Midfielder Thiago back for Bayern, Frankfurt fans to protest Monday night game
>> BERLIN: Midfield maestro Thiago Alcantara is expected to make his long-awaited return for Bayern Munich today, when the runaway Bundesliga leaders face Wolfsburg.
The Spaniard has been out for nearly three months after picking up a thigh injury against Anderlecht in November. Bayern are 18 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, with RB Leipzig leading the chasing pack.
Fan protests are expected when Leipzig travel to Eintracht Frankfurt for what will be the first Monday night fixture in Bundesliga history.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund will have key midfield trio Marco Reus, Andre Schuerrle and Mario Goetze fit to help fire them to victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach tomorrow.
Alcantara has spent three months on the treatment table. Now back to match fitness, Thiago is expected to start against Wolfsburg today, filling in for the suspended Arturo Vidal.
The midfielder last played in the Bundesliga in a 3-1 victory over Dortmund at the start of a few days before his injury. “It’s very important to have creative players like Thiago,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. “If I think back to the win against Dortmund, he played brilliantly in that game.”
Fan protests are expected i n Frankfurt when Eintracht Frankfurt host RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga’s first ever Monday night fixture. The new Monday night slot is part of the league’s most recent TV broadcasting rights package, but it is unpopular with supporters. Both Frankfurt and Leipzig fan groups are expected to voice their frustration during Monday’s game. On the pitch, Emil Forsberg is set to return to the Leipzig squad, having missed the last eight league games with a groin injury.
Tomorrow sees the battle of the Borussias, with Dortmund pinning hopes on their magical midfield trio against Moenchengladbach.
Schuerrle, Goetze and Marco Reus have all faced problems with form and fitness in recent years. All three of them, though, are expected to start against Gladbach amid hopes that they can return to their best form in the coming weeks. “If they can get even close to the kind of performances we have seen from them in the past, there is no doubt that they can play together,” said coach Peter Stoeger of the talented trio.