The situation
The 4-0 victory in the top match against Borussia Dortmund not only boosted Bayern’s confidence but also kept the gap to top spot at four points. The Bavarians aim to pick up where they left off and cut the gap over the next few matches. “We must make sure we play well and be successful in the next three matches,” Flick said, referring to the matches in Düsseldorf, away to Red Star on Tuesday and at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. One week later they travel to face league leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach in a mouth-watering top clash.
The opponents
Fortuna have 11 points from 11 matches, lying 13th in the table. They have taken seven points on their home field, winning both of their last two home matches while keeping a clean sheet. Their last match against Schalke was remarkable. Düsseldorf went a goal down three times but ultimately held Schalke to a 3-3 draw. However, Fortuna have not won any of their last ten matches against FC Bayern, losing eight and drawing two games. Their last win dates back to April 1991, a 1-0 victory.
Team news
All of Bayern’s internationals have returned healthy after ten days of national team duty. The personnel situation is the same as against Dortmund two weeks ago. Jérôme Boateng will miss the match after seeing a red card against Frankfurt. Besides Boateng, Bayern will be without long-term absentees Niklas Süle, Lucas Hernández and Fiete Arp.
What the coaches say
Hansi Flick: “Fortuna performed outstandingly well last season. This season they’re very well-organised in defence, they’re compact, quick at turnovers and highly efficient up front. We must expect them to push us to our limits in attack. And if we lose possession cheaply they’ll try to exploit it. We must minimise the mistakes.”
