Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen
From a German perspective, one of the most upsetting international breaks in history is coming to an end. And in keeping with the excitement, the Bundesliga started the 4th matchday directly with the absolute top game. At Munich’s Allianz Arena, the current league leader will meet the runner-up. Even at this early stage of the season, this top match will already be extremely trend-setting. Who will sit on the Bundesliga throne after the 4th game, you can find out in our Bayern – Leverkusen tip.
Unlike normal, however, the record champion is not currently the leader in the Bundesliga. Because the guests from the Rhineland started outstandingly in the new season. Bayer 04 won the first three games of the season against Leipzig, Gladbach and Darmstadt sovereign and has so far a goal ratio of 11:3 on the account. The FCB has also won all three Bundesliga games so far, but the goal difference is slightly worse.
The duel between the two teams has also left its mark on the coaching position in the recent past. After the last encounter, which Leverkusen won 2-1, Julian Nagelsmann left FC Bayern and Thomas Tuchel took over the helm. Due to this 2-1 victory, Xabi Alonso, who is on the other side as coach at Werkself, has a positive record against his former club. Between 2014 and 2017, the Spaniard was a player at FC Bayern and played a total of 79 Bundesliga games for the record champions.
Bayern – Leverkusen info:
- Date & Time: 09/15/2023, 20:30 hrs.
- Game venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
- Competition: Bundesliga, 4th Matchday
- TV broadcast: DAZN
Bayern form & balance check
Similar to the current situation at the DFB, things went haywire for Bayern at the coaching position last year. But despite the change from Nagelsmann to Tuchel, Bayern failed in the quarterfinals of the DFB Cup and also in the Champions League against Manchester City. In the new season, the record champion is again pursuing the goal of winning the triple.
However, the start to the season was not quite as planned. In the Supercup, Bayern was dominated by Leipzig in their own stadium and lost 0:3. The first Bundesliga match against Bremen, on the other hand, was much more successful for Bayern, who stormed straight to second place in the table with a 4:0 victory. The FCB also retained the upper hand against Augsburg and Gladbach. Now against the Werkself, the Munich team wants to show that they can also keep up against the best teams.
The missing Holding Six
FC Bayern’s midfield struggled with some challenges last season. The duo of Kimmich and Goretzka revealed some weaknesses not only at Bayern in the Bundesliga, but also in the German national team. The new player Konrad Laimer was actually supposed to take over the defensive duties in midfield in the upcoming season.
However, when the transfer was made, Julian Nagelsmann was still at the helm at the Munich club. Thomas Tuchel, however, is apparently not so convinced of the new Munich man. The 50-year-old rather insisted enormously on a new ‘Holding Six’ during the summer break, which should give more stability to Bayern’s central midfield. However, the coach was not granted this wish and Laimer could thus take on a somewhat larger role at FCB after all.
Bayern facts & analysis
- Reigning German champion
- Best offense in the Bundesliga last year
- Won 2-1 at Gladbach on last matchday
Leverkusen form & balance check
All in all, the past season did not go as planned for the Werkself and in the end they only finished in sixth place and participated in the Europa League again. In the new season, however, coach Xabi Alnonso wants his squad to at least return to the Champions League and is probably even secretly aiming for a title in the new season.
The Werkself underlined this ambition at the start of the season in the top match against Leipzig. Leverkusen beat RB 3:2 at home, and in the two matchdays that followed, the playful offense under the Bayerkreuz shone more and more, outclassing Gladbach and Darmstadt. This start to the season means that Leverkusen now travel to the record champions as league leaders.
The Nigerian Erling Haaland?
The previous year, Victor Boniface first appeared on the scene of German soccer fans when he challenged both Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League with his club Royale Union Saint Gilloise. The Nigerian scored a total of six goals for the Belgians on the European stage last season.
And the 22-year-old doesn’t seem to need any time to settle in after his move to the Bundesliga. In his first three league games, the attacker has been almost impossible to defend against and has already contributed four goals and two assists. With his powerful style, Boniface is also reminiscent of a young Erling Haaland in his first season in the German top flight.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
- Last season in 6th place in the Bundesliga.
- Won 5:1 against Darmstadt on the last match day
- Excluded in the semi-finals of the Europa League last year
Predicted lineup – last update on September 14, 2023
Bayern are expected to once again field a 4-2-3-1 system. In the defensive midfield, Kimmich and Goretzka will probably operate together again. Musiala is not expected to be fit enough to be in the starting eleven yet. Despite his decisive goal against Gladbach, Mathys Tel will again start on the bench.
There is no reason at all for changes in the starting eleven at Bayer Leverkusen. Therefore, we expect the same starting eleven as last time against Darmstadt two weeks ago. Josip Stanisic will probably be on the bench again against his actual employer.
Bayern – Leverkusen direct comparison & statistics
As far as the previous comparison is concerned, this is clearly in favor of Bayern. Out of a total of 96 encounters, FC Bayern decided a remarkable 56 games in their favor. In addition, there were 20 defeats and 18 draws. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the last duel was won by Bayer 04 with a 2-1 victory.
- Leverkusen’s last win in Munich was on 11/30/2019.
- Duell of the table leader against the table runner-up.
- Bayern wins 63% of halves, Leverkusen wins 41%
