Defensive troubles blight Kovac as Bayern host minnows Union
>> BERLIN: Pressure is mounting on head coach Niko Kovac as injuryhit Bayern Munich look to beat minnows Union Berlin today with just two points separating the top nine Bundesliga teams.
Third-placed Bayern are only a point behind leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach, having been knocked off the top three weeks ago when Hoffenheim grabbed a shock 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena.
Union Berlin, in 14th place, have already beaten top-six clubs Dortmund and Freiburg in their first Bundesliga season and hope to deny Bayern a first win in three league games.
Club chairman Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge branded Bayern “careless” in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League win at Olympiakos and called on the team to beat Union at home to “meet the standard FC Bayern has set” by regaining first place in the league.
However, a worry for Kovac is Bayern’s trend of conceding exactly two goals in each of their last five games, on top of their defensive woes with first-choice centre-backs Niklas Suele and Lucas Hernandez out long term.
Sport Bild is tipping Ralf Rangnick, sports director at rivals RB Leipzig, to step in if Kovac is fired.
The magazine claims time is running out for Kovac, 48, as Uli
Hoeness, his chief supporter at the club, stands down as club president next month.
However, Union’s head coach Urs Fischer refuses to perceive starstudded Bayern as vulnerable.
“We can try to force mistakes from them and if you make it easy for them, you are going to have problems,” said the Swiss.
With a phenomenal 18 goals in 13 games, Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski can claim a new Bundesliga record of scoring in each of the first nine league games if he hits the net.
Kovac is not the only Bundesliga coach with reason to feel nervous as Jose Mourinho has been linked to Lucien Favre’s at Borussia Dortmund, who are a point behind Gladbach in fourth before today’s Ruhr derby against seventh-placed Schalke.
“The hairs on the back of my neck go up when I talk about it,” admitted Schalke coach David Wagner before his first derby.
FIXTURES
(kick-offs 8.30pm Thai time unless stated)
Today
Bayern Munich v Union Berlin, Hertha Berlin v Hoffenheim, Freiburg v RB Leipzig, Schalke v Borussia Dortmund, Paderborn v Fortuna Duesseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen v Werder Bremen (11.30pm)
Tomorrow Wolfsburg v Augsburg (9.30pm), Borussia Moenchengladbach v Eintracht Frankfurt (midnight)