Bayern Munich head to Nurnberg on Sunday to play the Bundesliga’s second from bottom club. Can Nurnberg shock Bayern Munich and shake up the title race?
Nurnberg are just three points off of 16th-place Stuttgart, who occupy the relegation playoff place. It is a lifeline Nurnberg are striving for as it would give them a two-legged series against the Bundesliga 2’s third-place finisher.
It will take everything Nurnberg’s players have to finish in 16th, but they do have four games left to play. Getting a point against Bayern Munich could be an impossible task. The reigning champions are undefeated in five of their last six away matches.
But Bayern Munich’s recent away form does prove they are fallible. Bayern Munich slipped up against Freiburg just four games ago, drawing 1-1, and allowing Borussia Dortmund back into the title race.
Niko Kovac’s side is just one point above Borussia Dortmund. Any slip up on Sunday would surely allow Borussia Dortmund to finish the weekend in first place.
Bayern Munich will have pressure on them as Borussia Dortmund play Schalke over 24-hours prior to kickoff in Nurnberg. Kovac’s team will mostly likely wake up on Sunday in second place for at least a few hours.
Nurnberg have lost just once in their last four games. That loss came at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, but there are signs of improvement in the team. Nurnberg have outscored their opponents 5-4 in their last four fixtures.
Bayern Munich are coming off of a German Cup win on Wednesday night in a thrilling 3-2 game against Werder Bremen.
Although Kovac has the players to deal with fatigue, it remains to be seen if the squad will be able to get up for Sunday’s game after a big cup victory. There could be a let off when they travel to Nurnberg to play a relegation-threatened team.
Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez came off the bench in the German Cup semifinal. He has been struggling with a calf injury, but could feature from the start against Nurnberg.
Nurnberg have not defeated Bayern Munich in their last 14 games. Their last win came back in 2007 when they defeated Bayern Munich 3-0 at home.
Bayern Munich are rolling and it is unlikely Nurnberg will be able to equal, or come close to, their feat from 12 years ago.
Bayern Munich have not conceded a goal against Nurnberg in their last four games. All four of those fixtures ended in Bayern Munich wins.
The German leaders will once again pick up a victory over Nurnberg and will put 2.5 goals past the relegation contenders.