Ten-man Bayern Munich suffered a morale-sapping fourth straight defeat by losing 1-0 to Augsburg on Saturday in the Bundesliga ahead of their mission-impossible Champions League semi-final, second-leg against Barcelona.
Augsburg’s Paraguay striker Raul Bobadilla followed on from Barcelona’s Lionel Messi by inflicting more misery on German league champions Bayern who are poised for a last four exit from the Champions League.
Bayern host Barca in Tuesday’s home semi-final facing an uphill task having been routed 3-0 in Spain last Wednesday, when Messi scored twice, which followed defeats to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup semi-final and a league defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.
Coach Pep Guardiola named a near full-strength team against Augsburg, resting only Xabi Alonso and Neuer.
But the German giants played nearly 80 minutes with ten men in Munich after ex-Liverpool and Barcelona goalkeeper Pepe Reina was shown a straight red card.
Germany goalkeeper Neuer came on to face a penalty after his under-study Reina was sent off with just 13 minutes gone for fouling Bobadilla.
Dutch defender Paul Verhaegh hit the post with the spot-kick having beaten the diving Neuer as the visitors squandered their best chance of the game.
Mario Goetze hit the Augsburg post early on and striker Robert Lewandowski clattered the crossbar late in the first-half for Bayern.
Augsburg grabbed the winner when Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg, on loan from Bayern, put in a cross which Bobadilla deftly back-heeled past Neuer on 71 minutes.
With two games left, Borussia Moenchengladbach are virtually assured a direct Champions League place next season after their 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen moved them up to second behind Bayern.
Germany striker Max Kruse, who is set to join Wolfsburg next season, put them ahead when he converted Patrick Herrmann’s 50th-minute pass before the Gladbach winger added their second on 81 minutes.
Guinea forward Ibrahima Traore then claimed his second in two games when he blasted the third in from the right two minutes from time.
The win moves Lucien Favre’s Gladbach up to second ahead of Wolfsburg, who are at Paderborn on Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund are on the verge of a Europa League place next season after enjoying a 2-0 win at home to Hertha Berlin.
Goals by defenders Neven Subotic and Erik Durm lifted Dortmund to seventh and two points behind sixth-placed neighbours Schalke who are at Cologne on Sunday.
With Germany winger Marco Reus rested, Subotic headed home on nine minutes before Henrikh Mkhitaryan provided his second assist when his pass found Durm and the World Cup-winner rifled home his first goal of the season on 47 minutes.
Hanover remain third from bottom after their 1-1 draw at home to Werder Bremen while Stuttgart will stay in last place regardless of the result of their home match against Mainz on Saturday night.
Mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim while Hamburg stayed above the relegation places with a 1-1 draw at home to Freiburg on Friday thanks to Gojko Kacar’s 90th-minute equaliser.
