After a shock Champions League defeat to Villarreal, Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann urged his team to turn “misery into momentum” when they return to Bundesliga action on Sunday.
On Sunday, league leaders Bayern Munich visit relegation candidates Arminia Bielefeld in the hopes of advancing one step closer to a tenth consecutive German crown.
However, their unexpected exit from Europe last Tuesday has overshadowed the trip, with Nagelsmann admitting that his players are still “frustrated.”
“Obviously there is a bit of sadness, because we now have to wait another year for games like that. We’ll have a year to think about it,” he said.
“We now have a job to do: win the next two games and secure the league title. We need to turn the misery into momentum.”
With five games remaining, Bayern Munich is nine points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund at the top of the league, meaning they might clinch the title by next weekend.
If they defeat Bielefeld on Sunday, they will have the opportunity to complete the job in a match against Dortmund the following Saturday.
Due to “muscular issues,” Nagelsmann’s club will be without French players Lucas Hernandez and Kingsley Coman, while defender Niklas Suele is still out with an injury.
In the midst of uncertainty over his future, Robert Lewandowski is set to lead the line as usual.
Bayern Munich has yet to sign a new contract extension beyond 2023, raising speculation that the club will sell him at the end of the season to prevent losing him on a free transfer next year.
Nagelsmann, on the other hand, refuted rumours that Lewandowski was on his way to Barcelona on Friday.
“I think there was nothing in that. When I talk to him, I don’t have the impression that he wants to leave,” said the coach of the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year.
“It’s normal that a player is having thoughts about his future, especially when he’s been at the club for so long. But it always seems to me as if he would like to stay. I would obviously like to keep him in my team.”
One to watch: Felix Magath
After a shaky start and a humiliating derby defeat to Union Berlin last Saturday, the former Fulham and Wolfsburg coach now has just five games to preserve Hertha Berlin from relegation.
Since Magath returned from obscurity to seize the reins in March, Hertha has won one and lost two games, but they have yet to win with the experienced coach in charge, as he was forced to sit out the 3-0 triumph over Hoffenheim due to a positive Covid test.
The next few weeks will be vital for the embattled capital club, as they prepare for three consecutive matches against relegation opponents, starting with a trip to Augsburg on Saturday.
“So far, we’ve had the handicap of playing against very good teams, but now we have opponents on our level, so there can be no excuses anymore,” said Magath on Friday.
Key stats
17 – Goals Robert Lewandowski has scored away from home this season. He needs just one more to set a new Bundesliga record.
69 – Points Bayern have won after 29 games, their highest tally at this stage for four years.
111 – Amount of times Borussia Moenchengladbach and Cologne will have contested the Rhine derby in a competitive match after Saturday’s clash.
Fixtures (all times 1330GMT unless stated)
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Wolfsburg, Freiburg v VfL Bochum, Mainz 05 v VfB Stuttgart, Augsburg v Hertha Berlin, Borussia Moenchengladbach v Cologne (1630)
Sunday
Arminia Bielefeld v Bayern Munich, Union Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (1530), Hoffenheim v Greuther Fuerth (1530) Bayer Leverkusen v RB Leipzig (1730)
