Bayern Munich vs. Gladbach: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream, TV Info

Bayern Munich look to extend their winning streak to seven consecutive games in all competitions on Sunday as they host Borussia Monchengladbach at the Allianz Arena.

Pep Guardiola's men suffered a false start to the 2015 calendar year with a loss to Wolfsburg and draw to Schalke, but they have since hardly missed a beat.

They advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-0 aggregate victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, progressed to the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal with a 2-0 win against Eintracht Braunschweig and have an 11-point lead over Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga table. A second treble in three years is seriously within their reach.

Gladbach may prove a tricky test for Bayern, however. Although 20 points behind the league leaders, the Fohlen are a force to be reckoned with and enter the 26th round of the Bundesliga third-placed in the German top flight.

Lucien Favre has defied the odds with Gladbach, using his relatively limited resources to build a well-drilled side that boast the Bundesliga's second-best defensive record. Having conceded just 20 goals, Gladbach are eight better than Wolfsburg in that regard.

Sunday's match is a big opportunity for the visitors to assert themselves as worthy holders of a Champions League spot. And at the same time, it's a good opportunity for Bayern to sharpen their attack and measure their form against a strong defensive side.

 

Date: Sunday, March 22

Time: 4:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich

TV Info: Not available (UK only)/Gol TV (U.S. only)

Live Stream: ESPN (Via BT Sport website, UK only), Gol TV (U.S. only)

 

Form Guide 

Bayern	Gladbach
Bremen: win	Hannover: win
Shakhtar: win	Mainz: draw
Hannover: win	Offenbach: win
Braunschweig: win	Paderborn: win
Cologne: win	Hamburg: draw

 

 

Predicted line-ups

Bayern welcome Arjen Robben back into their line-up after a brief injury layoff; the Dutchman's return should see Thomas Muller moved across the attack to a more central role behind Robert Lewandowski. On the left wing, Franck Ribery may not yet be deemed fit to start, in which case Mario Gotze will get the nod.

Facing a dangerous Gladbach side, Pep Guardiola will likely play conservatively, meaning Xabi Alonso and Bastian Schweinsteiger will start in defensive midfield. Although Philipp Lahm is fit to play after recovering from a broken ankle, he'll likely only get minutes off the bench as Rafinha retains his starting role on the right flank opposite David Alaba.

Mehdi Benatia is suspended following his fifth yellow card of the campaign, meaning that Holger Badstuber should get the nod at center back alongside Jerome Boateng and ahead of Manuel Neuer.

For Gladbach, Jan Sommer should start in goal. The defense depends on whether Julian Korb is selected. If not, Tony Jantschke, Martin Stranzl, Alejandro Dominguez and Oscar Wendt should make up the back four. The midfield should consist of Granit Xhaka and Christoph Kramer in holding roles with Raffael and Max Kruse central and attacking. The wings are a tough call, with there being room for only two of Patrick Herrmann, Andre Hahn, Thorgan Hazard and Ibrahima Traore.

 

Players to watch

As usual, Bayern as a whole will be worth a look for something dazzling. But in particular, the red-hot Muller and Alaba will be danger-men. The latter has established himself as one of Europe's deadliest free-kick takers, while the former is in brilliant scoring form.

Beyond Muller and Alaba, Lewandowski has recently taken steps towards gaining the form he had at Dortmund. The Polish forward still needs to step up and provide the important goals, not just cap off routs with goals that will not win points so much as simply add to Bayern's goal differential.

On the visitors' side, the most obvious players to watch are Kruse and Raffael, but more exciting are Hazard and Herrmann. The latter is Gladbach's most in-form attacker at the moment, having scored four goals in as many games.

Hazard, on the other hand, needs no introduction to anyone who has seen his brother, Eden, play. The 21-year-old is not yet on the Chelsea man's level, but he's younger and has shown explosive potential at times this term. Sometimes a young player just needs a stage to perform on. In Hazard's case, there may not be a more high-stakes contest this season.

 

Key Battles

Jerome Boateng vs. Raffael

With Kruse off form, Gladbach's biggest threat through the center will be Raffael. The Brazilian is an atypical attacker, not the type Bayern are particularly used to dealing with. Smaller and with the touch and style of a midfielder, the 29-year-old is always a danger. He scored a brace against Mainz two weeks ago, and Bayern will have to pay close attention to him.

The biggest responsibility for dealing with Gladbach's most substantial threat will fall on the shoulders of Boateng, an ever-present in what has otherwise been a rotating Bayern central defensive combination that has included Benatia, Dante and, more recently, Holger Badstuber.

The Germany international Boateng is a World Cup winner and one of Europe's finest interior defenders. He should be able to negotiate Raffael's threat but will have to be sharp as he takes on a very unorthodox attacking player.

 

Thomas Muller vs. Oscar Wendt

Despite playing a somewhat muted role for much of the Bundesliga season, Muller has stepped up brilliantly in recent weeks. The 25-year-old has scored five goals and given two assists in his last three matches and among his goals have been the go-ahead strikes in each match.

As the business end of the campaign approaches, Muller appears to be hitting top form.

Muller will play an inside-right role, and although he will surely roam, his main opposition will be Wendt. The Swedish left-back is one of the Bundesliga's best wide defenders and has made a real name for himself at Gladbach.

Fully capable in both attack and defense, Wendt will need to use the full range of his abilities if he is to go forward and relieve the pressure on his defensive teammates while also remaining firm in his duties at the back. It's a big ask to take on Bayern's best, but that's the reality he faces.

 

Odds (Via Odds Shark)

Bayern: 1-6

Draw: 7-1

Gladbach: 15-1

 

@Mr_Bundesliga