Clash of extremes against Wolfsburg

Following their painful exit from the Champions League in the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern are now focusing on the final three competitive matches of the season. To kick off this final push, the German champions travel to VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday (18.30 CEST). It's clear who the favourites are for the clash against the side sitting sixteenth in the table: on the one hand, because the Wolves have picked up just ten points at home so far, making them the weakest home side this season; on the other hand, because Bayern have a strike duo in their ranks that operates at a level the Bundesliga has never seen before. Check out just how extraordinary this attacking power is in the facts and stats for the clash.

We are, of course, talking about Michael Olise and Harry Kane. For the first time since detailed stats were first recorded in the 2004/05 season, two players from the same club have each been involved in at least 33 goals in a single Bundesliga season – an incredible feat. Whilst Kane has racked up 38 goal contributions so far, Olise currently stands on 33, equalling the season record for a winger. Only Jadon Sancho was equally successful in 2019/20. And there are still two matchdays to go.

Although the league title is already in the bag, the Munich side will want to keep the excitement levels high with the DFB Cup final in mind. The fact that the German record champions are enjoying their third-best Bundesliga season ever, with 83 points from 32 games, is a clear indication of just how consistently Vincent Kompany’s side have performed so far this season. Only in 2012/13 (85 points) and 2013/14 (84) did Bayern have more points on the board at this stage.

Bayern have never had a higher goal tally in the Bundesliga, however. With 116 goals, FCB boast the best-ever attacking record in a Bundesliga season. In this millennium, only twice has a team in Europe’s top five leagues managed to score more goals in a single season: Real Madrid in the 2014/15 campaign (118 goals) and 2011/12 (121).

Invincible on the road

Their impressive attacking stats are a key reason why the record champions so consistently pick up points on their opponents’ turf. With 42 points, FC Bayern are currently the best away team in the German top flight. Kompany’s side have now gone 25 Bundesliga away games unbeaten (19 wins, six draws) stretching back to last season. The Munich men have only gone longer without defeat on the road on two previous occasions: between 1985 and 1987 they picked up points in 26 consecutive away matches, and from 2012 to 2014 in 33 matches in a row.

In their quest to set this new record, the Wolfsburg game seems to have come at just the right time. Against no other team that FCB have faced more than ten times in the Bundesliga do the stats look better: on average, the Munich side pick up 2.54 points against the Wolves. Just how strong their determination to succeed is in the clash with VfL was already evident in the first half of the season: Luis Díaz and co. won 8-1, inflicting Wolfsburg's heaviest Bundesliga defeat in the club's history. Almost exactly five months have passed since then – and whilst Bayern have already been crowned German champions, the side from Lower Saxony face two 'finals' to avoid the drop.

These stats also illustrate just how far apart the two clubs are this season: Whilst the Munich men have picked up 29 points after falling behind so far this term, equalling Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Bundesliga record from the 1999/2000 season, Wolfsburg have already squandered 33 points after taking the lead – only FC Schalke 04 (1999/2000) have done worse in the three-point era.

Despite what appears to be a clear-cut starting point, Saturday’s match kicks off at 0–0 – with Bayern’s clear aim being to take all three points home to Munich.

We’ve taken a closer look at our upcoming opponents: