The next big challenge for Bayern Munich | OneFootball

Icon: TSG Hoffenheim

TSG Hoffenheim

·26 September 2020

The next big challenge for Bayern Munich

Article image:The next big challenge for Bayern Munich

Just three days after beating Sevilla to lift the UEFA Supercup in Budapest, Bayern Munich face their next challenge: Matchday 2 of the Bundesliga will see the Bavarians travel to Sinsheim for a clash with TSG Hoffenheim (Sunday, kick-off 15:30 CET).

The first away trip of the season could be just another game for Bayern, but head coach Hansi Flick admits that his players are currently under a lot of strain. ''It's not helpful if we go on about how tired we are. That's not my mentality. You can still deliver top-level performances when you're tired,'' said Flick on Saturday as his team prepared themselves for a light training session before making the trip to Sinsheim. ''We are thinking about how best to handle the load and the recovery. Now we all have to pick ourselves up and rest,'' said the Bayern head coach after the energy-sapping 120-minute match in Budapest.


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There was no time for celebration in the Hungarian capital, nor for rest on Friday, when the Bavarians made the trip home. Flick is considering rotating his starting XI for the Hoffenheim match, but he's remaining tight-lipped about the potential changes: ''I obviously can't name names. Hasan Salihamidžić and I have agreed to remain silent on this. There are discussions between us. He and his team do the work behind the scenes. It's good for us to keep a low profile,'' says Flick, who has already led Bayern to the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup, the Champions League and the UEFA Supercup this season. And on Wednesday, he'll have the chance to add the German Supercup to the list when his side face Borussia Dortmund. However, preparations for this game will only begin once the final whistle has been blown on the clash with TSG in the PreZero Arena.

Flick praises Kramarić: ''One of the best strikers''

''Fortunately we'll have the chance to make five substitutions when we play Hoffenheim. We're going to make the most of that,'' states Flick. He and his coaching staff are doing all they can to ensure their team recuperate as much as possible. ''In the long term, we have to pay attention to the fitness of the players. Things like healthy nutrition and lots of sleep are of course essential,'' says the Bayern head coach. Even if he makes several changes to his starting line-up, Flick has absolute confidence in his players: ''No matter who plays, we'll have a good team out on the pitch.''

But Flick, who hails from Neckargemünd in Mückenloch, is well-aware of the qualities of his former club, where he was head coach from 2000 to 2005 and worked as a managing director during the 2017/18 season. He singles out Andrej Kramarić - who scored a hat-trick in the 3-2 win away to 1. FC Cologne last weekend - for particular praise: ''Andrej has a brilliant record over the past few years. He's the kind of player that always poses a goal threat and always makes his team better. In my opinion, he's one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga. But we shouldn't just focus on him. I am certain that the entire TSG team will be dangerous, so we'll need to watch out for all of them.'' On Saturday, doubts remained as to whether or not Kingsley Coman would be able to play. The Frenchman's Coronavirus quarantine period ends at midnight. Should his test return a negative result, there is a chance that he may make a short appearance in Hoffenheim, indicated Flick.

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