Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: A mammoth top-of-the-table clash
Bayern Munich
Vincent Kompany could not have wished for a better start to his tenure, having seen his side record six consecutive wins in all competitions, including four victories in the Bundesliga. After beating Wolfsburg and Freiburg in their opening two league games, Bayern went on to produce a dominant display to dispatch newly-promoted Holstein Kiel by a 6-1 scoreline at Holstein-Stadion. The Bavarians enjoyed another successful road trip in their most recent Bundesliga clash against Werder Bremen. A Michael Olise brace and goals from Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry fired Bayern to a comprehensive 5-0 victory.
As a result of their perfect record, the league leaders finished matchday four with a three-point lead over Leverkusen, Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt. Unsurprisingly, they are also the Bundesliga’s highest scorers after racking up 16 goals across their opening four matches. Bayern have let in just three league goals at the opposite end of the pitch - only Union Berlin and RB Leipzig have conceded fewer.
While they may be full of confidence, Bayern will know they will face an almighty test in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash. Having failed to win their last three head-to-head meetings, the Bavarians are hoping to beat Leverkusen for the first time since recording a 4-0 win in September 2022.
Team News
Kompany has revealed that a late decision will be made on Manuel Neuer’s involvement after the goalkeeper missed the win over Bremen with a thigh issue. Meanwhile, the Bayern boss will definitely be without the services of Sacha Boey, Josip Stanišić and Hiroki Ito.
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen will travel to Munich in a confident mood, having lost just one of their seven competitive matches this season. After beating Stuttgart on penalties to win the Super Cup, die Werkself went on to claim victories over Borussia Mönchengladbach and Carl Zeiss Jena in the league and DFB-Pokal respectively. Although they were stopped in their tracks by a narrow 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig, Leverkusen have bounced back to record three consecutive wins in all competitions, scoring four goals in each of those victories.
They swept past Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga and dispatched Feyenoord in the Champions League, before they left it late to clinch maximum points against Wolfsburg. Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapié all got on the scoresheet to ensure the score was level at three goals apiece ahead of the closing stages. Wolfsburg were then reduced to ten men before Victor Boniface scored a dramatic 93rd-minute to clinch Leverkusen’s third league win of the season.
Having scored 13 goals in four matches, Leverkusen enter the weekend as the Bundesliga’s second-highest scorers. However, Xabi Alonso may be slightly concerned that his team has shipped nine league goals this season, with only three teams conceding more across the first four matchdays.
However, Leverkusen will take confidence from the fact they have won two and drawn one of their last three matches against Bayern, including a 3-0 win at the BayArena in February. They will be dreaming of claiming three more points and their first away win over Bayern since November 2010.
Team News
Xabi Alonso has confirmed he has no fresh injury issues, ensuring he will have a full squad at his disposal for Saturday’s crucial fixture.