Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich boss doesn’t just wing it for starting roles; Bayern to swipe Chelsea wunderkind?; Manchester United not looking at PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani, but could be eyeing swap for Victor Osimhen; and MORE!

It might feel like it sometimes, but Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany does not spin the roulette wheel or use the flying fickle finger of fate to determine his starting wingers from game to game.

With four quality option, Kompany always has to go through strong considerations when selecting his starters, especially because not one of the foursome (Leroy Sane, Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, and Serge Gnabry) has really grabbed a starting role and made it his own.

So how does Kompany pick his starters? Let him tell you.

“It’s our role to gather as much information as possible in order to make a decision. That will also be the case in other positions soon when the boys come back. Mathys Tel can also play there, but we are giving him time to develop centrally,” Kompany said.

Sometimes, Kompany hits the mark, sometimes he does not…and other times it really doesn’t matter (see the winger performances vs. Paris Saint-Germain).

Because of the volatile nature of performances from his wingers, Kompany will have his work cut out for him with these choices. Hopefully, the wingers start to see their performance levels rise a bit in the coming weeks.

There were rumors floating around that Manchester United was interested in Paris Saint-Germain attacker Randal Kolo Muani. Eh…maybe not — at least according to Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg:

After Bayern Munich took down Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, the Bavarians are in a “out of the frying pan and into the fire” situation.

Bayern Munich will travel to Westfalenstadion to take on Borussia Dortmund and The Yellow Wall. There is no bigger event in the Bundesliga for the Hinrunde than Der Klassiker, so let’s get to it and discuss all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:

• Can Bayern Munich carry the momentum from its PSG win?
• A look at the recent form of each team and where they fall in the Bundesliga table.
• A look at the rosters and injuries for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI…will there be any rotation?
• A prediction on the match.

Bayern Munich probably fondly looks back at swiping Jamal Musiala from Chelsea FC. Now, there could be another opportunity for a similar move with Josh Acheampong:

European giants Bayern Munich are the latest club interested in Josh Acheampong as his contract standoff with Chelsea continues according to reports. It was reported last month that Acheampong was frozen out by Chelsea and won’t play for the club again until he signs a new deal.

The teenager is currently under contract until 2026 and only signed a new contract in January this year which makes Chelsea’s hard stance a bit strange. Acheampong is regarded as one of the brightest talents in the academy along with Tyrique George and he was part of the squad for the pre-season tour of America.

The 18-year-old made his Chelsea debut under Mauricio Pochettino last season and has already appeared for the first team under Enzo Maresca, playing 27 minutes in the Carabao Cup tie against Barrow. With Reece James suffering another injury setback and Malo Gusto not immune to picking up injuries himself, Acheampong has missed out on a number of opportunities to add to his first team appearances.

There is some talk that Manchester United could be willing to swap Joshua Zirkzee for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen:

Manchester United are looking to do a swap deal that would see striker Joshua Zirkzee join Napoli in exchange for Victor Osimhen, says Il Mattino. Zirkzee, 23, only signed from Bologna for €42.5m in the summer but is reportedly set to be moved on by new United manager Ruben Amorim after managing just one goal and two assists across the 17 matches so far. Osimhen, 25, has been a target at Old Trafford for some time and is on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, with a release clause now set at around €75m. A reported offer of €30m plus Zirkzee to sign the Nigeria international is said to be incoming.

Bayern Munich entered its Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain knowing that it needed to put away the French powerhouse.

It was a wild game, but the Bavarians did — finally — get that signature win that they desperately needed. Let’s talk about how it all went down and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:

• A look at the starting XI.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• If you were looking for entertainment, the first half had you covered with its frantic pacing.
• Kingsley Coman cannot hit the broad side of a bard, but he was giving PSG fits.
• Ousmane Dembélé’s sloppy play got him two yellow cards, which allowed Bayern Munich to just grind away at PSG.
• Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. could be looking at the kind of money that is hard to pass up:

Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal are ready to make an offer of €300m (£251.7m) to sign Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who could be sold after rejecting the chance to extend his contract.

Arsenal FC is no longer pursuing Newcastle United striker and former Borussia Dortmund attacker Alexander Isak:

Arsenal have ended their pursuit of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak but the Sweden international remains a target for other top teams in the Premier League and in Europe. (Football Insider)

Thank the stars that the Bundesliga is back!

After the international break, The Bundesliga Rundown returns, showcasing the thrilling drama from Matchday 11.

From analysing the 7-goal ‘El Plástico’ thriller between TSG Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig to offering controversial VAR opinions, this episode has it all!

Additionally, this episode will cover:

• Christian Ilzer: TSG Hoffenheim’s intriguing managerial signing.
• Why Mainz 05’s Bo Henriksen might be one of the most underrated coaches in the Bundesliga.
• Why Marcus is not head over heels in love with VAR.
• Dominik Salz: The most heart-warming story of the past week.

Stay tuned for detailed highlights of the two featured games below.

TSG Hoffenheim 4-3 RB Leipzig

Holstein Kiel 0-3 Mainz 05