After 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles, Bayern Munich faltered last season as Bayer Leverkusen delivered an undefeated season. Bayern has spent the summer revamping its roster with fresh blood, including new manager Vincent Kompany.
The transfer window is open for a few more weeks and will likely see a few familiar faces leave the Rekordmeister. Regardless of how the roster shapes up, Kompany has the squad focused on capturing some hardware during his first campaign.
Here are the predictions from BFW’s writers for the upcoming season.
LoneStar249
Most Valuable Player: Jamal Musiala
Musiala is a perfect fit for Kompany’s high pressure, quick passing system. With an aggressive team approach, Musiala will be able to devastate defenses in transition and the half spaces. Expect Musiala to score 20+ goals and serve up 10+ assists across all competitions.
Biggest Surprise: Mathys Tel
Tel was Bayern’s third leading scorer last season but struggled with consistent form under Thomas Tuchel. The 19-year old attacker is a year older and wiser and has looked dangerous during the preseason tour.
Biggest Disappointment: Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller will go down as one of the greatest Bayern players of all time. Unfortunately, his swan song will mostly be spent on the bench as Kompany figures out the right formula for success. Müller will still find around 1,500 minutes but fans will find it painful for Müller to be overlooked in key matches.
Best Addition: João Palhinha
Palhinha will need a couple months to find his full form with the new club, but he will be a guaranteed member of the starting XI by the end of the season. He’ll take a lot of the defensive burden off players like Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović, allowing the whole squad to thrive.
Bundesliga: 1st Place
There’s literally zero chance that Leverkusen pulls off another immaculate season. Bayern will jump out of the gates quickly and have the Bundesliga wrapped up before May.
Champions League: Quarterfinals
Bayern has been the victim of some ruthless matchups in recent years. This squad feels like it’s a year or two away from winning the club’s next Champions League trophy.
DFB-Pokal: 1st Place
Bayern has only reached the quarterfinals once in the past four years, but this roster is much deeper and better positioned to avoid those weird German Cup collapses against inferior opponents.
Frank
Most Valuable Player: Harry Kane
It may be somewhat boring to pick the standout player of the previous season in this category, but Kane is heading into this season under a bit of a cloud. He not only failed to win a trophy in his first season at what seemed like the most likely club that could win trophies in the world, he not only has back issues that troubled him for the last few months but he also returns to Bayern having just lost in the European Championship final. People do not believe in him now as much as they did six months ago. But with the offense refreshed by the signing of Michael Olise and the other forwards given another shot at a clean bill of health, there is no reason he should not be able to equal or even surpass the phenomenal 44 goals he scored in his debut season.
Biggest Surprise: Sacha Boey
There were initial doubts about the signing of Boey due to the circumstances of his arrival and those doubts grew as his previously excellent injury record became blemished by consecutive long term injuries. Understandably, fans are worried that Boey will not live up to expectations. But Boey has the ability to prove his doubters wrong with his phenomenal physical gifts, underrated ability on the ball and perfect fit in Vincent Kompany’s system. Honorable mention goes to Javier Fernandez, who I wrote a section about that I ultimately scrapped because Boey is a slightly better candidate.
Biggest Disappointment: Alphonso Davies
Ah, the finicky nature of predictions. Perhaps, by the time you are reading this, Alphonso Davies has already moved to Real Madrid. Perhaps he will move to the Spanish giants before the summer transfer window closes. But this prediction is based off of the very real possibility that he will stay and simply disappoint in his final Bavarian season before donning the jersey of the Madristas next season. It will be difficult for Davies to muster up a lot of motivation to play for a team he does not want to stay at and he will continue his pattern of rather disappointing performances from previous seasons.
Best Addition: Michael Olise
I think Michael Olise has comfortably the best chance of becoming Bayern’s best signing. He will be given a massive chance to win the position of right sided attacker from an injury plagued Leroy Sané, which he will make his own in no time with the kind of performances he has shown at Crystal Palace and France at the Olympics.
