Bayern Munich will aim to return to winning ways when they welcome Union Berlin to the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Matchday 13 of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season starts on Friday, with the action on Saturday kicking off with four simultaneous fixtures. One of those games will see Bayern Munich hosting Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich began the 2023/24 season with a shock 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL Supercup. The Bavarian giants are also out of the DFB Pokal after going down to FC Saarbrucken in the second round. But the reigning Bundesliga champions are unbeaten in the league and the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel’s men come into Saturday’s game on the back of a goalless draw with FC Copenhagen.
On the other hand, Union Berlin would not have envisioned such a dreadful Bundesliga 2023/24 campaign. The Iron Ones qualified for the UEFA Champions League by finishing in the top four last term. But a run of ten games without a win has dragged the visitors into the relegation dogfight. In addition, the dreadful performances cost Urs Fischer his job, with Nenad Bjelica replacing him.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 3-0 win for Bayern Munich, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Kingsley Coman, and Jamal Musiala finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
Thomas Tuchel has a few pressing roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Union Berlin on Saturday, the Bayern Munich manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
Jamal Musiala faces a race against time to be available to take on Union Berlin. But Tuchel will unlikely risk the German international picking up another injury, meaning a start is improbable. Musiala accompanies Tarek Buchmann (thigh), Matthijs de Ligt (knee), Noussair Mazraoui (illness), and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (knee) on the sidelines.
Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer will take his spot between the sticks, with the home side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Mazraoui’s absence means Konrad Laimer will start as the right-back. The Austrian international will join Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, and Alphonso Davies in the defensive unit.
As for the midfield pivot, there is no looking past Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. The duo will hold the fort in the middle of the park, enabling the offensive quartet of Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman, and Harry Kane to freely express themselves.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Coman; Kane
Union Berlin
Unlike his counterpart in the Bayern Munich dugout, Nenad Bjelica does not have many injury concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to the Allianz Arena. The Union Berlin manager will be without two first-team players on Saturday.
Danilho Doekhi (muscular) and Sheraldo Becker (knock) are in the treatment room. Becker’s absence is a concern for Bjelica, but Kevin Behrens will hope to fill his void in the final third with a game-changing display.
Frederik Ronnow will take his spot between the sticks, with Union Berlin lining up in a 4-1-4-1 formation in front of him against Bayern Munich. Robin Knoche and Diogo Leite should be the two centre-backs, with Josip Juranovic and Jermoe Roussillon being the two full-backs.
Rani Khedira will sit in front of the defensive unit, donning the armband while looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. That will enable Aissa Laidouni, Janik Haberer to freely provide the creative impetus in the offensive third. Finally, Robin Gosens and Kevin Volland will be the two wide attackers, with the duo’s directness threatening Bayern Munich.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ronnow; Juranovic, Knoche, Leite, Roussillon; Khedira; Volland, Laidouni, Haberer, Gosens; Behrens
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their eight Bundesliga meetings with Union Berlin (W5 D3). They have only faced Darmstadt more often in the top flight without tasting defeat (9).
- Bayern Munich have won six straight Bundesliga games for the first time since Thomas Tuchel took charge at the Allianz Arena earlier this year. A seventh successive victory this weekend will match his personal-best run as a coach (with FSV Mainz, 2010/11).
- Union Berlin are currently on a ten-game winless run in the Bundesliga, although last week’s 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg ended a nine-match losing streak that has dragged them into the relegation zone.
- Meanwhile, the 1-1 draw with SC Braga in the UEFA Champions League meant that Union Berlin went two games without defeat for the first time since August.
- Harry Kane has scored 18 goals in his first 12 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich. That is six goals more than what the entire Union Berlin team has managed thus far this season.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Kane has taken the Bundesliga by storm, scoring 18 goals in 12 games thus far. The Englishman has shown no teething problems and has scored goals for fun. But with Bayern Munich coming into Saturday’s game on the back of a goalless draw, Kane will look to step up and deliver the goods for his team. And if there is someone who can do that, it is the former Tottenham striker.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-1 Union Berlin
Union Berlin might have struggled thus far in the 2023/24 season. But they have fared well against Bayern Munich since returning to the Bundesliga. The visitors are also showing signs of a marginal improvement in form, giving their fans cause for optimism.
But Bayern Munich will produce an obstacle too big for Nenad Bjelica and his charges to overcome. Nonetheless, they will give their hosts a run for their money before Thomas Tuchel’s men seal the points. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the home side this weekend.
