BERLIN (AP) — Things are looking rosy for Bayern Munich with an eight-point lead in the Bundesliga and comfortable three-goal advantage over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.
On the other hand, Bochum is fighting for survival before its German league visit to Munich on Saturday, hoping Bayern may be distracted by Tuesday’s visit to Leverkusen for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
Leverkusen, which knows a Bayern collapse in the Bundesliga is very unlikely, hosts Werder Bremen as coach Xabi Alonso considers how to claw back three goals against Bayern on Tuesday.
Key matchups
— Bremen and Bochum desperately need wins. Bremen has lost its last five games straight and another could be the last for coach Ole Werner. Bochum has only one victory from its last seven games.
— Borussia Dortmund hosts Augsburg on Saturday when the home fans won’t know what to expect from their consistently inconsistent team. Dortmund’s Jekyll and Hyde season was illustrated in one game on Tuesday as Niko Kovač’s team dominated in the first half against Lille, then collapsed in the second. They drew 1-1.
— Mainz visits Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday when it will hope to defend fourth place, the last for Champions League qualification.
— Freiburg hosts Leipzig on Saturday with both hoping to capitalize on slip-ups from Mainz.
Players to watch
— Florian Wirtz had a frustrating game in Munich on Wednesday but Alonso may be tempted to rest his star player against Bremen.
— Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt scored the winner against Leipzig last weekend and his 14 league goals so far will keep him in Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann’s plans.
— Michael Olise is standing out among all of Bayern’s new signings for making the greatest impact. The French winger scored in the last two league games, he was a constant thorn for Leverkusen’s defenders on Wednesday and set up the opener for Harry Kane.
Injury list
— Bayern goalkeeper Manual Neuer was injured while celebrating a goal on Wednesday, meaning the 21-year-old Jonas Urbig is set to make his league debut for the Bavarian powerhouse against Bochum. Neuer tore a muscle fiber in his right calf, Bayern said on Thursday.
Transfer news
— Bayern expects to announce midfielder Joshua Kimmich’s contract extension in the coming days. The saga became protracted last week when the board withdrew its previous offer to the player, but negotiations continued.
What they’re saying
— “Manu wanted to run – and then his calf went. He’d already said he was getting old.” – Kimmich on teammate Neuer’s injury. Neuer is 38.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
