by Badger » Sat Feb 15, 2014 12:47 pm
Freiburg got a 1-1 draw against Bayern earlier this season. Although they were a bit fortunate to get it, it still counts as two lost points, and so Bayern has some unfinished business with them.
I don't expect much rotation here today - just enough to keep players fresh. I think, actually, that Guardiola will, at some stage in the game, play the majority of the players he'd use against Arsenal. Match practice before such a game is more important than complete rest, unless a player is showing signs of exhaustion.
So I'd imagine that he'll try most of the Goetze-Thiago-Kroos combination that worked so well against Hamburg, and Lahm and Schweinsteiger will share the defensive midfield role - this time with Lahm moving to right back rather than coming off when Schweinsteiger comes on. Martinez as defensive midfielder is not likely to be an option that Guardiola tries, until he's seen how well Schweinsteiger gets on there. I also think that Pizzaro will get some of the game up front, especially if Guardiola plans to play with a striker rather than a false nine against Arsenal.
Bayern's quality should be decisive again today, and I'd hope to see them win by a 2-goal margin.
Of course, I've been wrong in the past...
"Wherever that man went, he went gratefully."
--------- Attributed to Seamus Heaney ---------