Defending champions Bayern Munich will kick start the 2023/24 Bundesliga season with an away trip to Werder Bremen.
Werder Bremen are all set to host last season’s Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on the opening day of the new season. The home team will look to kick things off in the best possible way and avoid a battle for survival this time out. Meanwhile, the visitors will eye yet another league title and they will look to lay the foundation with a win against Werder.
Die Werderaner finished 13th last season. They ended up just three points clear of the relegation zone. Werder accumulated a total of 36 points in their 34 outings. They could only score 51 goals and ended up conceding 64 goals. Despite losing four out of their last five league games, they somehow managed to survive the drop.
Werder had a great pre-season as they ended up winning four out of their five matches. But, things did not go according to plan for them in their first official outing of the season as they ended up losing 3-2 at the hands of Viktoria Koln in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. They will be eager to bounce back but it won’t get any easy as they square up against the most dominant force in Germany.
Bayern Munich were not at their best last season eother. They were behind in the title race throughout but still ended up winning it on the final day thanks to Borussia Dortmund who played out a draw on the final day and lost the title on goal difference.
Die Rotern ended up collecting a total of 71 points and ended the season level on points with Dortmund. But, they had a much better goal difference, and as a result, they ended up lifting the title. Pre-season went according to plan for Bayern as they won three out of their four matches.
But, things did not work out for Bayern in the DFL-Supercup Final. It was a match that was supposed to mark the arrival of Harry Kane ended up being their first defeat of the season. After losing the first official match of the season 3-0 to RB Leipzig, the German giants will be eager to get things right against Werder. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look and tries to predict the tactics that could be in use.
Team News & Tactics
Werder Bremen
Ole Werner is expected to be without the services of Felix Agu and new signing Naby Keïta as the duo are out injured. Meanwhile, there are doubts over the availability of Jean-Manuel Mbom.
Werner is expected to go ahead with the 3-4-2-1 formation where Jiri Pavlenka will be in goal and the back three will be made up of Amos Pieper, Niklas Stark and Marco Friedl. The trio will have the tough task of containing a star-studded Bayern attack led by Harry Kane.
🗣️ Clemens Fritz on the clash:
We're up against a very strong opponent. It's vital that we believe in ourselves and show bravery as a team. Chasing the game would not be easy, so we need to take all the chances we get.#werder #svwfcb pic.twitter.com/lQHrikkJkQ
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) August 17, 2023
Mitchell Weiser and Anthony Jung will start out wide as the wing-backs, they will look to support the defence as well as push up the field at every possible opportunity. In the centre of the park, Senne Lynen will pair up with Jens Stage. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure Bayern do not have too much of the ball.
Dawid Kownacki and Marvin Ducksch will be just behind the number nine Niclas Fullkrug. While Fulkrug will be in a more central role, Kownacki and Ducksch will look to drop deep and combine with the midfielders. And, at times they will look to drift out wide towards the flanks.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Pavlenka; Pieper, Stark, Friedl; Weiser, Lynen, Stage, Jung; Kownacki, Ducksch; Fullkrug
Bayern Munich
Thomas Tuchel is expected to name a full-strength Bayern Munich squad for the opening fixture of the season after suffering a defeat in the Supercup. But, he will be without the services of Raphael Guerreiro and Manuel Neuer who are yet to recover from their respective injuries.
💬 Tuchel on Kane: "He will start tomorrow as long as nothing happens today. His presence has an extremely positive influence on all of us. He gives 100% in every training session and it's entertaining watching him. We have already done a few finishing drills during which he was… pic.twitter.com/a6YTXX3786
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) August 17, 2023
The former Chelsea boss is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Sven Ulreich will be in goal. Benjamin Pavard and Alphonso Davies are expected to be the full-backs. Meanwhile, new signing Min-jae Kim will pair up with Matthijs de Ligt in the heart of the defence.
Skipper Joshua Kimmich will form the double pivot in the centre of the park along with Konrad Laimer. German wonderkid Jamal Musiala is expected to feature in the number 10 role. Leroy Sane will start out wide on the right while Serge Gnabry will take care of things on the left. And, their most expensive signing of all time Harry Kane will be leading the line from the start.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ulreich; Pavard, Kim, de Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Laimer; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have come out on top in 37 out of the last 56 matches played against Werder Bremen.
- Werder Bremen have won a total of 26 matches against Bayern Munich in the history of the league. But, their last win came 15 years back on 20 September 2008.
- Only Borussia Mönchengladbach (28 wins) have won more matches than Werder (26 wins) against Bayern in the league.
- The visitors have been unbeaten against Werder in their last 31 matches.
- Thomas Tuchel’s men have been unbeaten in their opening Bundesliga game for the last 12 seasons.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Kane recently completed a big-money move to Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur. The 30-year-old striker is a proven goalscorer who has done it for both club and county. And, now he has a new challenge on his hands, a challenge to succeed in Germany and win major trophies.
The former Tottenham Hotspur forward had an opportunity to win his first trophy with Bayern on his debut in the DFL-Supercup final. But things did not go according to plan and he hardly had any say on the result of the fixture. After a disappointing outing, Kane will be keen on hitting the ground running on his Bundesliga debut and we can expect him to cause a lot of trouble to the opposition given his recent track record.
Prediction
Werder Bremen 1-4 Bayern Munich
Since their return to the German top flight, Werder Bremen have gone from strength to strength. They have been putting in impressive performances and surely have it in them to challenge Bayern Munich.
However, coming out on top in this fixture seems too much to ask. And, given the difference in quality between the two squads, Tuchel’s team are expected to kick-start things in the best possible way with a win. The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 4-1 win for the German giants on the opening day of the new Bundesliga season.
