Bayern Munich, heavily affected by absences due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will face Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday at the "Allianz Arena" for the opening of the 18th round, as the German football league resumes after its winter break, amidst ongoing doubts about the match taking place.
The Bavarian club is suffering from nine absences due to COVID-19 infections, in addition to multiple physical injuries, prompting coach Julian Nagelsmann to call up players under 16 years old to complete the squad, while the Bayern management is tasked with negotiating with the league officials to postpone the match. Nagelsmann, whose team leads by nine points over second-place Borussia Dortmund, stated, "My job is to prepare as if the match is taking place normally."
As of Thursday, Nagelsmann could still rely on nine players from his professional squad, including Joshua Kimmich, who is returning after a long absence since November 6 due to complications from the virus, in addition to the return of Niklas Süle, who is dealing with back pain and needs care. On Thursday, Bayern announced that their Canadian player Alphonso Davies tested positive for the virus, becoming the ninth player from the club to have a positive COVID-19 test.
The club is also missing Leroy Sané and French player Dayot Upamecano. Additionally, they have lost Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and defender Bouna Sarr as they are participating with the Cameroon and Senegal national teams, respectively, in the Africa Cup of Nations starting on Sunday.
The 34-year-old coach will have to rely on players from the youth teams, calling up two 16-year-olds who were with the German U17 national team in Spain: striker Arijon Ibrahimovic (born 11/12/2005) and midfielder Paul Wanner (12/23/2005). If either plays on Friday, they will become the youngest player in Bayern's history to participate in a Bundesliga match, breaking the record set by Jamal Musiala, who played his first match at 17 years and 115 days.
Nagelsmann commented on the two players, saying "Both have talent, Arijon is very strong face-to-face, and Paul is very fast and left-footed. The situation also has a positive side; we encourage young talent."
In goal, Sven Ulreich will replace captain Manuel Neuer, who is sidelined due to COVID-19 and has previously performed well when he took over for the starting German national team goalkeeper during Neuer's long absence in the 2017-2018 season. Only the attacking line seems nearly complete for the German champions, currently featuring Thomas Müller, Polish player Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry, and Musiala.
Mönchengladbach, currently 14th and far from its usual ambitions in the league this season, has generally performed well against Bayern. The first match ended in a 1-1 draw last August, after which Mönchengladbach inflicted a heavy 5-0 defeat on Bayern in the cup competition in October.
Nagelsmann acknowledged a desire for revenge, adding, "I have a little bit of a vengeful spirit; I don't mind having amateurs only on the bench; I want to win this match."
When asked about a potential postponement of the match, the former Leipzig coach merely reminded that negotiations with the league officials are the club's management's responsibility.
The 18th round features an important match between Bayer Leverkusen in fourth place (28 points) and Union Berlin in seventh (27 points), continuing the fierce competition for the top positions. Borussia Dortmund, in second place (34 points), aims to close the gap on Bayern and take advantage of any potential slip by the Bavarians when they visit sixth-place Eintracht Frankfurt (27 points) on Saturday.
After facing Frankfurt, Dortmund has a series of strong matches against direct competitors: Freiburg, Hoffenheim, and Leverkusen. Dortmund's sports director, Sebastian Kehl, stated, "It is a great opportunity for us as we are facing direct competitors in the standings. We can strengthen our position and perhaps gain more points."
There are only two points separating third and seventh place in the Bundesliga standings, so the second half of the season begins with careful considerations for all teams aspiring for a spot in the Champions League. Freiburg hopes to continue its strong performances after finishing the first half of the season in third place with 29 points when they host Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.
