Press conferences on the Corona situation have recently become somewhat rarer in Germany after the pandemic situation has normalized to a certain extent – but they have not yet been completely abolished. Neither with the well-known duo Lauterbach/Wieler in Berlin, nor with Julian Nagelsmann in Munich, where viral topics have returned to the agenda in recent days in addition to successful football games.
Nagelsmann therefore answered the most urgent of all questions first on Friday afternoon, with positive, i.e. negative news: Both players concerned have tested themselves, “both are free again”, as the coach smugly put it. But: No, Thomas Müller will not be able to travel to Dortmund, he still has “a few cold symptoms”, especially “nasally”. Joshua Kimmich wants to wait for the final training in Munich, but it looks like he can come along and an assignment is possible, says Nagelsmann – but in the end the decision is up to Kimmich himself.
In the game against Viktoria Pilsen during the week, Bayern had so dominated the action against a disappointingly weak Czech champions that the absence of Müller and Kimmich was hardly noticed. In Dortmund, however, Nagelsmann expects changed circumstances: Nagelsmann does not see the debate about fluctuating performances that are being conducted around BVB as “so dramatic”, instead he praised Edin Terzic’s team for being difficult to calculate: “They have a very good team , which always creates very great danger, especially when it defends more deeply.”
Moukoko or Modeste in the starting XI? Terzic doesn’t show his cards
BVB is very good at switching between lower and higher defense, which is why Nagelsmann expects a more controlled game than in the previous season, when Bayern won 3-1 and 3-2. Danger comes from the strikers: “Especially when the three play up front,” said the Bayern coach, meaning Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Malen and Youssoufa Moukoko, although in one case it is not yet clear whether he will play at all.
In any case, Terzic did not give a glimpse of whether Moukoko or Anthony Modeste would be in the starting XI. He wishes that both meet, said Terzic. In any case, Marco Reus will not meet, whose comeback is still delayed because he is “ill” in addition to his ankle injury. The same applied to Mats Hummels during the week, who could appear in his 26th so-called “classic” on Saturday if he reports himself fit: “Mats is mature enough to assess that,” said Terzic, which sounded similar to Nagelsmann and Kimmich.
In the end, personal responsibility will be a deciding factor – a message that has also been heard more often from press conferences in times of the pandemic. Even if this time it’s all about who will play in the top game in the Bundesliga on Saturday evening (6:30 p.m.).