Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel will again rely on Thomas Müller in the Bundesliga home match against Schalke 04. At Schalke, the signal is clear: Frankfurt is more important than Bayern.
It is actually an unequal duel: the defending champions and league leaders FC Bayern Munich are aiming for their eleventh championship title in a row – FC Schalke 04 are fighting against relegation in 15th place in the table (3.30 pm/Sky). The Königsblauen lost the last two games in the Allianz Arena with 0:5 and 0:8. And yet something is different before the duel: the statements of the Schalke players were bolder than they have been for a long time.
“We want to score at FC Bayern,” said Schalke coach Thomas Reis, for example. When it came to the line-up, he had tricky decisions to make. The most important question: Should he give five players, who are threatened with a yellow suspension, a break so that they are fit for the match against Eintracht Frankfurt (20 May), which is considered more important.
The signal would be clear: Frankfurt is more important than Bayern. Four of the yellow-carded professionals will not play – Moritz Jenz is injured, Rodrigo Zalazar, Maya Yoshida and Simon Terodde are on the bench. Top scorer Marius Bülter (eleven goals) plays.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel shows respect for the Königsblauen: “Schalke have had very emotional games and victories recently. They are very poisonous, sometimes play one-on-one all over the pitch. They counterattack a lot and press hard. They’re also dangerous when it comes to standards. But we want to put our stamp on the game.” Tuchel is counting on Thomas Müller, but not on ex-Schalker Leon Goretzka.
Overall, Tuchel makes two changes compared to the North-South classic a week ago. For Müller, Ryan Gravenberch has to take a seat on the bench for the time being, and Leroy Sane also replaces Sadio Mane, who was unlucky once again against Bremen.
This is how FC Bayern and Schalke 04 will play
FC Bayern: Sommer – Mazraoui, Pavard, de Ligt, Joao Cancelo – Kimmich – Sané, Musiala, Gnabry, Coman – Müller. Coach: Tuchel
Schalke 04: Schwolow – Brunner, van den Berg, Kaminski, Uronen – Latza – Krauß, Kral – Karaman, Frey, Bülter. Coach: Reis
Referee: Robert Schröder