Bayern Munich vs Augsburg preview
It took 73 minutes, but Bayern Munich’s record-signing Harry Kane did manage to find the back of the net on his debut. The English striker received a brilliant pass from Alphonso Davies before calmly slotting the ball past Jiří Pavlenka in the bottom left corner. Bayern ran riot against Werder Bremen, winning the game 4-0.
Now, the 11-time German champions will play their first game in front of their home crowd at Allianz Arena. It will also be a surreal experience for Kane, who made the €100 million move from Tottenham to Germany just weeks before. And their first opponent will be an Augsburg side that played out an entertaining 4-4 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach at home.
The team had survived relegation by the skin of their teeth, finishing one point above 16th-placed VFB Stuttgart. Now, they face perhaps their toughest outing in just their second game of the season.
Bayern Munich had won the Bundesliga title but only after a major blunder by rivals Borussia Dortmund, who lost their last game at home, while the Bavarians won theirs to win an 11th straight title. However, significant changes were needed at the club, and one of them was the need for an elite striker to fill the void left by the departure of Robert Lewandowski. Harry Kane fulfilled the need. In addition, the club also signed centre-back Min-Jae Kim, left-back Raphaël Guerreiro and midfielder Konrad Laimer.
Augsburg also ventured into the transfer market, signing players such as Mergim Berisha, Tim Breithaupt, Phillip Tiet, and Sven Michel. Of these signings, Michel was at his best on his Bundesliga debut, with one goal and one assist.
However, against Bayern Augsburg, head coach Enrico Maaßen will opt for a defence-heavy strategy and use fast-paced counterattacks to catch the defending champions on the break. Even after winning, Bayern know that they still have far from a settled squad, evident in their 3-0 loss in the DFL Super Cup final against Red Bull Leipzig.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has promised that the team will perform like a well-oiled machine as the new signings get adjusted to his tactics. Last season was chaos for the German champions, who fired their manager, Julian Nagelsmann, in mid-season when the teams were involved in a tight race for the Bundesliga and Champions League titles. At the end of the season, the club also fired their Chief Executive Officer (CEE), Oliver Kahn and Sporting Director, Hasan Salihamidzic.
Bayern Munich vs. Augsburg predicted lineup
Bayern Munich lineup
After winning their opening game, Tuchel would have been unlikely to tinker with the lineup. In their opening game, However, the injury to Jamal Musiala has thrown a spanner in his work. Bayern’s attack was brilliant but also failed to produce changes for large parts of the game. The team are also looking for a new goalkeeper, as Neuer is still recovering from his fracture. This means that Sven Ulreich will continue in goal behind the back four of Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, and Noussair Mazraoui. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka will share the midfield duties behind the attacking trio of Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman, with Harry Kane playing upfront.
Bayern Munich lineups: Ulreich; Davies, Kim, Upamecano, Mazraoui; Goretzka, Kimmich; Coman, Muller, Sane; Kane
Augsburg lineup
Meanwhile, Augsburg coach Maaßen also has a selection headache. In the game against Monchengladbach, his team did come down from 3-1 down to lead the match 4-3 but threw the win away after conceding a late goal from Nathan Ngoumou. So, in just a single game, his team have simultaneously performed at their best and worst. However, it was probably his best starting 11 and tinkering with his team against the most lethal attack in the league might not be the best thing to do.
Augsburg lineups: Dahmen; Pedersen, Uduokhai, Bauer, Engels; Dorsch, Rexhbecaj; Demirovic, Vargas; Berisha, Michel
Bayern Munich vs Augsburg predictions
While in football, one cannot discount the probability of an upset owing to the nature of the game, Bayern Munich at home are a different beast that even the best of teams find hard to deal with. And with the addition of Harry Kane, the Bavarians have solved one of the biggest problems that plagued them last season.
FootTheBall predicts a 3-0 win for Bayern Munich.