In an upcoming match at the Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor, SV Darmstadt 98, currently positioned at the bottom of the Bundesliga standings, will welcome Bayern Munich, who are positioned at the top. The fixture, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, marks a clash between two teams with disparate rankings within the league.
Bayern Munich, having previously dominated SV Darmstadt 98 with an 8-0 victory during the reverse fixture in October, are set to visit Hesse this weekend. Their recent form has been formidable, as evidenced by their resounding 8-1 victory over Mainz 05 in their latest fixture. This strong performance underscores their status as a formidable contender within the league.
Match preview
A week subsequent to their humbling 6-0 defeat at home against Augsburg, which elicited strong reactions from the supporters of the club, Darmstadt manager Torsten Lieberknecht expressed his hopes that the implementation of seven changes to his starting lineup would incite a notable response from his team during their recent visit to RB Leipzig last Saturday.
However, Darmstadt, known as the Lilies, commenced the match at the Red Bull Arena unfavorably as Thomas Isherwood inadvertently scored an own goal within the initial three minutes. This was followed by Christoph Baumgartner extending Leipzig’s lead five minutes into the second half, resulting in the visitors enduring their 16th league defeat of the season.
The club’s record of winless matches has now stretched to 18 games, with Darmstadt firmly anchored to the bottom of the league table, trailing safety by 12 points. Lieberknecht’s team faces a formidable challenge in avoiding immediate relegation to the second tier, as history shows that the six previous teams amassing only 13 points after 25 matches have all suffered relegation.
Despite the dire situation, there remains a glimmer of hope for Darmstadt. They are merely four points behind FC Koln, currently occupying the relegation playoff position (16th), and are yet to contend with FC Koln, VfL Bochum, and Mainz 05—teams positioned 15th and 17th respectively—within their final nine fixtures of the season.
Ahead of their forthcoming encounter on Saturday, Darmstadt’s track record against Bayern Munich hasn’t been favorable, having lost each of their last seven matches against them since their inaugural meeting in 1978, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Nonetheless, Darmstadt can draw confidence from Bayern’s recent away form, as the Bavarian team has failed to secure victory in their last four away matches.
Following a string of unimpressive performances, Bayern Munich seems to have regained their stride with a resounding 8-1 victory over Mainz in their previous fixture. This remarkable triumph saw hat-trick hero Harry Kane etch his name in history by becoming the first player to score four hat-tricks in a debut Bundesliga season. Additionally, Kane’s 30 top-flight goals have equaled Uwe Seeler’s record for the most goals in a debut Bundesliga campaign.
Bayern’s victory saw Leon Goretzka netting a brace, while Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, and Serge Gnabry also found the back of the net, securing the team’s 18th Bundesliga win of the season. However, despite this resurgence, Bayern’s hopes of retaining the title remain slim as they trail unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points.
With Bayer Leverkusen set to face Freiburg on Sunday, Bayern sees an opportunity to narrow the gap at the top to seven points. A fixture against a struggling Darmstadt side will be welcomed by Thomas Tuchel’s team as they aim to head into the international break on a positive note before resuming with a crucial Der Klassiker showdown against Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern’s current run of form marks the first time since November/December 2010 that they have gone four away matches without a win in all competitions. Nevertheless, they remain confident of securing maximum points against Darmstadt, boasting the highest points-per-game ratio (2.8) against them compared to other teams they have faced at least five times in the division.
Team News
In Darmstadt’s squad, Marvin Mehlem, Matthias Bader, Fraser Hornby, Clemens Riedel, Fabian Nurnberger, and Braydon Manu are currently undergoing treatment due to respective injuries, with Fabian Holland’s condition being evaluated prior to the commencement of the match due to concussion concerns.
Matej Maglica, who was absent during the previous match against Leipzig due to a minor training injury, is expected to recover in time for the upcoming fixture and may join Christoph Klarer, Christoph Zimmermann, or Klaus Gjasula in a defensive trio.
Emir Karic may be reinstated into the midfield alongside Bartol Franjic and Tobias Kempe, while Oscar Vilhelmsson and Fabio Torsiello will aim to retain their starting positions in the attacking lineup, facing competition from Sebastian Polter and Luca Pfeiffer.
On the Bayern Munich side, Kingsley Coman, Bouna Sarr, and Tarek Buchmann continue to be sidelined due to knee and thigh injuries, respectively, while Noussair Mazraoui’s hamstring concern will be evaluated ahead of kickoff.
Alphonso Davies will undergo assessment following an incident resulting in displacement of his front teeth during the recent victory over Mainz; Raphael Guerreiro may be called upon to deputize at left-back if necessary.
Aleksandar Pavlovic, having served a one-match suspension, is eligible to return and may contend with Konrad Laimer for a starting midfield role, while the attacking quartet comprising Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, and Harry Kane is anticipated to remain unchanged.
SV Darmstadt 98 possible starting lineup:
Schuhen; Skarke, Klarer, Zimmermann, Maglica, Karic; Justvan, Kempe, Franjic, Holtmann; Polter
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane