Bayer Leverkusen are still unbeaten in all competitions this season, having progressed into the semi-final of the DFB-Pokal after beating VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday in a scintillating affair.
Tuchel himself has not been shy regarding Leverkusen’s quality. In his pre-match press conference, he told the media: “30 teams tried to beat them (Leverkusen), none of them managed.”
Of course, Bayern themselves failed to do that in September. Alonso’s side went toe-to-toe with Der Rekordmeister, and ultimately laid down a marker for the rest of the season.
AFCON and injuries have thrown a spanner in the works for both sides, but Leverkusen and Bayern have reacted in the January transfer window and brought in reinforcements to compensate for missing players.
Bayern have earned nine points from their last three matches and look to have shaken off the disappointment of the loss to Werder Bremen, having scored seven goals in the process.
As most recently displayed against Stuttgart midweek to progress in the Pokal, Leverkusen have found an almost perfect knack of scoring late goals, turning one point into three.
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Team news:
Bayer Leverkusen:
Other than the long-term injured duo Arthur and Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios is the only injury-related absentee for Die Werkself this week.
Odilon Kossounou is on international duty with Ivory Coast, who have made it to the final of AFCON.
Alonso also confirmed today that Lukas Hradecky will start against Bayern.
Bayern Munich:
Tuchel has confirmed that Alphonso Davies is unavailable for this week’s clash, while Manuel Neuer’s inclusion in the squad has not yet been decided.
January recruit Bryan Zaragoza is likely to be missing due to illness, alongside the long-term injured such as Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.
Joshua Kimmich, Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano are set to return to the squad on Saturday, having been in training this week.
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Predicted line-ups:
Bayer Leverkusen:
Hradecky (c); Frimpong, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié, Grimaldo; Andrich, Xhaka, Hofmann, Wirtz; Iglesias
Bayern Munich:
Neuer (c); Mazraoui, De Ligt, Dier, Guerreiro; Goretzka, Kimmich; Musiala, Müller, Sané; Kane
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Key players:
Bayer Leverkusen - Florian Wirtz:
Wirtz registered two assists in the Pokal win against Stuttgart, taking his tally to 15 for the season in all competitions.
Having missed a large portion of the last campaign with injury, he also has five goals to his name in the Bundesliga.
That amount is just two off his most prolific campaign which was the 21/22 season, where Wirtz found the back of the net seven
His last goal in the league came against Eintracht Frankfurt in Gameweek 16, but his two assists midweek dispel any doubts surrounding his productivity.
He looks as if he is increasing in confidence every time he takes to the pitch and will relish a game of this magnitude as a young player.
Kane has been a revelation since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, finding the back of the net a staggering 24 times in 20 Bundesliga outings.
The English forward has started every single game in the league and Champions League this season, scoring a combined 28 goals and assisting another eight.
Bayern allow him to play into his strengths as a poacher, which mitigates any suggestions of a lack of pace he may suffer from, now or in the future.
Kane’s arrival has also seen him combine excellently with Leroy Sané, and the German has massively benefited from the England captain’s arrival in Munich.
The two have an understanding of one another, which has unlocked the best of Sané since he joined the club from Manchester City in 2020.
The pair have 48 goal contributions combined, having formed one of the most deadly attacking duos in world football this season.
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Match details:
Where is the match being played?
The match is being played at the BayArena in Leverkusen.
What time is kick-off?
The match is set to kick-off on Saturday at 17:30 (GMT).
Where can I watch?
Viewers in the UK can watch the game on Sky Sports Football or via the Sky Sports App, with coverage starting at 17:20.