Munich (Germany) (AFP)
Funny at the time ... Bayern Munich could win on the 31st day Saturday against Mönchengladbach (18:30) their 8th consecutive champion title in their den of the Allianz Arena, without supporters, and without their two emblematic attackers: Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski, hanging.
If Dortmund loses at 15:30 in Düsseldorf (16th and potential roadblocker), Bayern players will enter the lawn at 18:30 with the possibility of winning the "Schale", the champion's trophy, in the event of victory.
Bayern coach Hansi Flick, interviewed on Friday, preferred to relieve the pressure of the title: "We are focusing on our match, which we want to win. It will be a difficult game. Gladbach is a very interesting, aggressive team, with a good transition game, "he said.
Bombarded interim coach in November after Niko Kovac's dismissal, Flick is about to claim the first title of his career as head coach (he was four times champion as player with Bayern), after having been champion as assistant to Joachim Löw in 2014 in Brazil.
If the difference of seven points between Munich and Dortmund remains unchanged, Bayern can however be crowned as of its next victory, at the earliest Tuesday evening for the 32nd day against Werder Bremen (20:30), penultimate and relegated.
- Eternal "Rekordmeister" -
Whatever happens, the German giant is guaranteed to remain for decades to come the "Rekordmeister", literally "the record holder of the titles of champion". A new coronation would be the 30th in its history. His first chaser with nine titles is FC Nuremberg, who is no longer even in the first division. Dortmund follows with eight.
Too bad for the TV show: the three best goal scorers will be absent.
In Munich, the top scorer in the championship Robert Lewandowski (30 goals) and the most unpredictable of the German forwards Thomas Müller (7 goals, 20 assists) both received a fifth yellow card in the Bundesliga last week, synonymous with 'a suspension match.
To replace Lewandowski at the forefront of the attack, Flick raised the possibility of tenure for young Dutch hopeful Joshua Zirkzee. "Joshua is on the right track and certainly an alternative for tomorrow" on Saturday, said the coach. Zirkzee had been talked about in December by scoring twice for his first two games in just eight minutes on the field.
Another option is Serge Gnabry, who has already played center-forward and whose sense of purpose is no longer in doubt.
- M'Gladbach is targeting C1 -
As for Müller, free electron, he is irreplaceable position for position, and Flick will have to show imagination to rebuild his midfielder, in the absence of Thiago (operated on in the groin and unavailable for three weeks), Corentin Tolisso and Philippe Coutinho, both in recovery phase after ankle surgery in April.
Side M'Gladbach, it is the top scorer of the club, the French Alassane Pléa (10 goals, tied with Marcus Thuram), who will fail, suspended after his exclusion for two consecutive warnings on June 5 during the defeat in Friborg (1-0).
The match is also fraught with stakes for the "Foals", currently fourth with 56 points, tied with Leverkusen. Only the first four places give access to the Champions League, and there are only four days left to seal the positions.
In the event of a defeat in Munich, Marcus Thuram and his teammates risk seeing their neighbors in the Rhine valley sneak up on them: Leverkusen has indeed a good card to play on Sunday (6 p.m.) at Schalke, a team in the midst of collapse has only taken one point in five games since the post-coronavirus recovery in May.
© 2020 AFP