Our next opponents: Kane’s goals instil confidence in Bayern

Position

There was great delight in the Bayern camp after their 2-1 win away at Borussia Mönchengladbach – their first victory on their bogey team’s patch for some four-and-a-half years. The Munich club had also failed to win any of their previous five competitive encounters with Gladbach (D2, L3). “It did us good to win here,” said Joshua Kimmich after the game in which Borussia had held a 1-0 half-time lead through Ko Itakura. It was then pretty much all Bayern after the restart, and they drew level through Leroy Sane, but had to wait until the 87th minute for substitute Mathys Tel to grab the winner. “We didn’t let the goal knock us, but kept our rhythm high,” explained Leon Goretzka. Coach Thomas Tuchel added: “The second half was our best half this season.” Stats of 65% possession, 52-7 shots, 15-1 corners and 23-7 crosses underline Bayern’s dominance in the game.

The defending champions had actually opened their campaign with a 3-0 defeat at home to RB Leipzig in the Supercup, but it’s been smooth sailing so far in the Bundesliga. An opening 4-0 win away at Werder Bremen was followed by a 3-1 victory at home to Augsburg and then the result in Gladbach that leaves Bayern as the only team alongside Leverkusen to boast a perfect haul of nine points so far. The Munich side sit second behind Bayer 04 on goal difference. “Three wins to start are very good. It feels good,” said Tuchel, who is also going into Friday’s big game with great respect for the league leaders. “It’ll definitely be a tough one,” the coach added.

Personnel

Like opposite number Xabi Alonso, Tuchel will also be hoping that he gets all his players back fit and ready to play after the international break. Bayern had 16 members of their squad on duty for various national teams, compared to 15 from Leverkusen. One of the few who remained in Munich was Jamal Musiala. The 20-year-old attacker missed the last two Bundesliga games with a thigh strain and also pulled out of Germany’s friendlies with a back complain. Musiala returned to light training at the start of the week and should be involved again on Friday. Raphael Guerreiro is still unlikely to feature. The summer signing from Borussia Dortmund tore a calf muscle around seven weeks ago and was still only training individually recently. First-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is also still only in recovery training following his broken leg, meaning Sven Ulreich will continue to deputise.

One new signing who appears a certainty in the Bayern starting XI is South Korean centre-back Min-Jae Kim, who has partnered Dayot Upamecano in the first three league games. A summer arrival from Napoli, Kim’s nickname is ‘Monster’. The 1.90-metre-tall defender isn’t just strong in challenges but also quick and mobile. The full-back roles have been fulfilled lately by Alphonso Davies on the left and Noussair Mazraoui on the right, who made way for another new signing, Konrad Laimer (RB Leipzig) in the second half against Gladbach.

The midfield duo in Bayern’s 4-2-3-1 formation has been Kimmich and Goretzka. On the wings are Kingsley Coman and the in-form Sane, who scored Germany’s second in Tuesday’s friendly win over Coman’s France. The attacking midfield berth has been contested between Thomas Müller – also a scorer against France – and Serge Gnabry, or even Musiala if fit in time. Up front, Bayern have their record signing Harry Kane, who’s already proven his quality in the Bundesliga, scoring three times in his first three league outings for the record champions and setting up another goal. The England captain was also on target on Tuesday as the Three Lions beat Scotland 3-1. The 30-year-old arrived in Germany on the back of 280 goals in 435 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur and was a three-time English Premier League top scorer.

Performers

Bayern have produced top numbers both in attack and defence already this season. Their tally of 69 shots is the most in the division, while they’ve only conceded twice – also a league best. No Bundesliga team has delivered as many crosses as Bayern (50) or boasts a better pass completion rate (89%). The Munich side also have great pace out wide, with Davies, Sane and Coman among the fastest players in the Bundesliga. And they boast a top-class goalscorer up front in Kane after going a year without a real centre-forward.

Problems

Bayern’s desire for a further holding midfielder went unfulfilled during the transfer window as they missed out on the seemingly certain signing of Joao Palhinha from Fulham, but the deal collapsed as the English side were unable to find a replacement in time. The Bundesliga champions were also said to be in the market for a right-back, including the potential re-signing of Joao Cancelo, but none came. It means Bayern go into the season with only six senior defenders after the losses of Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), Lucas Hernandez (PSG) and Josip Stansic, who came to the BayArena on loan. Sadio Mane (Al Nassr), Yann Sommer (Inter) and Marcel Sabitzer (Dortmund) also left the club. “We’re thinner,” said Tuchel. “It’s a good squad, but a bit brave in some positions.”

Prediction

Given the smaller squad and the number of midweek fixtures to come, Bayern will be hoping they can make it to new year with as few injuries as possible. They can then look for further reinforcements in the January window. However, the current squad is obviously full of enough talent to make the defending champions favourites again to retain their crown for a 12th consecutive season. In the UEFA Champions League, the Munich club have been drawn alongside Copenhagen, Galatasaray and Manchester United. A run of three straight home games will now show Tuchel where his team is really at, as Bayern follow the Werkself’s visit by welcoming United to the Allianz Arena five days later. Then Bochum come to Munich three days after that.