The second half of the Bundesliga season is about to get underway, and who better to kick it off than league-dominating Bayern Munich? They won’t be at home -- that’s almost a shame considering how energetic the Allianz Arena crowd is -- but their visit to Hamburger SV should be incredibly entertaining all the same, with the runaway league leaders facing off with a surprising member of the midtable crowd.
Bayern Munich vs. Hamburger SV 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The rückrunde -- the second half of the Bundesliga season -- is kicking off with the league leaders up first.
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Everyone assumed that HSV would be fighting off relegation once again, and it was easy to see why -- they finished in the relegation “playout” spot each of the last two years and only barely avoided relegation each time. They made significant changes to their squad this summer, yes, but HSV didn’t look like they’d be a much better team, just a different one. They’re sitting in 10th place, though, and closer to a European place than the relegation zone. Do they stand a chance against Bayern? No, probably not. But they’ve been good for a few surprises this season, and they’re going to fight like crazy to create another one in this match.
Key player -- Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
With HSV likely to set up to try to avoid giving up goals, Coman’s pace will be a vital cog to Bayern’s attack as they try to unlock what’s almost certain to be a tight-packed defense. He’s been incredibly impressive since coming over from Juventus this summer, and the young Frenchman will be key to Guardiola’s plans in this match. If he can keep being impressive, Bayern are going to have a much easier time getting the result they want.
Key matchup -- Emir Spahic (HSV) vs. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
As Hamburg’s top defender, it’s up to Spahic to do something, anything to slow Lewandowski down. The Polish striker has gone on a couple jaw-dropping scoring runs this season, and is a constant and terrifying goalscoring threat. Spahic can hang with most of the better strikers around, but this is a totally different challenge. If he’s not up to the task, this game could be effectively over before you can blink.
Hamburger SV injuries and suspensions
Out: Marcelo Diaz, Nicolai Muller, Albin Ekdal, Cleber, Gojko Kacar, Andrea Hirzel, Ronny Marcos
Bayern Munich injuries and suspensions
Out: Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben, Mario Gotze, Franck Ribery, Mehdi Benatia, Juan Bernat
Match Date/Time: Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. local
Venue: Imtech Arena, Hamburg, Germany
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.), Sportsnet One (Canada), Sky Bundesliga 1/HD (Germany), BT Sport 2 (Germany)
Online: Fox Soccer 2 Go, Fox Sports Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany)
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