These fast-paced duels await
FC Bayern has to shake off a lot of pain against Leverkusen
September 28, 2024, 7:48 a.m
The pain of a titleless season is great at FC Bayern. Now the double winner from Leverkusen is a guest. The people of Munich want to set an example. There are impressive statistics – while some fast-paced duels are likely to shape the Bundesliga’s top game.
After the painful title disgrace, FC Bayern feels ready for a first revenge against Bayer Leverkusen in the evening (6.30 p.m./Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de). “Thanks to our performances in the last few games, we have achieved that we can now play with a broad chest. We are looking forward to a big game,” said sports director Christoph Freund. Despite Munich’s strong record with six wins and 29 goals in six competitive games, Thomas Müller warns: “If you play against Leverkusen, then you’re in for a really tough challenge.”
Bayer coach Xabi Alonso, who played for Munich from 2014 to 2017, is counting on something in the sold-out arena with 75,000 spectators. “We have a clear idea of the game, we can’t be too timid and we can’t allow big gaps,” said the 42-year-old. “We need an almost perfect performance if we want to take something away from Munich.” The game between the record champion and the master brings with it numerous exciting duels.
trainer
It took the Munich team a long time before they presented Vincent Kompany as coach. Alonso was also very popular, but he decided early on to stay in Leverkusen. Kompany doesn’t draw any special motivation from this. “I really enjoy it here. I work very hard and want to earn everything. Everything else is unimportant to me,” said the 38-year-old Belgian. “Vincent has a good influence on the team. They play with great energy and have good ideas,” Alonso praised him.
Midfield wizard
Jamal Musiala versus Florian Wirtz – the two German national players are considered future world stars. There can certainly be a long debate about which of the two is better. The two 21-year-olds definitely have an impact on their teams’ play. Both of them are also fun, Musiala of course even more so because of the club they share. “He’s a great boy and plays football extremely well,” said the sports director. “He’s in great shape.” Musiala scored three goals this Bundesliga season, Wirtz four. “So far he’s started very well,” said Alonso.
Musiala is not only important offensively: he played the most duels at FC Bayern (86) and his win rate is 54 percent, which is strong for an offensive player. It’s no different with Wirtz. The international also contested and won the most duels at Bayer 04 (51 out of 109 – that’s 47 percent).
Goalscorer
The two strikers Harry Kane and Victor Boniface will play important roles. On the one hand, there is FC Bayern’s top scorer, who topped the league list with five goals after four matchdays this season. The captain of the English national team was directly involved in nine of Munich’s first 16 Bundesliga goals on the first four matchdays. Kane recently scored eleven goals in one week.
Boniface scored three times this league season. With his strong physique and good technique, he is also difficult to stop. The Nigerian fired the most shots in the Bundesliga this season: he shot at the opponent’s goal 20 times in four games. In addition to his three goals, he also provided an assist, making him the Werkself’s second best scorer after Wirtz.
Midfield strategists
The midfield duel between Joshua Kimmich and Granit Xhaka could be decisive at the league summit. Kimmich was ordered back to the center of midfield by Kompany from the right side of defense. The new national team captain repays the trust with top performances. Kimmich was on the ball most often in the league (473 times), his pass rate is excellent with 93 percent of passes received and he runs the second most distance of 49.1 kilometers. Only Ellyes Skhiri from Frankfurt ran more in the first four games.
Xhaka is influential at Bayer. The Swiss was on the ball most often on the first four matchdays for the Werkself (442 times) and won 66 percent of his duels – in the championship year he won 55 percent of his direct duels. In the 2023/24 season he had the best passing efficiency in the Bundesliga.
