Bayern Munich have ended preseason with zero losses, which means it’s time to bring on the competitive games. The team kicks off the campaign with a game against 2.Bundesliga side SSV Ulm, a relatively tough opponent for the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Ulm have yet to win a game in Germany’s second tier this season, but their added preparation might allow them to cause Vincent Kompany’s side some trouble.
Team news
With Michael Olise having joined the team, Bayern Munich is nearly at full strength. However, both Leroy Sané and Sacha Boey remain sidelined with injuries, while late arrivals like Harry Kane, João Palhinha, and Alphonso Davies are not fit enough to play the full 90, in Kompany’s own words. This means the coach will have to pick something weaker than his best possible XI, probably a team similar to the one that lined up against Tottenham last Saturday.
Mathys Tel and Serge Gnabry have been the coach’s mainstays in preseason, so they may get the nod up top. Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala are the likely candidates to accompany them, given that Kane only played 45 minutes vs WSG Tirol on Tuesday and probably isn’t ready for a starting berth. Of course, the Englishman will be available should Bayern Munich need him — if things look grim, the coach can always bring Kane on.
In midfield, Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović seem like the most probable pairing, at least during this stage of the season. Joao Palhinha has impressed in the little game time he’s had so far, but he probably won’t be fit enough to start and play a full 90 minute. Konrad Laimer is extremely unlikely to start since his skillset doesn’t match up well against an opponent like Ulm (who are likely to defend the whole game) and Leon Goretzka is currently not in the coach’s plans.
That just leaves the defense. If Kompany is cautious, he may opt to put Eric Dier next to Dayot Upamecano — it seems like the most sensible backline configuration at the moment. Kim Min-jae is still a bit too aggressive compared to the positionally disciplined Dier. Raphaël Guerreiro is likely to start over Alphonso Davies at left-back, while Josip Stanišić starts at right-back by default now that Mazraoui has been sold.
With Manuel Neuer in goal, here’s what the starting XI could look like:
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