SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich preview - No gifts from Bayern

Posted Friday, May 15, 2015 by PA

Bayern Munich are to show no mercy on Freiburg when they had to the Black Forest this weekend, committed to getting three more Bundesliga points.

Elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday means the Bundesliga champions will end the season with just the one title.

Having taken their foot off the accelerator in the league in recent weeks to focus on trying to reach the final of the Champions League, Bayern are now set to put the pedal back down to the metal for their final two appointments of the season.

Freiburg, who need points to avoid relegation, can therefore expect nothing in the way of a gift from Pep Guardiola's men.

"Of course we want to win and to play as well as we can," Guardiola said at a press conference. "We're always serious."

Five other clubs involved in the tightest relegation battle ever in the Bundesliga will certainly be hoping Bayern take Saturday's game seriously, but they need not have any concerns, according to Sebastian Rode.

"We have a responsibility," he said. "All of the teams who are down there will be counting on us.

"We certainly want to win our remaining two games and celebrate our title in style."

Guardiola will not be able to name his strongest team even if he wanted to, though. In addition to the injured David Alaba, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, he is without the suspended Dante and Pepe Reina.

Whichever 11 players the Catalan does send into battle, it will be a side far superior to Freiburg, according to the home team's coach Christian Streich.

"Against Barcelona, they sent Sebastian Rode on and he nearly transformed the game all by himself," Streich said, reading little into the names he will see on the team sheets before kick-off.

"They may have some injuries, but they've still got some top players in their side.

"That's why we're not concerning ourselves with how Bayern could play. All we are focusing on is how we play this Saturday.

"We want to play good football and do everything to make Bayern's life difficult."

Freiburg go into the final two games of the season ahead of the relegation zone only on goal difference and no matter what happens on Saturday, their destiny will only be decided when they travel to Hannover on the final weekend of the season.