Bayern Munich host Freiburg at Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening, with the two sides set to fight for a place in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.
Bayern have not won Germany's domestic cup since 2020, while Freiburg were beaten on penalties by RB Leipzig in last season's final.
Match preview
© Reuters
After replacing Julian Nagelsmann as Bayern manager during the recent international break, Thomas Tuchel could scarcely have imagined his debut in the home dugout going any better than an emphatic 4-2 victory against title rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
The latest installment of Der Klassiker's scoreline hugely flattered the visitors, too, considering they had trailed 4-0 to the Bavarians after only 50 minutes when Kingsley Coman's combination of determination and speed saw him meet a hopeful cross at the back post to firmly end the title clash as a contest.
Gregor Kobel's shocking blunder for BVB had set the tone for what followed, with the Switzerland stopper miskicking Dayot Upamecano's attempted through ball before seeing the ball run through into the back of his own net, with a subsequent quickfire brace from Thomas Muller helping Tuchel's side return to the top of the Bundesliga table.
With huge cup fixtures against Freiburg and Manchester City imminent, Tuchel will have his eyes firmly set on guiding Bayern to a treble within his first few months in charge of the club.
The 49-year-old has precedent of achieving similar in recent years, of course, having guided Chelsea to their second Champions League title despite only taking charge beyond the halfway stage of the 2020-21 campaign, and his new side will head into Tuesday's DFB-Pokal fixture as overwhelming favourites to progress to the last four.
© Reuters
Having only lost one of their last 10 league fixtures, though, Freiburg should not be underestimated by Bayern, despite losing 5-0 away from home in the last Bundesliga meeting between these two teams in October.
The two sides will meet again at Europa-Park Stadion on Saturday, with Christan Streich's side in need of a positive result after dropping two points at home against relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin last time out.
However, Breisgau-Brasilianer were let off the hook by their Champions League qualification rivals RB Leipzig surprisingly losing 3-0 at home to Mainz 05, meaning they actually extended their lead in fourth spot to two points.
After coming so close to winning their first ever major honour in last season's DFB-Pokal final, when Leipzig dramatically came from behind to win on penalties despite playing with 10 men for an extended period, Streich will be determined to inflict a major upset in Munich on Tuesday.
Team News
© Reuters
Tuchel could opt to make several changes for Tuesday's cup tie, with the likes of Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mane, Joao Cancelo and Jamal Musiala all likely to start after appearing from the bench during Der Klassiker at the weekend.
Upamecano will be suspended for Saturday's trip to Freiburg in the Bundesliga after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Dortmund, so he may keep his place before being replaced as an enforced change in the reverse clash.
Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez and Mathys Tel all remain sidelined with long-term injuries.
Freiburg, meanwhile, will almost certainly welcome their talismanic forward Michael Gregoritsch back to the fold after the Austria international missed out on featuring against Hertha at the weekend due to suspension.
Philipp Lienhart is unlikely to be risked given his current hip issues, while Kenneth Schmidt and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh have both been ruled out of making the trip to Germany's second city.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Cancelo, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Gravenberch; Gnabry, Musiala, Mane; Choupo-Moting
Freiburg possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Kubler, Ginter, Gulde; Sildillia, Eggestein, Hofler, Gunter; Doan, Grifo; Gregoritsch
We say: Bayern Munich 3-0 Freiburg
Bayern appeared to be back to their dominant best against Dortmund, with Tuchel's superior experience compared to his predecessor potentially set to take them over the line on both domestic fronts.
Freiburg have been pushed to the limit by their exertions in three competitions this season, and they have struggled to turn draws into victories of late, but they are unlikely to get close to having the chance to achieve that on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brett Curtis
