German football's traditional curtain-raiser, the DFL Supercup, takes centre-stage on Sunday evening, which sees Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac take on his former club - Eintracht Frankfurt. Frankfurt lifted the German Cup at the expense of Bayern last May, so 'Die Roten' will be hoping to get their revenge.
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Frankfurt: Ante Rebic, who inspired Frankfurt's 3-1 cup final victory, is unlikely to feature after returning to training late after the World Cup, alongside new goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow who is still recovering from a knee injury.
Bayern: Kovac has virtually his entire squad to choose from, with the exception of World Cup winner Corentin Tolisso and possibly James Rodriguez, who may have to face a late fitness test.
Adi Hutter (Frankfurt boss): “It’s obviously going to be very special to walk out to a packed Commerzbank-Arena and then face such strong opponents. A game in front of these supporters against the best team in Germany – it’s going to be really special. It’s a very important game for us as we’re playing for a trophy we want to win. I want to see us put into practice the things we’ve been working on these past six weeks of pre-season. We’re not at 100 per cent just yet - we can’t be with all the World Cup returnees and new signings - but I want to see positive signs and I want us to show the right attitude from the very first minute."
Kovac: "It's a special game for me, but there's a trophy up for grabs too. The Supercup is an important title for me. It's all about picking up that first trophy."
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-3 Bayern
FRANKFURT PREDICTED XI: Wiedwald, Abraham, Hasebe, Salcedo, Da Costa, Torro, Fernandes, Willems, Fabian, Gacinovic, Haller
BAYERN PREDICTED XI: Neuer, Kimmich, Hummels, Süle, Alaba, Martinez, Thiago, Robben, Müller, Ribery, Lewandowski