Bundesliga: 1st place
All right, Bayer. You had your chance to advertise your stocks (which still plummeted in 2024, by the way) by having your Bayer Leverkusen team win the Bundesliga. But your time is up now. In all seriousness, each of the top 5 Bundesliga clubs (excluding poor VFB Stuttgart) have had good transfer windows so far and I expect a close race, but the cream always rises to the top eventually.
Champions League: Semifinals
Vincent Kompany’s inexperience certainly will not aid Bayern in the Champions League and they will ultimately fall short, but after extending their incredible unbeaten run in the Champions League group stages, the Bavarian giants will finish in the top 8 in the league before powering their way through to the semifinals, falling short of yet another final.
DFB-Pokal: Farther than the 2nd round
Look, this is not a prediction. This is a plea. Just don’t go out before the third round again.
RIPLT
Most Valuable Player: Michael Olise
I’ve gone a slightly different route with this Olise nomination. I was originally going to place him in “Biggest Surprise“ and explain how he’s a winger that scores and assists which Bayern lacked for a while, but for that same reason I will say he’s going to come in clutch this season. Had Bayern dawdled on him before he showcased his skills at the Olympics, his price would’ve gone way up.
Biggest Surprise: Nestory Irankunda
While Irankunda didn’t exactly light up Bayern’s preseason, he’s probably saving it for later in the season where he will blow everyone away. Just you watch, he’s going to turn into prime Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery in one.
Biggest Disappointment: Leon Goretzka
Frauding against weaker teams in preseason is not a good look for the out-of-favor midfielder. As for him wanting to fight for his place, it’s not like he’s going to get any minutes anyway barring injuries to first-team players. Case in point, he’s being pushed out by the club, clearly indicating omission from their plans.
Best Addition: João Palhinha
Bayern have not had a proper #6 since Javi Martinez (despite what Joshua Kimmich might tell you), and the center-backs that are usually solid are often hung out to dry by the midfield getting bodied way too often. Having a physical destroyer will surely help Bayern take control of the middle and provide stability to the team.
Bundesliga: 1st Place
Bayern may not have done as many moves in the transfer market as we would’ve hoped for, but this squad should be enough to wrestle the Meisterschale back from Leverkusen who is unlikely to repeat their ridiculous 2023/24 season.
Champions League: 1st Place
Stop jeering and hear me out: as long as the team is not drawn against Real Madrid, Bayern is winning the Finale Dahoam.
DFB-Pokal: 1st Place
About time Bayern stopped humiliating themselves and just run through everyone en route to their first Pokal win in five years. The club has gone out far too often to teams they should be beating (apart from Gladbach, that team has dark magic coursing throughout their institution).
Zippy
Most Valuable Player: Leroy Sané
Sané is building off two strong seasons in a row and is still a forgotten man at times, held to standards of production consistency that would have run Thomas Müller out of town. After Thomas Tuchel ran him into the ground last Hinrunde, Sané will stay healthy and hungry and remind the world why he’s one of the most explosive attackers in the world.
Biggest Surprise: Josip Stanišić
Still a relative unknown in a Bayern jersey, the Croatian international has ample opportunity before him with the sale of Noussair Mazraoui to Manchester United. Joshua Kimmich is back in midfield and Stanišić will grab hold of the right-back position on his way to a hefty contract extension.
Biggest Disappointment: Max Eberl
The lauded sporting director does not appear to be navigating the friction and the spotlight at Bayern comfortably. Juggling the supervisory board’s tightening purse strings could be leaving Eberl more frustrated than he has expected, and he will bear the brunt of the heat for anything less than a treble. He could end the season asking himself how much longer he is going to stick it out in this job.
Best Addition: João Palhinha
Turns out a new No. 6 was all Bayern needed. Palhinha will unleash Joshua Kimmich and finally bring stability behind Bayern’s attack. It all makes so much sense, everyone wonders why Bayern didn’t do it before.
