Bayern Munich will look to continue the unbeaten start to the 2023/24 Bundesliga season when they welcome SV Darmstadt 98 to the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Bundesliga season will resume this week with Matchday 9. The latest round of fixtures gets underway with a game between relegation candidates VfL Bochum and FSV Mainz. The action on Saturday will feature six games, five of them kicking things off on the day. One such match will see Bayern Munich welcoming SV Darmstadt 98 to the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich began the 2023/24 season with a shock 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL Supercup. But they have bounced back well since then, embarking on unbeaten starts to their Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League campaigns. However, Thomas Tuchel’s men have not been at their best and find themselves two points behind early pace-setters Bayer Leverkusen.
On the other hand, SV Darmstadt 98 would have hoped for a solid start to the new campaign after returning to the Bundesliga. But the Lillies lost four of their five fixtures to fall into the lower reaches of the German top flight. However, they have bounced back well in the last few matchdays, winning two of their last three matches to rise to 12th on the table.
The most recent clash involving Bayern Munich and Darmstadt saw Die Roten clinching a 1-0 win in May 2017, with Juan Bernat scoring the only goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
🗣️ Tuchel on Neuer:
"It's a special situation. I can feel his excitement and his quality is clear to see. He's got a lot of experience. He's enjoying it right now and can be proud of himself. I want him to enjoy this moment, as it will be a good source of strength for him. On… pic.twitter.com/3KtJCL2lxd
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) October 27, 2023
Thomas Tuchel has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday, the Bayern Munich manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
The big news coming out of the Bayern Munich camp is that Manuel Neuer is ready to return after missing a year of action due to a leg break during a skiing outing. But Tarek Buchmann (thigh), Raphael Guerreiro (thigh), Dayot Upamecano (hamstring), Leon Goretzka (hand), and Serge Gnabry (ill) remain on the sidelines.
Gnabry’s absence means Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman should be the automatic picks on the flanks for Bayern Munich against Darmstadt. Harry Kane will spearhead the attack, while Jamal Musiala will reprise the no. 10 role this weekend.
Meanwhile, the fit-again Neuer should take his place between the stick, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. The defensive unit should feature Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Kim Min-jae, and Alphonso Davies. Finally, Joshua Kimmich and Konrad Laimer will pair up in the double pivot in the middle of the park.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Mazraoui, de Ligt, Kim, Davies; Laimer, Kimmich; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Kane
SV Darmstadt 98
Like his counterpart in the Bayern Munich dugout, Torsten Lieberknecht does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Allianz Arena. The SV Darmstadt 98 manager might be without three first-team players on Saturday.
The fitness issues have impacted only the offensive unit, with Aaron Seydel (muscular), Fabio Torsiello (muscular), and Braydon Manu (ankle) in the treatment room. Otherwise, Lieberknecht has a full-strength travelling squad to take on Bayern Munich.
Marcel Schuhen will take his spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him. Christoph Klarer, Jannik Muller, and Matej Maglica should be the three centre-backs. The trio will look to remain compact to cut off the passing lanes for the Bayern Munich attackers.
Lieberknecht: "Ein Spiel bei den Bayern ist das Zeichen schlechthin, dass du in der Bundesliga bist. Wir spüren ein große Vorfreude. Es ist ein BL-Spiel, dass wir uns erarbeitet haben. Wir werden uns darauf vorbereiten und wollen uns als Mannschaft gut präsentieren." #FCBSVD pic.twitter.com/MSIKhoxKaL
— SV Darmstadt 98 (@sv98) October 26, 2023
Matthias Bader and Fabian Nurnberger should be the two wing-backs. The duo will often drop deep to create a back five and force Bayern Munich to play a cross-spamming game. They will also support the midfielders when the visitors look to nip the Bayern attacks in the bud.
Fabian Holland, primarily a left-back, has played in the middle of the park for Darmstadt, excelling in a defensive-minded role. The Darmstadt captain will likely join Tobias Kempe and Marvin Mehlem in the middle of the park.
While Holland and Kempe will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, Mehlem will have the freedom to express himself high up the pitch. Finally, Luca Pfeiffer and Tim Skarke should be the two strikers for the away side on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Schuhen; Klarer, Jannik Muller, Maglica; Bader, Kempe, Holland, Mehlem, Nurnberger; Pfeiffer, Skarke
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich are yet to lose a Bundesliga fixture against SV Darmstadt 98, winning the last seven since a 1-1 draw in the first encounter.
- Bayern Munich have won their last five home games against promoted clubs by scoring at least four goals each time.
- Darmstadt’s eight Bundesliga fixtures this season have seen a league-high 35 goals scored.
- Manuel Neuer will likely make his return 350 days after his last Bundesliga outing. He has 478 career appearances and 322 wins in the Bundesliga – the entire Darmstadt squad has a combined 280 games at this level.
- Harry Kane is the first-ever player to score nine goals in his first eight Bundesliga outings for Bayern Munich. In all competitions, he has 11 in 12 for the Bavarian club.
Player to Watch
Jamal Musiala
Harry Kane has been the leading light for Bayern Munich since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window. But we have gone ahead with Jamal Musiala in this section amid uncertainties surrounding his future.
While the German international has a few years left on his contract, the vultures are circling. So, Bayern Munich will be desperate to keep hold of the young attacker and hand him regular starts. That will include Saturday’s game as they look to continue their unbeaten run going.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-0 SV Darmstadt 98
Bayern Munich might be on a 12-game unbeaten run, but they have not been fluent enough. The Bundesliga champions have hardly blown their opponents away in the ongoing season and will not start doing that on Saturday either.
The SV Darmstadt 98 camp is brimming with confidence after two promising results. So, they will take the game to their hosts, pushing them hard for considerable periods. But the gulf in quality will ultimately prove telling, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-0 win for Thomas Tuchel and his charges.
