Position
Bayern went behind for the first time this season against a courageous FC Köln side. However, the hosts' not undeserved lead only lasted five minutes. Luis Diaz and Harry Kane turned the Pokal tie round within 180 seconds. In the second half, the visitors then demonstrated their superior quality. Harry Kane, with goal number 22 in his 14th match this term, and Michael Olise sealed the victory at the Rheinenergiestadion.
Bayer Munich had to put in some hard work in the Bundesliga last Saturday at Borussia Mönchengladbach. "That was definitely a waiting game," said Joshua Kimmich, who put Bayern ahead with his goal just after the hour mark. Against a battling Gladbach side, who were a man down after 19 minutes when Jens Castrop was sent off, substitutes Raphael Guerreiro (69’) and Lennart Karl (80’) completed the scoring in an ultimately convincing 3-0 win for FCB.
After suffering two defeats against Benfica (0-1) and Paris Saint-Germain (0-2) at the FIFA Club World Cup in June, Bayern then went on to record win after win. They won the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart (2-1), dispatched RB Leipzig 6-0 in their Bundesliga opener, beat Hamburg SV (5-0), Werder Bremen (4-0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0) and finally prevailed in the top match against Borussia Dortmund (2-1). Bayern Munich's record in the current UEFA Champions League campaign is also impeccable: After three wins against Chelsea (3:1), Cypriot club Pafos (5-1) and most recently Club Brugge (4-0), they are currently second in the UCL league phase table behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Personnel
While keeper Manuel Neuer, who was suspended for the game in Cologne, is expected to return in goal, coach Vincent Kompany will still have to manage without Jamal Musiala, Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies against the Werkself. All three players are still in rehab after serious injuries. Left-back Davies tore his cruciate ligament while playing for Canada last March. In the same month, centre-back Ito suffered a broken metatarsal for the third time in the 3-2 win against FC St. Pauli. Musiala suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle in a collision at the Club World Cup in the USA in the summer.
For the first time since his move to Munich, Jonathan Tah will be reunited with his former Bayer 04 team-mates on Saturday night. The centre-back wore the Bayer 04 jersey for ten years and he featured for the Werkself in numerous memorable clashes with FC Bayern. Now the 29-year-old is on the other side. Tah is also a regular starter at FCB. So far, he has mostly played alongside Dayot Upamecano in central defence. However, Min-Jae Kim and Josip Stanisic, who won the double with the Werkself in 2023/24, have also been deployed in that role. The latter made his comeback in Cologne after several weeks out injured. The Croat played in his usual position at left-back. Konrad Laimer, Sacha Boey and Raphael Guerreiro are also available for the back four.
Central midfield is also strong with Germany internationals Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlovic. For the attack, which lost four well-known players in Thomas Müller, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sané and Mathys Tel, Bayern Munich signed Luis Diaz, among others. The new signing from Liverpool has been in the starting XI for all of the club's fixtures so far this season. Left winger Diaz has 13 goal involvements in 14 appearances (eight goals, five assists). Only Harry Kane can better that with 22 goals and three assists. Michael Olise on the right flank is also on top form. The Frenchman, who scored twelve goals and provided 19 assists last season, has scored seven times this term and provided just as many assists. Serge Gnabry (3/4), who is usually deployed as a ten, is also having an impressive season.
Homegrown youngster Lennart Karl has also impressed up front recently. The 17-year-old became the youngest German Champions League goalscorer with his remarkable strike in the 4-0 win against Club Brugge. Karl also scored an excellent goal in the 3-0 win at Mönchengladbach. Nicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea, has yet to find the back of the net in the Bundesliga, but has already scored twice and set up a goal in the Champions League.
Problems
Bayern Munich have hardly shown any weak points so far this season. There is only room for improvement in the number of duels won. FCB have only won 46 per cent so far. That is the worst figure in the Bundesliga. At half-time at Mönchengladbach, the visitors had 8 to 0 shots on goal and 81 per cent possession, but only won 39 per cent of challenges. FC Bayern struggled for a long time against Borussia, who defended deep with a man down. FC Köln also managed to put Bayern under pressure on Wednesday night, at least in the first 30 minutes, with their bold and aggressive play.
Performers
30 goals in the first eight league games, an average of almost four says everything about Bayern's attacking prowess. Never before has a team in the Bundesliga scored that many goals in the first eight fixtures. Harry Kane, top scorer in the Bundesliga for the past two years, is already at the top of the list again this season with twelve goals. The England international scored his 100th goal in his 104th competitive match for Bayern Munich against Werder Bremen. No other plyer in Europe's top five leagues has ever reached that mark faster.
The record champions currently lead the Bundesliga statistics in almost all categories: Shots on goal (159), shooting accuracy (64%), counter-attacking goals (4), possession (65.1%), goals from set-pieces (10), passes (5,371) and pass completion (90%) - Bayern Munich are top everywhere. And not just in terms of the attack: Bayern have also conceded the fewest goals to date (4), have the most clean sheets (5) together with Borussia Dortmund and have conceded the fewest shots on goal (68). FC Bayern are also the benchmark in terms of athleticism: no Bundesliga team runs more, with Kimmich and Co. averaging 122.3 kilometres per game. This ground covered was not typical for FC Bayern in recent years. But under Kompany, the team has cultivated an intensive, elaborate pressing game that demands a lot from the forwards.
