The Bundesliga resumes after the first international break of the 2022/23 season with a bang as Bayern Munich take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Matchday 8 curtain-raiser.
Venue: Allianz Arena (Munich)
Key Statistics
Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga’s leading scorers after seven rounds of matches with 19 goals.
However, the Bavarians have scored five goals in their last four league games. Only five teams have netted fewer in that same period.
They have failed to score once in their last 88 league games.
Bayer Leverkusen have won just one of their first seven Bundesliga games, losing four (D2).
The visitors have won just one of their last five away games in all competitions (D, L3).
They have conceded 12 goals in the league this season. Only two teams have conceded more goals.
Head to head
Bayern Munich holds the clear advantage in 33 head-to-head encounters between the two sides as they have won 20 games. Leverkusen have won six games, while the other seven have ended in draws.
Latest performances in all competitions
Bayern Munich: L-W-D-W-D
Bayer Leverkusen: D-W-D-L-L
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich will look to get their first league win in five tries when they welcome Leverkusen to Munich this Friday.
The Bundesliga defending champions are enduring their worst winless run of Bundesliga games since a club-record seven games ending back in 2002 having not won any of their last four games (D3, L1).
Their last outing just before the international break was an embarrassing 1-0 loss to Augsburg. The result brought to an end their 87-game run of scoring in Bundesliga games and means that the hosts have only scored four goals in their last five games.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side come into this round of games sitting in fifth position, five points behind surprise leaders Union Berlin. And so, they will be desperate to win this game and restore their place at the upper end of the table.
The international break would have given Nagelsmann the time to rethink his tactics and how he can get his misfiring side back to the clinical edge that saw them plunder 15 goals in the first three league games of the season.
The return of Kingsley Coman from injury will be a big boost for the Bavarians who are lacking an out-to-out striker since the departure of Robert Lewandowski.
Possible Bayern Munich starting line-up
Manuel Neuer; Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, Alphonso Davies; Joshua Kimmich, Marcel Sabitzer; Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mane.
Injured: Lucas Hernandez, Bouna Sarr
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bayer Leverkusen
Like their hosts, Bayer Leverkusen are also looking to record their first league win in a while.
The visitors have endured a miserable run this season, having won just two of their opening seven league games (D2, L4). That represents Leverkusen’s worst start to a Bundesliga season since the turn of the century and is perhaps being exacerbated by their midweek European excursions.
That sole win came in a 3-0 win away at Mainz in Round four, meaning that they come into this tie without a win in three games (D2, L1).
For a team that enjoyed a remarkable campaign last season, while finishing in third place, Gerardo Seoane’s side has disappointed massively this season as they lie in 15th position after seven games.
Having beaten Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League, they will travel to Munich hopeful of getting a positive result here. Another source of confidence for them will be that they have picked up four points away to Bayern Munich across the last three visits – a total not bettered by any other side during that time (W1, D1, L1).
Possible Leverkusen starting line-up
Lukas Hradecky; Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, Piero Hincape; Robert Andrich, Odilon Kossounou; Kerem Demirbay, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Moussa Diaby; Patrik Schick.
Injured: Amine Adli, Florian Wirtz, Karim Bellarabi, Andrey Lunev, Exequiel Palacios
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-2 Leverkusen
