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Bundesliga 6mos ago
Will Bayern consolidate second place?
Source:Bundesliga

Bayern Munich will look to tighten their grip on second place and guarantee their place in next season's UEFA Champions League against an Eintracht Frankfurt outfit also in the hunt for European football on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST).

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With Bayer Leverkusen having already sewn up the title, Bayern's 11-year dominance of the Meisterschale is a thing of the past. However, Thomas Tuchel's side have dealt with that setback admirably, winning each of their last two games in all competitions. The 1-0 victory over Arsenal at the Allianz Arena saw them through to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, where Real Madrid await, while the 5-1 win at Union Berlin illustrated their desire to end the domestic season strongly too. They currently sit second in the table, three points ahead of Stuttgart with four games remaining. Harry Kane was on the scoresheet at the Stadion an der Alten Forsterei to take his season Bundesliga tally to 33 strikes, and he will be expected to lead the line once again here. Tuchel, though, will have to make do without the services of Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman, while Serge Gnabry is unlikely to be available too, although he is back in training after suffering a hamstring injury. Sacha Boey joins them on the sidelines, but Jamal Musiala, who was rested from the matchday squad altogether versus Union, should return here.

Frankfurt, meanwhile, are looking to close in on European qualification - sixth place could still secure a place in any of the three UEFA competitions depending on how the remainder of the season pans out. They took a huge step in that direction on Matchday 30 as they beat their closest rivals Augsburg 3-1, and are now five points clear of Freiburg in seventh. January loan signing Hugo Ekitike bagged his maiden Bundesliga goal against Die Fuggerstadter and will look to add to his tally in Munich. It was not all good news for Frankfurt in that triumph, though, as Eric Dina Ebimbe was brought off late into the second half after suffering a hip issue - it remains to be seen whether the injury is anything serious and if he can be involved at the Allianz Arena. Definitely out of contention are Jean-Matteo Bahoya, Sebastian Rode and Sasa Kalajdzic. The Eagles will be looking to leading goalscorer Omar Marmoush to make an offensive impact alongside Ekitike.

Watch: Bayern hammer Union

Match stats Kane has scored against 15 of the 17 clubs he has faced in the Bundesliga - one of the two he has so far drawn a blank against is Frankfurt (the other is Freiburg). Bayern have scored 87 goals this term in the Bundesliga - the fourth-highest total after 30 matchdays. Only Youssoufa Moukoko and Florian Wirtz (both 13) managed more German top-flight goals by their 19th birthday than Mathys Tel (11). Last week, Ekitike became Frankfurt's 284th goalscorer in the Bundesliga - a league record. The Eagles have won three of their previous six Bundesliga meetings with Bayern, including a 5-1 triumph during the first half of this campaign. Marmoush has 11 goals and six assists in the Bundesliga this season - only 10 players have been involved in more strikes. Get Kane in your Fantasy team for 22.9m!

Probable teams Bayern: Neuer (c) - Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui - Goretzka, Laimer - Tel, Muller, Musiala - KaneOut: Sane (groin), Coman (groin), Gnabry (hamstring), Boey (hip), Sarr (cruciate ligament)Doubtful: -Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Frankfurt: Trapp (c) - Buta, Koch, Pacho, Max - Knauff, Gotze, Shkiri, Chaibi - Ekitike, MarmoushOut: Bahoya (ankle), Rode (knee), Kalajdzic (knee)Doubtful: Dina Ebimbe (hip)Coach: Dino Toppmoller

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