It was a brutal affair on the field at the Allianz Arena (Who knew Hoffenheim was this dirty!?), but Bayern Munich showed championship mettle and beat Hoffenheim.
As anticipated by Sport Bild, Niko Kovac has put Mats Hummels on the bench so as to start Niklas Süle and Jerome Boateng. On offense, Arjen Robben must make way for Kingsley Coman, while Franck Ribery starts on the left. Perhaps Kovac’s plan is to sub Robben on for Ribery and move Coman to the left later in the game. We shall see.
Thomas Müller will play behind Lewandowski, while Thiago and Javi Martinez complete the midfield, probably shifting from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-1-4-1 as Thiago moves forward.
The Bundesliga is back and it’s time for Bayern Munich to face our old foes Hoffenheim. Julian Nagelsmann has been handing this team L’s left and right these last two seasons (the game with Jupp doesn’t count) and was arguably responsible for the Ancelotti era’s slide into chaos and despair (maybe we should be grateful for that last bit).
For the first time in ages, Bayern is (almost) free of injuries — only Serge Gnabry is 100% ruled out for the game. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone is ready for selection. Judging by the manager’s comments, James Rodriguez may not be fit enough to make his first appearance of the season under Kovac, so we will have to keep waiting for that one. In any case, whether or not our Colombian maestro gets to play, expect a no-nonsense lineup. Niko Kovac wants to win this game.
It’s Bayern time.
