After a rousing 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, do not expect Bayern Munich to alter its gameplan much per head coach Vincent Kompany.
“Hoffenheim have won all of their preseason games, won their Pokal game, and always performed well so far. They’ll also be thinking: ‘Now is the moment’ – We’re looking forward to this game, we’re in good form – so we won’t approach Hoffenheim any differently than we did with Chelsea. We have to see who’s fit, who’s feeling well – but
underestimating them is not an option; that’s the biggest danger. Our players are very experienced and have been in this situation many times before, so I’m confident we won’t underestimate them,” said Kompany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “Whether it’s Oktoberfest or not, life can’t change for us if we want to perform well. Of course, it’s a special feeling during this time in Munich, we all feel it. But I also have confidence in these moments. The players are no longer kids, some of them even have kids of their own – they know how to behave.”
With Josip Stanišić’s injury not serious, Kompany said having to shift things around on the backline will only be a temporary issue.
“We’ll see tomorrow exactly how we plan. There aren’t many options left after Stani’s injury. With Raphaël Guerreiro, we’ll see today how he’s doing – he hasn’t trained this week. Stani’s injury isn’t so serious; it’s probably only a short-term issue. We’ll solve it with the players we have,” Kompany said. “(Stanišić) will miss a few games, but we hope he will be fit again after the international break.”
One of those player, who Kompany will lean on is Konrad Laimer, who has been strong so far this season. Laimer is expected to be the player who fills in for Stanišić’. Sacha Boey is thought to the favorite to play right-back.
“Konni has been very consistent and flexible for us for a long time. He’s performed both on the left and right, and I think he’s gotten even better defensively; he’s used to that position now. He solves a lot of problems with his intensity, also offensively – But it’s not just Konni, it’s the whole team that’s playing well at the moment,” Kompany said. “I made this clear when it came to the size of the squad: It’s important to me that I have enormous confidence in every single player I have. There are no exceptions. Sasha is part of that; his performance against Chelsea was very good, but the focus is on the squad, on the team, not on individual players.”
Bayern Munich will travel to Hoffenheim with a quick turnaround d after the Bavarians took down Chelsea FC in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Bayern Munich will be looking to build off of its strong performances, but could face a stiff challenge from a suddenly formidable Hoffenheim team looking to protect its home turf and make some major headway in the Bundesliga.
Let’s get into it! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- What to watch for with Hoffenheim — a team on the rise?
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI. How much rotation will Vincent Kompany indulge in?
- A prediction on the match. Can Hoffenheim stay hot or will Bayern Munich overpower the home side.
Also, be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71 and more.
