Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig will battle it out for the top spot in the Bundesliga as the two teams face off in the final match of the calendar year. Both teams are currently 1st and 2nd in the league table having lost only one match until now. While Bayern Munich is ahead only on goal difference, RB Leipzig have been a revelation in the Bundesliga this season.
Defending champions Bayern Munich will be eager to maintain their four match winning run in the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich had some positive team news leading up to this as Arjen Robben and Philipp Lahm who missed their 1-0 win over Darmstadt 98 win be fit enough to start this match. Jerome Boateng who has been a crucial part of Bayern's defense in the recent years will miss this match and will be out for over six weeks after he had to undergo a surgery to repair an injured pectoral muscle tendon.
Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti had a lot of praise for the newly promoted team saying their attacking football is something all teams need to wary of.
"We need to put on a strong performance. We are playing against second in the Bundesliga. Leipzig are a good, young team that plays football with a lot of enthusiasm. Money isn't the most important thing in football. The balance is right at Leipzig and their success gives them confidence. The key to victory is having the right balance between attack and defense," the Daily Mail quoted the Bayern Munich boss as saying.
"Leipzig are dangerous on the break so we need to be wary of that. This is the perfect game for anyone who loves football. We will see two sides who play with very different styles. We will stay true to our style and assert ourselves. We will stand strong defensively and find the right balance."
RB Leipzig have been nothing short of outstanding this season with their only loss of the season coming at the hand of Ingolstadt 04. Timo Werner, their 20-year-old striker has been an important player for them this season as his nine goals this season has been one of the reasons for their excellent start.
Their coach Ralph Hasenhuttl believes that his teams is capable of anything in the Bundesliga and even surprises everyone, the way Leicester City did in the Premier League last season.
"I am looking forward to a very interesting task. Since today, we prepare for the game and what we have to look forward to," he said. You can recognize what a task we have to face. It's fun to look for solutions because Bayern are one of the best teams in the world" Goal.com quoted the Leipzig boss as saying.
RB Leipzig's sporting director Ralf Rangnick feels that anything is possible in this league and feels that if they are to win the Bundesliga title they need to have a perfect season.
"I think it's a little bit more difficult in Germany because we play a sensational season. We have one loss and three draws and have the same points as Bayern, 10 points ahead of Dortmund, 20 points ahead of teams who still play Champions League. If you want to be in front of Bayern, you have to play a perfect season. The good thing is that we don't have to measure us with them," he was quoted as saying.
"We had a game last weekend which was more important when you look on the table. We won against third and now have a nine-point lead. Therefore the game on Wednesday is a bonus game for us and we can see what is missing. We want to see how far we are in our development and that is the exciting thing. The game won't change our strategy in the second leg of the season."
Schedule
Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig kicks off at 7:00 pm GMT (2:00 pm EST, 12:30 IST the next day) on December 21st.
Where to watch
India: TV - Star Sports Select HD2. Live streaming - unavailable.
UK: TV - BT Sport 3. Live streaming - BT Sport Live.
USA: TV - Fox Sports GO, GolTV. Live streaming - Fox Soccer2Go.
Germany: TV - Sky Bundesliga 2/HD. live streaming - Sky Go Deutschland.
