Bundesliga 2020/21: Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04

The Allianz Arena will host the inaugural fixture of the new Bundesliga season between Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 on 18 September. This tactical analysis will take a look at how the two teams will face up against each other.

Bayern Munich, led by Hansi Flick, finished the Bundesliga previous season as the righteous champions, after a stellar second half of the campaign which saw them overtake RB Leipzig and create a sizeable points gap. Altogether, they dropped just a single point since the turn of the year, a 0-0 draw against Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig. DFB Pokal and Champions League final victories made the Bavarians well-deserved treble winners, especially after their infamous 8-2 win against Barcelona in the semi-final. In this analysis, we will detail Flick’s tactics across his Munich tenure so far, and how they will use them to take the three points against Schalke.

Schalke, managed by David Wagner, led his side a 12th placed finish after his side after winning none of their last 16 matches. If it were not for their impressive start to the campaign, relegation worries would have loomed over the club and its fans. Financial concerns have taken a full grasp of the club, partly due to the ongoing pandemic, and this has seen the sale of Weston McKennie and the potential sale of Ozan Kabak, with the only arrival being 36-year-old Vedad Ibišević on a free transfer. This analysis will take a deeper dive into how Wagner sets his team up and in what manner this could aid them in this matchup against Bayern.

Predicted Lineups

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Benjamin Pavard, Niklas Süle, David Alaba, Alphonso Davies; Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka; Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané; Robert Lewandowski.

This predicted Bayern line-up is very similar to their regular starting XI last season, barring new signing Sané and the absence of Spanish star Thiago Alcântara. Neuer made considerable improvements on his 2018/19 season last year, where he went from a decidedly poor shot-stopper, into a more than capable pair of hands in between the sticks, and this sees him begin his ninth Bundesliga campaign with Bayern. The defence stays relatively the same, albeit Süle will return from a prolonged injury hiatus. Given the speculation around Thiago’s future at the club, Goretzka will likely come in to accompany Kimmich in midfield. Sané is expected to enter the starting XI straight away against his former club, on the left wing, the position he made his impact for the Citizens. The rest of the forward line is expected to be the same as their last fixture.