Bundesliga Bayern Munich will be hosted by VfB Stuttgart on Friday, hoping for a strong performance ahead of next week’s Champions League last-16 first-leg tie.
While securing a win against Stuttgart is important to strengthen their position at the top, much of the Bayern’s attention in the Bundesliga is already on their upcoming showdown with Bayern Leverkusen.
Bayern have won eight of their last nine league games and sit eight points ahead of second-placed Leverkusen. However, they have struggled in the fixture, failing to win in their last six meetings.
“The game in Stuttgart is crucial for us because we want to protect our position in the standings,” said Bayern sports director Max Eberl in a press conference on Thursday.
“It will not be easy against a solid club that played in the Champions League this season. For us it is a Champions League game against a Champions League club. What it will mean for the Leverkusen game, we will have to wait and see.”
