VfL Wolfsburg will host Bayern Munich as these two teams in transition will open their Bundesliga season, hoping for a positive start.
VfL Wolfsburg fans will hope for a joyous season ahead of their Bundesliga opener with Bayern Munich, although they know how difficult the task bestowed upon them is. The strugglers had a terrible season last time out under Niko Kovac, and the late-season arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl is designed to weed out the flaws from the previous regime.
Hasenhuttl is a highly reputed manager who had a reasonable period in the Premier League with Southampton until his dismissal. The Austrian has a considerable task ahead of him to steer the club into a comfortable position as the new season progresses. Should he manage a positive result against Bayern Munich, it would be a brilliant start for him and the Wolfsburg fans, as they can look forward with optimism.
Over at Bayern Munich, the club are also in a transitional period, not only through the appointment of a new manager in Vincent Kompany but also in the way they are set to approach the game. The arrival of the Belgian from relegated Burnley did raise some eyebrows. But that was a risk the management was willing to take to get on par with the modernity the game has brought about.
The primary goal for Bayern Munich this season would be to topple Bayer Leverkusen, to whom they lost the title last season. In hindsight, Xabi Alonso’s side’s supreme form throughout the campaign deserved the title, while Bayern’s susceptible defence did not warrant their pedigree as champions.
Heading into this opening Bundesliga game, Kompany will feel the pressure on his shoulders, and he is already playing catch-up to Alonso, with Bayer Leverkusen winning their opening encounter on Friday night against Borussia Monchengladbach. Hence, a victory over Wolfsburg appears imperative from Bayern’s perspective, as dropped points will not be seen as an ideal start to the Belgian’s reign in Bavaria.
Team News & Tactics
VfL Wolfsburg
Mohamed Amoura, Rogerio, David Odogu, Aster Vranckx, and Kevin Paredes are all out of contention for the hosts. There are a few more who are doubtful for the clash for fitness reasons as well as transfer speculation. One among those is key defender and Crystal Palace target Maxence Lacroix.
Lacroix might still get the nod the lead the backline in a three-man unit alongside Cedric Zesiger and Sebastiaan Bornauw. Ralph Hasenhuttl might prefer a midfield pairing of Maximilian Arnold and Yannick Gerhardt, with Ridle Baku and Jakub Kaminski operating in those wing-back roles the Austrian prefers.
Patrick Wimmer, Lovro Majer, and Jonas Wind are all expected to complete the frontline, with the latter set to lead the line for VfL Wolfsburg against Bayern Munich.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Grabara; Bornauw, Lacroix, Zeiger; Baku, Arnold, Gerhardt, Kaminski; Wimmer, Majer; Wind
Bayern Munich
Vincent Kompany, too, has his share of key absentees ahead of the Bundesliga opener with Wolfsburg, but he has the squad to cope with. Leroy Sane is a doubt for this clash, and so is Daniel Peretz, while Josip Stanisic and new arrival Hiroki Ito are definitely out of contention for this clash.
There are further question marks about some of the significant summer arrivals like Joao Palhinha and Michael Olise. The former Fulham star may not have had a concerted run with this team, as Kompany might preserve him for now and integrate him later.
Michael Olise is someone the fans might be waiting to see. However, there are big questions over his involvement as he only recently returned after his silver-medal-winning performances at the Olympics with France.
Even with those potential absentees, Kompany has a strong enough squad to face Wolfsburg, with the likes of Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Aleksandar Pavlovic all set for starts on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Min-Jae, Upamecano, Guerreiro; Laimer, Pavlovic; Muller, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
Key Stats
- Wolfsburg ended the previous season with consecutive defeats.
- Wolfsburg are winless in their last six encounters against Bayern Munich.
- Bayern Munich have scored at least two goals in their last 15 matches against Wolfsburg in all competitions.
- Bayern Munich have won 12 of their last 13 matches against Wolfsburg in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich had many problems in different areas of the pitch, but scoring goals was never the issue. The Bavarians had to fix a leaky defence, something they hope the new arrivals have done, as their attack always tends to win them the games, with Harry Kane a big part of their plans.
After a disappointing end to the summer with Bayern Munich first and then with England, where they lost in the Euro 2024 Final to Spain, Kane will enter another season with the primary objective of scoring goals and winning a trophy, which could ideally start with a big performance in the opening clash against Wolfsburg.
Prediction
Wolfsburg 1-2 Bayern Munich
Wolfsburg did not have a good season the last time out, and they are not a side that have a good enough record against Bayern Munich to begin with. On paper, this looks like a one-sided affair. But it may not pan that way, as the Bavarians may have that susceptible defensive problem to manoeuvre.
Bayern Munich certainly have top-quality players compared to Wolfsburg, and this game will probably see individual brilliance making the difference. The Bavarians are currently favourites to nick the three points, but this game has elements to produce a tight contest.