Somewhere Thomas Tuchel, seething, flings his bowl of rice at the wall. It shatters to pieces. He starts to tweet but thinks better of it. He’s the Manchester United coach now, and has a Europa League position to salvage mid-season. Besides. He’s got Scott McTominay.
Tuchel reaches for his drink. It’s a cup of João…er, joe. Dammit.
Bundesliga: 2nd Place
An invincible season is not a fluke and Xabi Alonso is the real deal. Bayer Leverkusen has lost what, Adam Hlozek to TSG Hoffenheim? Die Werkself has kept its coach and its core, from the likes of Florian Wirtz in attack to Granit Xhaka in midfield down to Edmond Tapsoba and yes, Jonathan Tah in defense.
Bayern is in transition with an aging roster it wanted to downsize but hasn’t — instead selling off two young players heading into their primes (Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui) to Manchester United. The Leverkusen window has not closed and Xabi will make good on it.
Champions League: Final
Bayern is still Bayern and everyone will be locked in for the final in Munich. A combination of luck of the draw and rising to the occasion gets them there, but Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid — who else? — breaks hearts and ensures the season ends on a mixed note.
DFB-Pokal: Champions
The Bavarians and Harry Kane are taking home one trophy this year, taking down rivals Borussia Dortmund in the process to add some salve to the wounds. The run of fluky Pokal results must end. Come on, what’s going to happen? Losing to FC Saarbrücken?
CSmith
Most Valuable Player: Harry Kane
If he can stay healthy (and get his butt into the box more consistently), Kane might be poised to have a monster season. If anything, Bayern Munich should generate a lot of chances and Kane will — hopefully — be poised and ready to take advantage of that.
Biggest Surprise: Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich in the midfield vs. Kimmich at right-back presents many Bayern Munich fans with the opportunity to break out that Drake meme. However, Kimmich has gotten a bad rap over the years and some fans just have soured on him because they do not like his attitude. This will be a season — not shockingly, the final year of his contract — where Kimmich will win over the adoration of the fans with his performances in the central midfield.
Biggest Disappointment: Alphonso Davies
Likely on his way out the door, Davies is in an absolute “prove it” season. While some have theorized that he has plateaued at Bayern Munich, Davies does have the chance to prove those doubters wrong…he just won’t. With free agency looming, the focus for Davies will be more on staying healthy than improve those weaker parts of his game. By the second half of the season, he might not even be a regular starter.
Best Addition: Michael Olise
Bayern Munich invested in Olise to bring some consistency to the position — and Olise could finally be the player to push Leroy Sane into either raising his level of play consistently or wilting away into the background. As of now, there four, well-paid, viable options at wing. The acquisition of Olise ensure competition will be fierce.
Bundesliga: 1st
Bayer Leverkusen cannot do it again (can it?). VfB Stuttgart feels like it is one or two players away from really be a serious threat over the long haul of a season. Borussia Dortmund is very interesting, but is not worthy of any faith just yet. RB Leipzig will need some time to figure it all out. If Bayern Munich cannot win the league this season, it would be an epic failure, which should lead to the sacking of the entire front office.
Champions League: Quarterfinals
By the time, Vincent Kompany hits this round of the UCL, the squad will either be very injured or very hard to manage. This will be a typical “walk before you can run” scenario. The team will need to figure things out and a bad quarterfinals draw will likely see the Bavarians bow out earlier than most fans would like.
DFB-Pokal: Semifinals
Similar to the Champions League, Bayern Munich will certainly have the talent to win the Pokal, but it feels like a slip-up could be on the horizon. This season is all about re-establishing dominance. Is the team ready to do that? Maybe, but it feels like it would be asking a lot to capture a double.
Looking for more thoughts on Bayern Munich’s transfer window, plus our takes on Manuel Neuer’s retirement from the German national team? What about some predictions on how Bayern Munich will do this season? Great, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
