Here we are! For the first time in over a decade, Bayern Munich are NOT the ones kicking off a new season as the reigning champions. In fact, they’re not even the (overwhelming) favorites.
Everyone expects this season of the Bundesliga to be a tightly contested affair, with the all-conquering dominance of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen juxtaposed against the unknown quantity that is Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich. Despite adding the likes of Michael Olise and João Palhinha in the summer, the Bavarians still seem like underdogs in the title race.
Let’s see if this opening game vs Wolfsburg can change people’s perceptions.
Team news
Bayern Munich start the season with a few players already injured.
- Josip Stanišić is sidelined for up to eight weeks with a training injury.
- Hiroki Ito will be out for a few months due to a broken foot.
- Leroy Sané is still not at full fitness after undergoing groin surgery following the Euros.
Otherwise, Vincent Kompany can pick whoever he wants. The coach was mum about his lineup choices in the pregame press conference, so we’ll have to make some educated guesses.
First, we’ll assume that Harry Kane will start up top. He’s been slow to recover fitness after that back issue which held him back at the Euros, but seemed to be back to 100% in the recent friendly vs Grasshoppers.
Joining him should be Thomas Müller, but we know how coaches are weird about picking Müller. The 34-year-old certainly deserves to start on merit given his impact in preseason and the brace vs SSV Ulm — but you never know. Coaches like to say they select based on performances, then drop that requirement when it comes to Thomas Müller.
What makes it complicated is Jamal Musiala. In preseason, Musiala played exclusively as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. If he, Müller, AND Kane all line up together, one of them will have to compromise. The obvious solution seems to be to put Musiala on the left wing with Müller in the center and Serge Gnabry on the right, but as we saw with both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, coaches just don’t like putting Musiala on the wing for whatever reason. If that trend continues with Vincent Kompany, then Thomas Müller may find himself riding the bench, with Mathys Tel slotting in on the left.
In midfield, Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović are likely to continue their partnership, despite the option to give Palhinha his much-anticipated Bundesliga debut. Kimmich and Pavlović have proven to be a dynamic offensive oriented midfield combo in preseason, which could come in handy against Wolfsburg.
Meanwhile, in defense, expect to see Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano paired together at center-back, flanked by Alphonso Davies and Sacha Boey. With Manuel Neuer in goal, here’s what the lineup could look like:
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