3 Things Bayern Munich Should Test in Friendly with VfL Bochum

Bayern Munich take on 2. Bundesliga side Bochum on Friday in the Bavarian giants' first friendly match since returning to Germany from their winter training camp in Doha, Qatar.

Since training resumed earlier this month, Bayern have beaten the Qatar Stars and Al-Hilal. Both matches ended in decisive victories for Bayern, each by a 4-1 margin, and Friday's fixture offers Pep Guardiola one last chance to test his team before their competitive campaign resumes against Wolfsburg on Friday, January 30.

As their final test match of the winter break approaches, B/R looks at selections the trainer could consider trying out against Bochum. Click "Begin Slideshow" for our three picks.

Mitchell Weiser on the Left

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Earlier in January, Matthias Sammer issued a challenge to Bayern's youngsters, per German tabloid Bild. Mitchell Weiser responded brilliantly, scoring twice in his first friendly match during the winter training camp. He was the only Bayern player to play the full 90 minutes in each of their two test matches in Qatar.

Two-and-a-half years into his Bayern career, Weiser seems to finally be making progress. The problem is, he only has six moths left on his contract, and it's unknown if Bayern want to extend his deal or if he would accept an offer. At 20 years of age, he needs to play. And with Bayern possessing two of the world's best full-backs in David Alaba and Philipp Lahm, plus highly qualified options in Juan Bernat and Rafinha, it could be very difficult for Weiser to gain playing time.

One thing the youngster has in his favor is his versatility. He may be a right-footed player and naturally a right-back, but when he first rose to prominence as a Germany under-17 international in the summer of 2011, he played right-back at the European Championship before replacing the injured Marvin Ducksch as a right-winger during the World Cup.

The following season, Weiser started to come of age in Cologne and was occasionally used on the left wing.

If Weiser is to play and is decidedly not ready for the starting lineup, being able to fill a variety of positions is important. The more roles he can play, the higher the likelihood that he'll be able to satisfy a need in the team. Lahm's best position is right-back, but he spent much of his career on the left, at first due to Bayern having a top-class right-sided defender in Willy Sagnol on the opposite flank.

Weiser could follow a similar path if he proves himself as an option on the left.

Get Badstuber Ready to Compete

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

If there had been an award for effort at FIFA's recent Ballon d'Or gala, Holger Badstuber would have been the runaway favorite. The center-back has suffered setback after setback in the last two years and more, but he has refused to hang up his boots.

Badstuber entered the 2014-15 campaign something of a broken player, having suffered back-to-back anterior cruciate ligament tears that had kept him out of action for nearly two years. So bad was his affliction that after suffering a second tear, he had to wait for the middle third of his patellar tendon (which had been removed) to grow back so he could use it again in place of his torn ligament.

As it turned out, Badstuber may have been rushed back to action a little too quickly. Despite seemingly being eased back into competitive football, he sustained a thigh injury in September that ruled him out of the rest of the first half of the campaign.

As the second half approaches, Badstuber has played just 27 minutes in test matches. He came on as a substitute against the Qatar Stars before being left out of the Al-Hilal match altogether. Playing time is critical, especially for a player who has made just four brief competitive appearances since his first cruciate ligament tear in November of 2012.

Pep Guardiola should be careful not to overuse him, but perhaps a half against Bochum would be appropriate.

Gaudino in Attack

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Gianluca Gaudino has intermittently looked very bright for Bayern on the rare instances he's played.

The 18-year-old midfielder has an abundance of talent on the ball and is tactically and mentally very mature for his age. In his passes, he's shown glimpses of the potential he has. But when he's underperformed, it's always been due to the fact that he's very undersized. When opponents bully him physically, the youngster has no answer.

Perhaps due to his slight stature, Gaudino was rarely used by Bayern during the first half of the season. And in his natural position, playing in a midfield role similar to Xabi Alonso, he likely won't play much until he's developed the size and strength that come naturally with physically maturity. In other words, one shouldn't expect Gaudino to play much this spring—not until after the Bundesliga is won.

But despite lacking in physicality, Gaudino could really prove an asset for Bayern this spring, even in February or March. Just perhaps not in a holding position.

If moved into attacking midfield, his physicality—or lack thereof—wouldn't be so much of a problem. There, he can apply his playmaking and technical skills without needing to defend so much. And it could benefit him much like playing as a No. 10 gave Ilkay Gundogan some unique skills before he assumed a defensive-midfield role.

Gaudino may not be a natural playmaker, but Bastian Schweinsteiger spent half his career as a winger before becoming a world-class central midfielder. His and Gundogan's examples are evidence that some playing time, even in a non-optimal role, is better than none.

The Bochum match offers a good chance to see if Gaudino can play in attack.