Bayern Munich will look to continue their cruise towards a 10th straight Bundesliga title when they head to VFL Bochum on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts remain outside of the relegation places for now but have suffered a dip in form in recent weeks, whilst the visitors extended their gap at the top of the table last weekend.
Match preview
Bochum's 1-1 draw at a fellow relegation-threatened side in the form of Hertha Berlin last weekend was a useful point for Thomas Reis's side to pick up in their battle to avoid the drop.
A poor first-half performance saw them head into half time a goal behind, but an improved second-half display began with Sebastian Polter equalising just three minutes after the interval.
Overall, it was a deserved point for Die Unabsteigbaren in an even game that yielded very few clear openings in front of goal for either side, but it was one that kept Bochum above their opponents and in a comfortable position of 11th heading into matchday 22.
Despite the impressive league position for the newly-promoted side, they do remain just three points above Augsburg in the relegation playoff spot though, so with Bayern being the visitors to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Saturday, it looks likely that Bochum will be dragged further down the table come the end of the weekend.
Reis's men had appeared dead and buried towards the beginning of the campaign though, so their current position remains an impressive one at this stage, which was largely thanks to their excellent form near the end of 2021, when Bochum won five out of seven games.
Since then however, it is just one win in seven, so with their task not getting any easier in the form of the league leaders on Saturday, Bochum will largely be focused on returning to winning ways in the coming weeks against fellow strugglers Stuttgart and Greuther Furth instead.
Meanwhile, Bayern head to Bochum on Saturday on the back of a matchday 22 that potentially ended the title race in the Bundesliga.
Julian Nagelsmann sealed the double over his former employers last weekend, after the Bavarians defeated RB Leipzig 3-2 at the Allianz Arena, to add to the 4-1 hammering of Die Roten Bullen back in September.
Andre Silva and Christopher Nkunku both equalised for Leipzig after Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski had given the champions the lead on two occasions, but a Josko Gvardiol own goal just before the hour mark proved to be the winner eventually.
Bayern were certainly made to work hard for the three points, but they just about performed well enough to seal the three points and extend their lead at the Bundesliga summit to nine points, following Borussia Dortmund's humiliating 5-2 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen a day later.
With only 13 games remaining in the campaign, beginning with the trip to Bochum on Saturday, Bayern look certain to cruise to the German top-flight title once more, but as is always the case in Bavaria, there will be no signs of complacency in their camp over the coming weeks.
Considering the calibre of their newly-promoted opponents at the weekend, Lewandowski and co will be confident in adding to their staggering 68 league goals already netted in the opening 21 games, which included a 7-0 triumph over Bochum at the Allianz Arena back in September.
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Team News
Bochum could look to bring Polter into their starting lineup on Saturday following his goalscoring impact off the bench last weekend.
Patrick Osterhage also impressed as a half-time substitute, but he is unlikely to start in midfield, with the returning experience of Anthony Losilla likely to be preferred in the centre of the pitch.
Simon Zoller remains a long-term absentee, whilst Danny Blum is expected to remain sidelined for another week due to a muscle injury.
As for the visitors, first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set for a spell on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury that required surgery.
Sven Ulreich is therefore set for a rare start in between the posts, in an otherwise unchanged starting 11 from the one that defeated Leipzig last weekend.
Jamal Musiala is in COVID-19 isolation so he will miss the trip, as will Leon Goretzka, Alphonso Davies and Josip Stanisic.
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Riemann; Gamboa, Bella-Kotchap, Leitsch, Soares; Losilla; Pantovic, Asano, Rexhbecaj, Holtmann; Polter
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulreich; Pavard, Sule, Hernandez; Gnabry, Kimmich, Tolisso, Coman; Muller, Sane; Lewandowski
We say: VfL Bochum 0-4 Bayern Munich
A comfortable win should be on the cards for Bayern on Saturday, whether the league leaders hit top gear or not.
Bochum will try and remain compact and difficult to break down, but it is difficult to see how they will be able to stop the visitors from adding several goals to their incredible tally this season.
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