Bayern Munich are set to take on RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Friday, 20 December in a huge match before the German winter break.
Bayern's loss to Mainz last week and Leipzig's win over Eintracht Frankfurt means that a win for the away side here would bring them to within three points of Vincent Kompany's men.
Going into the break on the back of another defeat would be bad news for Bayern Munich and their manager. Doubts linger of the Belgian's suitability for the role and if the club are to make a change, then the winter break would be seen as the optimal time.
How the bookies view it: Bayern start as heavy favourites
Despite how close the two teams are in terms of points and position in the Bundesliga, Bayern have been priced as the heavy favourites by the bookies on Friday night. A win for the hosts has been priced at 1/4 by BoyleSports while a victory for RB Leipzig has been priced at 13/2. A draw, which is never a bad result for the away side at the Allianz Arena, has been priced at 9/2.
Recent head-to-head: Cause for concern for the hosts
RB Leipzig will take a lot of encouragement from their recent performances at the Allianz Arena with Marco Rose's men winning on two of their last three visits to the home of Bayern Munich. It's not all bad news for Bayern, though, as they did win the most recent clash between the two sides – a 2-1 victory back in February.
Players to watch: The return of Harry Kane
Harry Kane has been missing for four matches with a hamstring injury but after being pictured in training this week, the England captain is expected to be available for Bayern's final match of 2024.
The return of Kane is definitely a welcome one for Vincent Kompany. Without their talisman, Bayern have lost twice with one of those coming in the German Cup against Bayer Leverkusen, leaving the Bavarians with just the Bundesliga and Champions League to play for this season.
Kane's importance to this team is clear with the former Spurs man on 14 league goals for the season from just 12 matches. His overall tally for the campaign stands at 20; a remarkable achievement considering we are still in the first half of the season.
One doubt about Kane, however, is his ability to score in big moments in big matches. Considering the magnitude of the match on Friday, the 31-year-old has the perfect opportunity to silence these doubts.
Predicted line-ups
As mentioned, Harry Kane is available again for Bayern and there is also a chance that Alphonso Davies could also return. Sacha Boey, Hiroki Ito, Joao Palhinha, Manuel Neuer and Josip Stanisic all miss out for the hosts. RB Leipzig, meanwhile, have even more injuries with six players, including the talented Xavi Simons, ruled out of this one.
Bayern Munich: Peretz – Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies – Pavlovic, Kimmich – Olise, Musiala, Sane – Kane
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi – Seiwald, Orban, Geertruida – Henrichs, Schlager, Baumgartner, Kampl, Nusa – Sesko, Openda
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking talent on show, expect plenty of goals and both teams to get on the scoresheet. Both teams have scored in seven of the last eight meetings between the two clubs while three or more goals have been scored in six of the last seven. Over 2.5 goals and BTTS has been priced at 5/6 by BoyleSports.
This German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig will be played on Dec 20, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
