Thomas Tuchel led his Bayern Munich team in a closed training session today in advance of Saturday’s Bundesliga road match against SC Freiburg. It will be a chance to keep Bayern’s spot at the top of the table, as well as to deliver a response after their poor DFB-Pokal exit this Tuesday to Freiburg at home.
The big news is that young winger/forward Mathys Tel is making progress as he recovers from an adductor issue. He completed a brief individual training session, suggesting he won’t quite be ready yet for the game or games ahead.
It’s a tough time for Tel to be unavailable, as striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting also missed training. He’s a doubt for the second Freiburg match this weekend. In his absence, could Bayern change up their approach? Or will they, as in past games, use Sadio Mané as a false nine?
Right-back Noussair Mazraoui is finally back again after missing out due to illness recently. The Moroccan hasn’t had an extended run in the team since the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Mazraoui’s speedy return might be complicated by the availability of other full-back options in defense. However, Benjamin Pavard might get a start at center-back as Dayot Upamecano serves out a Bundesliga suspension due to yellow card accumulation.