Ingolstadt vs Bayern Munich: Die Roten hope to rebound after defeat
Bayern Munich will be hoping to rebound from their European disappointment as they travel to Audi Sportpark to take on Ingolstadt on Saturday afternoon.
Another season, another failed Champions League for Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich. For the third consecutive term, die Roten have attempted to reach the final. For the third time, they were paired with a La Liga side in the semi-finals. And for the third occasion, Bayern were thwarted. Earlier this week, despite beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 on the night, it was not enough to book their spot at this season’s edition in Milan.
Although Bayern Munich will certainly clinch the Bundesliga title, this has not prevented critics from branding Guardiola’s tenure as an overwhelming failure. All in all, it has not been an easy week for the Bavarian powerhouse, to say the least. Simply put, a win in this weekend’s Bavarian Derby will at least help bring some measure of comfort for the team. They will make history by becoming the first German team to win four league titles on the trot – something that they naturally would have wanted to do last weekend at the Allianz Arena.
Unfortunately, even if Bayern Munich do add a DFB-Pokal trophy at the end of this month, it will still feel like a disappointing season nonetheless. Just like PSG over in Ligue 1, die Roten are expected to cruise through domestic competition. European affairs, on the other hand, are where they really want to be in there, mixing it up with the Spanish sides, and Bayern fans will hope that Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival will help them finally overcome that semi-finals hurdle. In any case, Guardiola will definitely field his strongest line-up available for this game, and with just Arjen Robben and Holger Badstuber out, that will certainly be feasible.
Meanwhile, Ingolstadt currently find themselves in ninth spot. This will be more than enough to ensure that the Bundesliga debutants will remain in the top flight for a sophomore term. Although Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men mathematically are pretty much out of the running for a Europa League spot, they still will try their utmost best to frustrate Bayern Munich. After all, it is a derby clash and if they can manage to nick a surprise point, why not?
The hosts will be without the services of a couple of players due to injury and suspension. Robert Bauer misses out as a result of too many yellow cards, whilst Christian Ortag, Danilo Soares, and Maurice Multhaup are all on the treatment table.
So, will Bayern Munich rebound from their Champions League frustration by wrapping up the Bundsliga title this weekend? Or will Ingolstadt make them wait until the final day of our current season?
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