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Bayern Munich have the chance to make it eight wins from eight in the Bundesliga on Friday night when the men from the Weser travel south to the Allianz Arena. Will the Bayern train go marching on, or will Bremen cause an upset and truly kickstart their mixed start to the campaign?
Bayern Munich
With seven wins from their opening seven games, Bayern are having their best start to a season since 2018/19 under the guidance of the now Dortmund head coach Niko Kovać – The last time they went eight from eight was under Carlo Ancelotti in 2016.
The history books are also on Bayern’s side for Friday’s game. The Bavarians have lost just one of their last 31 Bundesliga matches against Bremen, which came at the Allianz Arena back in January of last year.
Whilst the three points are always the most important, it could be a historic evening for Bayern themselves. Harry Kane, who seemingly can’t stop scoring, is just two goals away from becoming the fastest player from Europe’s top five leagues to reach 100 goals for a club this century. Currently on 98 goals in 103 appearances, Kane will surpass the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland with a brace against Bremen. Additionally, both Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are set to make their 300th Bundesliga appearance.
In terms of team news, there are no fresh injury concerns as Bayern are still without the likes of Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, Hiroki Ito, and Josip Stanišić. Kim Min-jae remains a doubt for the game, having picked up a knock against Hoffenheim.
Though many will have Bayern as favourties, Vincent Kompany is wary of Bremen’s attacking play:
“They’re trying to dominate, play quick combinations through the middle – not many do that to such an extreme. That has a lot to do with the coach.”
Werder Bremen
Under new head coach Horst Steffen, Bremen have had a mixed start to the campaign. With four points from four, the Green-whites have shown signs of fabulous attacking play but also defensive frailties. Perhaps two games that highlight this the most are their 0-4 win away at Borussia Monchengladbach and their 3-3 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
Bremen bolstered their attacking options during the summer transfer window, particularly with the signing of Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, though the Nigerian is yet to reach the form everyone knows he is capable of.
In terms of team news, Bremen will be without first-choice goalkeeper, Mio Backhaus, who has had to pull out of the squad due to a shoulder injury.
Ahead of the game, Horst Steffen provided details on how they hope to stop Bayern:
“We’re travelling to Munich with a bold attitude. We’re certainly only going to have around 30 percent possession and going to have to do a lot of defending. That’s Bayern Munich – they’re a top team in Europe. Hoffenheim showed signs of how you can do it.”
GGFN | Jamie Allen
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