
Bayern Munich vs. Darmstadt: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Bayern Munich host Darmstadt this Saturday as they look to continue their run towards a fourth consecutive Bundesliga title. Pep Guardiola's side are eight points clear of Dortmund atop the table with 13 matches left to play.
Saturday's game will be against a side not far from the relegation zone, but Bayern will be keen to put their best foot forward. It will be their final warm-up match before the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie with Juventus.
Although next week's clash of titans looms on the horizon, Bayern will be careful not to underestimate their weekend opponents. "We are not thinking about Juventus at all. We are entirely focused on Darmstadt," Thiago Alcantara said ahead of the match, according to beIN Sports.
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Saturday's match has already gathered some controversy, as Darmstadt head to Munich with five key players having earned suspensions last week. The fact that so many picked up the critical number of bookings to see them sit out caused some to accuse the Lilien of intentionally throwing a match they would probably lose even with a full squad.
Head coach Dirk Schuster denied accusations, claiming (via ESPN), "The one thing has nothing to do with the other."
Whether or not Schuster was telling the truth, Kicker (in German) recently reported that Saturday's match will mark the first time since 1993, when a one-match ban was introduced to punish players who had accumulated five bookings, that more than three players missed the same match due to the rule.
Date: Saturday, February 20
Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. ET/3:30 p.m. local time
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
TV Info: Fox Soccer Plus (U.S. only), Not available (UK only)
Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only), BT Sport (UK only)
Form Guide
| Bayern Munich | Darmstadt |
| Augsburg: Win | Leverkusen: Loss |
| Bochum: Win | Hoffenheim: Win |
| Leverkusen: Draw | Schalke: Loss |
| Hoffenheim: Win | Hannover: Win |
| Hamburg: Win | Monchengladbach: Loss |
Team News
Bayern Munich
Mehdi Benatia, Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze could make long-awaited returns for Bayern this weekend. However, Sven Ulreich and defenders Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez are all sidelined.
Possible Bayern Munich starting XI: Neuer; Lahm, Kimmich, Alaba, Bernat; Alonso, Thiago; Robben, Muller, Costa; Lewandowski
Darmstadt
Due to a slew of bookings last weekend, Schuster will be without captain Aytac Sulu, Jerome Gondorf, Marcel Heller, Konstantin Rausch and Peter Niemeyer. The latter picked up his 10th booking of the campaign in the previous match; each of the other four earned a fifth.
Possible Darmstadt starting XI: Mathenia; Garics, Rajkovic, Diaz, Caldirola; Sirigu, Jungwirth, Rosenthal, Vrancic, Kempe; Wagner

Players to Watch
For Bayern, Saturday's match could be a good barometer for what role Ribery, Gotze, Benatia and Serdar Tasci might be able to play in midweek. As well, Arjen Robben and Douglas Costa will look to raise their level, as they've been a bit off-form in recent weeks.
Taking on Bayern will be a particularly special occasion for Munich native and former Bayern player Sandro Wagner, who came through the Bavarians' youth system before leaving for Duisburg in 2008. Jan Rosenthal is also worth a close look for the visitors.
Key Battles
Arjen Robben vs. Luca Caldirola
Robben has been a figurehead at Bayern Munich since 2009, but his star has flickered as of late. The winger is without a goal or assist in the Bundesliga in 2016, and he just hasn't looked to be at this best since turning 32 years of age. With the Juve match on the horizon, he'll be keen to rediscover his sharpness.
Luca Caldirola didn't have much success at Werder Bremen, but the Italian defender has talent that Inter noticed during his youth. It's not yet entirely certain what role he'll play in the Darmstadt defense, but if used on the wing, he'll have a real task at hand as he looks to keep Robben quiet.
Thiago vs. Jan Rosenthal
When fit, Thiago has been a big-game player throughout his time at Bayern. And as with Robben, he'll want to hit top form before next week's showdown with Juve. Darmstadt will surely look to defend deep, so the key to victory for Bayern could be in Thiago's skill to pick out a clever pass in the final third.
Jan Rosenthal's stock has taken a bit of a beating since he left Freiburg in 2013. The 29-year-old was once a very dangerous forward; he'll have to roll back the years to make a telling impact on the game. Yet his combination of size, strength and shooting skill could be a problem for Bayern's holding midfielders.
Odds (courtesy of Odds Shark)
Bayern: 100-909
Draw: 9-1
Darmstadt: 25-1






