The roles are clear ahead of Sunday afternoon's meeting in Munich (kick-off: 15:30CET): VfB, currently 16th in the top-flight standings, take on second-placed Bayern, who have won their last six Bundesliga games and hardly have any injuries to report. However, just because the odds are stacked against his side, head coach Markus Weinzierl is far from abandoning hope of his team getting something from the game. "Of course, Bayern are clear favourites, but other sides have already picked up points there this season," said the VfB coach in Thursday's pre-match press conference, referring to the fact that Fortuna Düsseldorf, FC Augsburg and SC Freiburg have all held the champions to draws in Munich. "We're going there with the task of thriving as underdogs, delivering a good performance and, in the best-case scenario, picking up points."
Regardless of the result, a good showing would provide VfB with momentum ahead of some crucial fixtures, giving the Bayern match-up added importance. "The game in Munich and then the games against Freiburg and Düsseldorf will set the tone for the rest of the season and determine how long it takes for us to get clear of the bottom," said Weinzierl. "We now have 16 important matches left."
With three days until the clash, Weinzierl is giving nothing away with regards to his team selection. The only player who will definitely not feature is Benjamin Pavard, still recovering from a thigh injury, while fellow defender Timo Baumgartl will have to prove his fitness after pulling out of training on Wednesday due to dizziness. New signing Ozan Kabak could therefore be included in the squad for the first time. "He's making a good impression," said Weinzierl. "He's shown what we saw from him at Galatasaray. He still needs a bit of time to settle in, but he's an option for the squad. As is the case in every position, we'll look closely at performances and decide who plays." Whoever is picked, VfB will be keen to give a good account of themselves on Sunday.