The Bavarian outfit may have an eye on next week’s Champions League tie with Liverpool but need to try and reduce the gap to leaders Dortmund
Bayern Munich could move, temporarily at least, to just two points behind top-of-the-table Borussia Dortmund when they travel to Augsburg on Friday.
But the Bavarian outfit is likely to already have an eye on next week’s Champions League first-leg crunch tie away to Liverpool.
Niko Kovac’s side face a tough battle domestically and internationally to land both major pieces of silverware as they trail BVB by five points and face Jurgen Klopp’s beaten finalists from last year.
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Their hosts too will be looking to make the most of any indecision after a suffering a 4-0 thumping by Werder Bremen last time out, setting up a potentially topsy-turvy clash.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will by shown on BT Sport ESPN. It can be livestreamed on the BT Sport Live app.
Squads & Team News
Augsburg will be forced to contend with Alfred Finnbogason after he picked up a slight knock, while Daniel Baier is ruled out through suspension.
Felix Gotze could be one replacement in midfield while Sergio Cordova may get the nod up front.
Potential Augsburg starting XI: Kobel; Oxford, Khedira, Stafylidis; Schmid, Moravek, Gotze, Max; Ji, Gregoritsch; Cordova.
Bayern remain without Corentin Tolisso, Manuel Neuer, Renato Sanches and Arjen Robben ahead of their trip.
Robert Lewandowski will likely lead the line in attack once more though, at the front of a 4-3-3 formation.
Potential Bayern Munich starting XI: Ulreich; Kimmich, Boateng, Hummels, Alaba; Goretzka, Thiago, James Rodriguez; Gnabry, Lewandowski, Coman.
Betting & Match Odds
Bayern Munich are heavy favourites to take the three points on the road and are odds-on at 1/4 with bet365. Augsburg are priced at a more distant 12/1 while a draw is available at 19/4.
Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
It’s been something of a transitional season for Bayern Munich as they continue to adjust to life after Jupp Heynckes – but the Bundesliga holders remain firmly in the race for major honours at home and abroad.
Niko Kovac has seen his side suffer wobbles on occasion but on the whole has met expectations, with the club firmly in the mix in Germany and Europe.
Now however, he arguably faces a crunch few weeks at the helm as the Bavarian club look to cut the gap on league leaders Dortmund and prepare for a return to Champions League action against Liverpool.
Yet, before the trip to Merseyside to face Jurgen Klopp’s Reds is the short journey to the north-west to face Augsburg.
Manuel Baum’s side sit perilously close to the relegation zone, only three points off the bottom three, though they will be heartened by a relatively svelte goal difference of -8 compared to the -30 directly beneath them at Stuttgart.
For Augsburg, results are crucial at this stage of the season, and with only one league win in their last five games, it is clear they need to find a patch of good form sooner rather than later if they are to make their run-in a more comfortable affair.
They could benefit from some preoccupation too as Kovac faces the call on whether to rest his superstars ahead of a taxing European encounter.
With the chance to close the gap on Dortmund within their grasp, however, it is unlikely Bayern will merely dial it in at Augsburg Arena.