5 Bayern Munich Players with Points to Prove in Preseason

Bayern Munich will be understaffed for much of the preseason thanks to their large contingent of successful international players.

The four-time defending Bundesliga champions will be without eight of their stars, including new signings Renato Sanches and Mats Hummels, for much of the preseason as they sent more representatives to the Euro 2016 semifinals than any other club.

Douglas Costa will also not be with the Bayern squad in the near future, the Brazilian having been called up to his national team for the upcoming Olympics.

Now and in the coming weeks, those not selected for international duty this summer and those who were eliminated early will be vying for the attention of new trainer Carlo Ancelotti in what is one of Europe's most competitive squads.

B/R has run the rule over the Bayern squad and picked out the five players who most have something to prove this preseason. Click "Begin Slideshow" to see our picks, presented in alphabetical order by surname.

Thiago Alcantara

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Thiago Alcantara is a player whose talent may be abundant, yet he is halfway through his 20s without having nailed down a starting role: He played in plenty of games last season but only started 15 Bundesliga matches.

The central midfielder has had to overcome his fair share of adversity, with persistent knee injuries taking a full year off his career. Yet last season he was consistently fit but still was regularly second in line to Xabi Alonso.

Oft-described as Pep Guardiola's "preferred signing" of the 2013 summer transfer window, Thiago enters his first year at Bayern without his mentor to guide him along. And he'll have a point to prove. Alonso by now is entering the twilight of his career and could be surpassed, but Thiago will have to be wary of new signing Renato Sanches who has made waves at Euro 2016.

Juan Bernat

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After a generally positive debut season in Munich, Juan Bernat suffered from a sophomore slump in 2015-16, and now his career at Bayern looks to be in some danger.

He is only 23 years of age, but David Alaba is decidedly first choice on the left of defense. And although the Austrian is versatile, the arrival of Ancelotti and Hummels will in all likelihood keep Alaba out of central defense and in a permanent left-back role.

Bernat is a player who should be starting; he has the talent to play in the Bundesliga on a regular basis. Yet after playing just 1850 minutes in all competitions last season (per Transfermarkt) and losing his spot in the Spanish national team, he'll have a point to prove to Ancelotti during preseason.

Niklas Dorsch

Preseason offers a chance for fringe players and rising talents to make a statement, and such is the case for 18-year-old talent Niklas Dorsch.

The holding midfielder is generally regarded as Bayern's most highly rated prospect in his age group and made his debut appearance for the Munich giants in January's 2-1 defeat to Karlsruhe.

With Joshua Kimmich and Renato Sanches likely to be on a very extended break following Euro 2016, Dorsch will surely get his chances to impress Ancelotti during preseason. He may be young, but he has talent and could well make quite a splash while his competitors are away.

Javi Martinez

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Javi Martinez had a great 2015-16 season, but his reward could well be relegation to a substitute's role. The recruitment of Mats Hummels in central defense is likely to lead to an all-German central defensive pair featuring the former Borussia Dortmund captain and Jerome Boateng.

Defense is perhaps Bayern's greatest strength at this point, though, and perhaps Martinez could make an appeal to Ancelotti as an option as a third interior defender or holding midfielder. He has experience in both roles and could be a great sweeper or sweeper-type if the trainer gives him a chance.

At the very least, Martinez will have a few extra weeks of training before Hummels and Boateng return to training following the Euros. During that time, he'll aim to show he can keep up with the German duo.

Arjen Robben

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A couple of years ago, Arjen Robben was widely regarded as one of the most decisive attackers in all of world football. He had the skill to change games on his own, and it was no surprise that he was the man who assisted the opener and scored the winner in the 2013 Champions League final.

Right now, though, Robben's flame is fast fading. He's 32 years of age and enters the new campaign having had a very disappointing 2015-16 season. He first missed out on Euro 2016 qualifying with the Netherlands, and a trio of muscular injuries limited him to fewer than 1500 minutes played in all club competitions. Moreover, Bayern seemed to move on; they managed just fine without his productivity on the wing.

During the preseason, Robben will aim to do what Franck Ribery did in 2015-16: Show that despite an injury-riddled past, he still has the class to make a difference for his side.

@Mr_Bundesliga