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Bayern reclaimed the lead in the Bundesliga table with a crucial 4-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. With that the Bavarians gained a confidence boost ahead of the pivotal weeks ahead, which include the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at Manchester City just seven days after the knockout tie in the DFB Cup. New coach Thomas Tuchel does not have much time to work on processes for now following his successful debut, but the 49-year-old is accepting the situation with great motivation.
“Now it’s about getting the maximum out of tomorrow. A win is the best preparation for the next game,” said the head coach in Monday’s press conference. The meeting with Freiburg is a “super important knockout match, where we’re determined to get the next success for ourselves”. Six years ago, Tuchel won the cup while in charge at Dortmund and he’s excited about appearing in the cup again. “It’s a huge competition. The final in Berlin is an amazing event, and we’re desperate to get there.” Munich want to get a step closer to that target on Tuesday night.
There isn’t much history against Freiburg in the cup – the only previous encounter between the two clubs in the competition was in March 2005, when Bayern romped into the semi-finals 7-0 against the then second-from-bottom team in the Bundesliga. Around 18 years later, the roles aren’t so clear-cut. The Black Forest side reached the cup final for the first time last year, where they lost 4-2 on penalties to RB Leipzig. Currently fourth in the league, qualifying for the Champions League next season is no longer a pipe dream for SCF.
“In a sense, we’re going from special events to special events,” said coach Christian Streich on the current heyday, with his team also reaching the last 16 of the Europa League for the first time recently. WIth this confidence they travel to Munich, although the club have still never won away at Bayern. “We’ve tried in every possible way in Munich, we’ve managed a draw twice,” added Streich. “We have nothing to lose, but also nothing to give away.”
As well as long-term absentees Manuel Neuer and Lucas Hernández, Mathys Tel is still unavailable for the match against SCF. The 17-year-old has already resumed running after picking up a muscle strain in his left adductor. Tuchel also confirmed that Noussair Mazraoui (“ill”) and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (“got a knock”) were unable to take part in the final training session, although for Choupo-Moting at least this was only “a precautionary measure” and his involvement against Freiburg shouldn’t be at risk.
The visitors are without Philipp Lienhart due to a knock, but the defender should be fit again for the rematch at Freiburg on Saturday. Lukas Kübler is also a doubt due to illness, and Daniel-Kofi Gyereh remains sidelined after his cruciate ligament tear.
