Hannover vs. Bayern Munich: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Bayern Munich will look to end the 2015 calendar year on a high note as they visit Hannover in their final match before the Bundesliga's traditional midseason winter break.

The Bavarians clinched first place in the German top flight at the halfway mark in last weekend's 2-0 victory over Ingolstadt, and they advanced to the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals in midweek following a narrow 1-0 win over Darmstadt.

The last few days' results, along with their early progression to the Champions League knockout stage, mean that Pep Guardiola's men are still alive and in the running to win three trophies. But with Borussia Dortmund five points behind in the Bundesliga, Guardiola will be wary to avoid any unnecessary slip-ups against Hannover, who are 16th in the table and would be placed in a relegation play-off if the season were to end today.

Since experiencing a relative resurgence of form in October, Hannover have returned to the form that saw them take just one point from their first six games. They've won just one of their last five in the Bundesliga and look to be in serious danger of dropping to the second tier.

Trainer Michael Frontzeck has taken heat from fans and the press, but earlier this week, club president Martin Kind put his support behind his coach. "We have faith in him," he told Bild (h/t Fox Sports). "He is and remains our coach."

Nonetheless, the Lower Saxony side cannot afford to keep losing indefinitely, and the trainer will be keen to seize the opportunity to make an impression against the league leaders.

Bayern haven't played quite as dominantly as they did earlier in the campaign lately, perhaps due to a blight of injuries, and now may be the best time for Hannover to face the Bavarian giants. Guardiola's men have nonetheless done well to win almost every game and will surely welcome the winter break. With another victory in Hannover, they'll know they'll have earned it.

Date: Saturday, December 19

Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT / 9:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. local time

Venue: HDI-Arena, Hannover

TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. only), Not available (UK only)

Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only), Not available (UK only)

Form Guide

Hannover	Bayern Munich
Hoffenheim: Loss	Darmstadt: Win
Schalke: Loss	Ingolstadt: Win
Ingolstadt: Win	Dinamo Zagreb: Win
Monchengladbach: Loss	Monchengladbach: Loss
Hertha BSC: Loss	Hertha BSC: Win

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

Predicted Lineups

Hannover

Although on home turf, the hosts are likely to set up defensively, and a 5-4-1 formation is likely. Hannover's squad has been generally rather fortunate in terms of fitness, with only Hiroshi Kiyotake, Edgar Prib and Artur Sobiech expected to miss out with injuries.

Possible Hannover starting XI: Zieler; Sakai, Marcelo, Felipe, Schulz, Albornoz; Prib, Sane, Schmiedebach, Karaman; Saint-Maximin.

Bayern Munich

Franck Ribery, Mehdi Benatia, Douglas Costa, David Alaba, Mario Gotze, Juan Bernat and Arjen Robben are all set to miss out on the match for Bayern, leaving Guardiola with few options to choose from. The majority of the absentees are out with muscular injuries; the Hannover match should offer a chance for Sebastian Rode in particular to prove himself.,   

Possible Bayern Munich starting XI: Neuer; Rode, Boateng, Martinez, Rafinha; Vidal, Alonso, Thiago; Muller, Lewandowski, Coman.

Players to Watch

Striker Allan Saint-Maximin is Hannover's most exciting prospect, and the 18-year-old loanee is expected to lead the line on Saturday. He may have little support in attack, but if there's one man to look for to provide him service, it's Edgar Prib.

For Bayern, Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski are the main scoring threats, but they will rely on Kingsley Coman to be the catalyst to deliver the ball. It's a big ask of the young Frenchman, but he's had a good season thus far and could make the difference.

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

Key Battles

Allan Saint-Maximin vs. Jerome Boateng 

Saint-Maximin could be the next big thing in French football. He's still rather undersized, but he has pace and a keen eye for goal. And like many teenage starlets, he could just be waiting for his moment to break out and make a name for himself.

Boateng is arguably the world's best center back at the moment, and he will be charged with the task of keeping things tidy at the back. He has pace, power, great marking skills, and is generally a very well-rounded defender.

Gotoku Sakai vs. Kingsley Coman

Sakai is a qualified right-back who will need to be on peak form on Saturday if Hannover are to take anything from the match. If they play with a five-man defense, he'll be required to cover a ton of ground and do well at both ends of the pitch, supporting the attack while not neglecting his defensive duties.

Muller and Lewandowski need no introduction; they've been prolific this season. But perhaps more important than any battle they will face is that of Coman against Sakai. Unless Bayern pull a rabbit out of a hat or go for a long-ball tactic, Coman will need to break down the Hannover defense.

Odds (courtesy of Odds Shark)

Hannover: 18-1

Draw: 7-1

Bayern 100-667

@Mr_Bundesliga