Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel is likely to drop Dayo Upamecano and start Eric Dier as a partner for Kim Min-Jae.
The Bavarians will host SC Freiburg at the Europa-Parkstadion in Freiburg, Germany, on Sunday for the 24th round of the 2023-2024 German Bundesliga season. The Bavarians are looking to catch Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the table.
In this match, Matthijs de Ligt, who has played well defensively for Bayern recently, will be unavailable due to accumulated cautions. Even without De Ligt, Kim Min-Jae and Upamecano are available for selection. The two have been Bayern’s starting center back duo this season.
However, Tuchel is likely to start Kim and Dier. When asked about De Ligt’s absence, he said: “Kim Min-Jae will play. Upamecano can also play. But Upamecano is suspended for the Champions League (UCL) match against Lazio. So I think it’s more appropriate for Kim Min-jae to play tomorrow’s game because he could play against Lazio.”
Tuchel’s answer sounds like he’s saying he won’t play Upamecano. This is a Bundesliga match, so it has nothing to do with the fact that Upamecano was suspended for his sending off in the UCL game.
It makes sense to play Kim Min-Jae to provide continuity in the defense. However, the plan to leave him out of the Freiburg game because Upamecano 메이저토토사이트 was unable to play against Lazio is not easily justified. It’s true that the gap to Leverkusen makes it difficult to win the Bundesliga, but the soon-to-be departed Tuchel seems to be ‘all in’ on the UCL.
If Tuchel doesn’t opt for the right-back, Kim will partner Dyer in defense. Dier was also criticized at Tottenham for his narrow defensive range and inactive defensive attitude. This left too much space for Cristian Romero to cover. His move to Munich didn’t change that. Starting Kim Min-Jae and Upamecano against Freiburg and Kim Min-Jae and De Ligt against Lazio seems safer than Dyer.
Also surprisingly, Bayern decided to buy Dier outright. The outright transfer that Tottenham and Bayern agreed upon when they brought Dier on loan this season has been fulfilled, meaning Dier will be a Bayern player next season.