15.12.2014 17:19 h

Bullish Freiburg boss aims to tackle Bayern head on

Coach Christian Streich has urged his struggling Freiburg side to tackle run-away Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich head on in Tuesday's Bundesliga match despite his team losing several key players to injury.

Freiburg, who are 15th and just above the relegation places, are yet to win at Munich's Allianz Arena having suffered 13 defeats and two draws, coming away with a 4-0 thrashing the last time they played there in February.

Streich's side, who have won just two of their 15 league matches this season, have been weakened by injuries to key midfielders Vladimir Darida and Jonathan Schmid.

Strikers Philipp Zulechner and Mike Frantz are also ruled out with a cold and a bruised shin respectively.

But despite their poor form and missing personnel, Streich dismissed any talk of damage limitation against Bayern who have won 12 of their 15 league games and are nine points clear in the German league table.

"Damage limitation - that's not something we're into," said Streich, whose side last won more than a month ago.

"We want to take the bull by the horns.

"We have lost only five of our fifteen games and are unbeaten in the other ten.

"So we're going with lots of energy to Munich."

Bayern's Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso is their main concern as the 33-year-old has a cold while fellow defensive midfielder Sebastian Rode has a sore toe.

Bayern have conceded just three goals all season and last lost to Freiburg in 1996, but their coach Pep Guardiola, as is his custom, said the team must be on their guard against a Freiburg side who play "with their heads".

Bayern are in the middle of playing three games in six days, they thrashed Augsburg 4-0 away on Saturday, before travelling to Mainz for their final league match of the year on Friday.