Leipzig vs Bayern Munich: Naglesmann takes on former side
It’s set to be a very interesting match as Leipzig and Bayern Munich lock horns on Saturday, with new Bayern boss Julian Naglesmann facing his former players for the first time. This match, although new as Leipzig were only founded in 2009 and only made their top flight debut in 2016, has been a closely contested affair as of late. In fact, Bayern have won just one their last four clashes against Leipzig, while drawing the other three.
That being said, die Roten Bullen haven’t been in the best form lately. They come into this match having lost 1-0 to Wolfsburg, which marks their second defeat from their first three games. Despite cruising to a 4-0 win over Stuttgart in an highly anticipated and historic clash, the fact remains that Jesse Marsch’s side have earned just three points from three matches, which is the worst start for Leipzig in their nascent history. Points have been really hard to come by on the road for Leipzig, but fortunately the same doesn’t apply when playing at home, where they’ve lost just one of their last 10 at the Red Bull Arena.
Leipzig face a tricky week ahead – after playing Bayern, they will open their Champions League campaign against last season’s runners-up and Premier League winners Manchester City. That daunting task will certainly weigh on their minds, but for now, Marsch will be firmly focused on the tough task coming up. Despite managing draws in three of their last four meetings with Bayern, the fact remains that Leipzig have been unable to win any of their last seven ties against the Bavarian titans, and in fact, have won just one of their prior 12.
Bayern, for their part, are now starting to roar to life once again. The reigning champs did look a bit off the pace as they stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach, but have since kicked into second gear, and will come into this tie having won all four of their last quartet of games across all comps. That includes again beating Dortmund in the DFL Super Cup, while ruthlessly dispatching both Hertha Berlin 5-0 and in a vintage Bayern performance, showing no mercy on lower-tier side Bremer SV in the DFB-Pokal, racking up 12 goals despite fielding a second-strong side. It was a great opportunity for fringe players like Choupo-Moting, who grabbed a poker, to get some playing time and in his case, pad his stats a bit.
That being said, Bayern have had their issues, namely in their travels, and will be hoping to avoid a negative result here. And Robert Lewandowski, who has again raced to the top of the scoring charts with five goals so far, will be seeking to edge ever so closer to matching – and eventually breaking – another record set by the late icon Gerd Muller. Muller notably scored in 16 consecutive Bundesliga matches during the 1969/1970 season, and Lewandowski, who has now netted over 300 goals for die Roten, has to hopefully score in three more to match that amazing feat. Given that he’s scored in all three of Bayern’s league games this season, it’s hard to imagine him not doing so on Saturday.
