Two clubs in the top half of the German Bundesliga table will do battle today in a league match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. The first-division battle scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Information on how to stream the match live can be found here.
Entering the weekend undefeated in league play and comfortably advancing to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, Bayern Munich find themselves bored with the competition. Ironically enough, that’s the exact sentiment some feel toward their style of play. The iconic Franz Beckenbauer slammed Pep Guardiola’s tactics following the club’s midweek victory over Arsenal (h/t to Marca). “We're going to end up being unwatchable like Barcelona. The players will start passing the ball back even on the goal line," Beckenbauer said.
“I have a different vision,” he added.
“If I had the chance to shoot from distance, particularly up against a tight defense, I'd take it. That's the most efficient way [to play], though it's 100% up to the players.”
Sorry, Becks, but there’s nothing more efficient in professional sports than domination. Even though Bayer Leverkusen enter the weekend fourth in the Bundesliga table, Munich comfortably sit 24 points ahead.
Will that deficit grow in the Allianz Arena on Saturday? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Philipp Lahm has been a catalyst in Bayern Munich’s midfield this season. The 30-year-old averages nearly 81 passes per match with a 91.8 percent success rate.
Bayern Munich’s Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Alaba, Dante, Boateng, Rafinha; Schweinsteiger, Lahm; Ribéry, Alcántara, Götze; Müller
Bayer Leverkusen’s Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Leno; Boenisch, Toprak, Spahic, Hilbert; Can, Reinartz, Bender; Son, Klebling, Castro
(h/t to WhoScored)
|
Rank |
Club |
Matches |
W* |
D* |
L* |
G* |
GD* |
Pts.* |
||||
|
1 |
FC Bayern München |
24 |
22 |
2 |
0 |
72:11 |
+61 |
68 |
CL* |
|||
|
2 |
Borussia Dortmund |
24 |
15 |
3 |
6 |
55:27 |
+28 |
48 |
CL* |
|||
|
3 |
FC Schalke 04 |
25 |
14 |
5 |
6 |
48:36 |
+12 |
47 |
CL* |
|||
|
4 |
Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
24 |
14 |
2 |
8 |
40:27 |
+13 |
44 |
CL* Qual. |
|||
|
5 |
VfL Wolfsburg |
24 |
12 |
3 |
9 |
41:38 |
+3 |
39 |
EL* Qual. |
|||
|
6 |
FC Augsburg |
25 |
11 |
5 |
9 |
38:36 |
+2 |
38 |
EL* Qual. |
|||
|
7 |
1. FSV Mainz 05 |
24 |
11 |
5 |
8 |
33:36 |
-3 |
38 |
||||
|
8 |
Borussia Mönchengladbach |
24 |
10 |
6 |
8 |
41:31 |
+10 |
36 |
||||
|
9 |
Hertha Berlin |
24 |
10 |
6 |
8 |
35:28 |
+7 |
36 |
||||
|
10 |
1899 Hoffenheim |
24 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
52:52 |
0 |
29 |
||||
|
11 |
SV Werder Bremen |
24 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
28:46 |
-18 |
28 |
||||
|
12 |
Hannover 96 |
24 |
7 |
5 |
12 |
31:43 |
-12 |
26 |
||||
|
13 |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
24 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
27:40 |
-13 |
26 |
||||
|
14 |
1.FC Nürnberg |
24 |
4 |
11 |
9 |
27:42 |
-15 |
23 |
||||
|
15 |
VfB Stuttgart |
24 |
5 |
5 |
14 |
38:51 |
-13 |
20 |
||||
|
16 |
Hamburger SV |
24 |
5 |
5 |
14 |
39:53 |
-14 |
20 |
Play-offs |
|||
|
17 |
SC Freiburg |
24 |
4 |
7 |
13 |
22:45 |
-23 |
19 |
Relegation |
|||
|
18 |
Eintracht Braunschweig |
24 |
4 |
5 |
15 |
19:44 |
-25 |
17 |
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