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Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann says he is “happy” the Bundesliga leaders will not be stripped of their victory over Freiburg following their 12-man mix-up.
The German top-flight champions fielded an additional player briefly during Saturday’s 4-1 league win, with Kingsley Coman staying on despite Nagelsmann making a double substitution.
Freiburg reluctantly lodged an appeal to the German Football Association (DFB) for their opponent to forfeit the result, though Nagelsmann may have been more preoccupied with a surprise midweek defeat.
Bayern were off the pace at Villarreal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final as they fell to a 1-0 loss, but a positive decision for the Bavarian giants on the DFB’s ruling was confirmed on Friday.
The league has decided to uphold the original result against Freiburg and the former RB Leizpig coach expressed his satisfaction after seeing the points preserved ahead of Saturday’s game with Augsburg.
“I’m happy we keep the points,” he told reporters at a pre-match news conference. “I think that’s quite normal.
“What’s important to me [is that] I’m in no way disappointed with Freiburg. The contest against the result has not changed that.”
Bayern take a nine-point lead into their clash at Allianz Arena, but could well be more focused upon their return leg against Unai Emery’s Villarreal in Europe.
Nagelsmann, however, says that both games are vital for him, laying out that he intends to rotate his side in order to help his squad find rhythm across two crucial games.
“We have a very important game on Tuesday, probably the most important game of the season,” he stated. “But [in] the Bundesliga, we also have to give players some rhythm.
“We will certainly rotate on a few positions. We will let Niklas Sule play from start, we will let [Leon Goretzka] play from the start.
“Alphonso Davies will have a break and [we’ll] give a couple [of other] players a little more rhythm for Tuesday.
“It’s a very important game for us tomorrow that we are taking very seriously, and are determined and desperate to win.”
One man expected to figure will be evergreen playmaker Thomas Muller, with the World Cup winner in line to feature against Augsburg.
If he does so, and if Bayern are victorious, the 32-year-old will become the first outfield player to amass 300 wins in the Bundesliga.
