Bayern Munich – RB Leipzig
The Bundesliga finally gets underway again next week. Already this week, however, the 16 Bundesliga teams start the new season in the DFB Cup. If you are still looking for tips, we recommend our DFB Cup predictions. The two heavyweights Bayern and Leipzig, however, will not enter the competition until September. For both clubs, the German Super Cup gets underway on Saturday.
Traditionally, the German champion and cup winner meet at the beginning of the season. Since 2015, however, the cup winner has not managed to win the Super Cup against the champion. In that year, VfL Wolfsburg triumphed over FC Bayern on penalties. Since then, the victory in this prestigious competition has been secured six times by FC Bayern Munich and once by the then runners-up Borussia Dortmund.
In the history of the official Super Cup, seven teams have already won the title and RB Leipzig could become the eighth team to do so. The record holders are FC Bayern with ten triumphs, followed by Borussia Dortmund with six successes. Other winners are Werder Bremen with three and Kaiserslautern, Schalke, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg with one victory each. Find out whether the Saxons will lift the trophy into the Munich night sky on Saturday in our Bayern vs Leipzig tip.
Bayern – Leipzig info:
- Date & Time: 12.08.2023, 20:45 Uhr
- Game venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
- Competition: Super Cup
- TV coverage: Sky, Sat. 1
Bayern Form & Balance Check
Bayern did not necessarily cover themselves with glory in the pre-season. After a reasonably commanding first half of the season, the record champions’ form gradually flattened out after the winter break. Even the change of coach from Julian Nagelsmann to Thomas Tuchel did not bring any improvement at first. In the DFB Cup and the Champions League, the FCB was already eliminated in the quarter-finals.
And in the Bundesliga, Bayern needed a slip-up by Borussia Dortmund on the last matchday to secure their eleventh championship in a row. In the new season, the FCB should be much more successful at all levels. Just like last year, the Super Cup against RB Leipzig is to be brought to Munich for the start of the season.
Umbreak at the Isar
This summer there was a small upheaval at Bayern, which is still not complete. With Lucas Hernández, Sadio Mané, Marcel Sabitzer and Yann Sommer, four players left the club, at least some of whom had played important roles for the record champions in the previous season. In addition, João Cancelo returned to the Premier League after his loan to Manchester City.
On the newcomer side, Min-jae Kim, Konrad Laimer and Raphaël Guerreiro are three solid players with a more defensive orientation. However, Bayern are still looking for the desired reinforcements, especially in the forward line and in goal. Particularly in the centre of attack, the transfer saga surrounding Harry Kane has been raging for weeks at the German champions. It will be exciting to see whether some speed will come into these negotiations in the next few weeks.
Bayern facts & analysis
- Current German champion
- Best offence in the Bundesliga last year
- Won last three Super Cups
Leipzig form & balance check
Leipzig made a very modest start to pre-season, finishing in just twelfth place after seven games. Under the leadership of coach Marco Rose, however, the Leipzigers fought their way back to a remarkable third place in the table over the course of the season. After the triumphant victory in Munich on the 33rd matchday of the previous season, a place in the top flight was once again assured for the Saxons.
The second cup win in a row then rounded off a successful season for RasenBallsport in June. This cup success also secured Leipzig’s second Super Cup appearance in a row. Unlike last year, the Saxons will be looking to secure their first title of the season right from the start in their first game of the season this time around.
Axis breaks away
Similar to Bayern, RB Leipzig also faced a real squad upheaval this summer. With Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku, possibly the three most important players left the team of coach Marco Rose. However, RB also collected a total of more than 200 million euros in transfer fees for these three players.
As in previous years, however, Leipzig found replacements in their little brother from Salzburg. Benjamin Sesko and Nicolas Seiwald moved from Red Bull Salzburg to Saxony’s capital. In addition, Leipzig brought in a number of highly talented young players, including Loïs Openda, Christoph Baumgartner, Xavi Simons and Fábio Carvalho. It remains to be seen how many of the newcomers will play right from the start against Bayern.
Leipzig facts & analysis
- Placed 3rd in the Bundesliga last season.
- Third best offense in the league last year
- Reigning DFB Cup winners
Predicted line-up – last update on 10 August 2023
Fc Bayern Munich will go into the new season with a 4-2-3-1. As there is still no new centre forward, Mathys Tel will probably start in the centre of the attack. We also expect newcomers Konrad Laimer and Min-Jae Kim in the starting line-up.
RB Leipzig will probably again use the established 4-4-2 system with two attacking wingers. The attacking formation will again be led by Werner, flanked by newcomer Loïs Openda. Likewise, we expect Nicolas Seiwald to be deployed directly in the centre of midfield.
Bayern – Leipzig direct comparison & statistics
In the 17 meetings between the two teams so far, RB Leipzig have only managed to win two encounters against Bayern. The 2019 DFB Cup final, in which Bayern triumphed 3-0, remains particularly present in the minds of fans. Last year, too, the record champions kept the upper hand in the Supercup with a 5:3 victory. However, the last league clash between the two ended in a 3-1 win for the Saxons in Bavaria’s capital.
- Leipzig have never won in Munich before.
- The two teams were separated by five points in the league in pre-season.
- Leipzig have never won the German Super Cup