bayern.
Robert Lewandowski vs. Marvin Matip
Lewandowski fired home a brace on Wednesday to lead Bayern to a rather comfortable win over Olympiakos. The double left him with 22 goals in 23 games in all competitions this season for Bayern. At the same time, the Poland international has gone three games without scoring in the Bundesliga and has just two in his last seven. He'll aim to put at least one or two into the net on Saturday in a bid to avoid falling too far behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the race to be the Bundesliga's top scorer.
The older brother of Schalke star Joel, Marvin Matip has quality in his blood. He hasn't had the illustrious career of his brother, but the 30-year-old has found his place at Ingolstadt, where he is captain. He has the strength and quickness to handle Lewandowski but will have his work cut out against one of the world's best strikers.
Odds (courtesy of Odds Shark)
Bayern: 100-1429
Draw: 12-1
Ingolstadt: 40-1





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