Last season was one of superlatives. But there is the feeling that FC Bayern can achieve much more. Here’s what we can look forward to in the coming campaign.
More time to enjoy Oktoberfest
In the new season, there will be just two international breaks before the end of the year. This is good news for the team, as they will be able to maintain a consistent rhythm of play in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. And the fans won’t have to spend so much time wondering what to do on match-free weekends. Admittedly, the Reds aren’t playing a home match during Oktoberfest this year – but we’ll still be heading to the Wiesn in Lederhosen and FC Bayern shirts.
Connect 4?
Our women’s team have reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League three times in recent years. Last term, we were just one small step away from victory against hot favourites Barcelona. We’re clearly on an upward trajector, and with every European campaign, the team led by Giulia Gwinn gain more experience. So why not take the next step this season? The potential is there, and the quality certainly is – perhaps now is the time to reach the final for the first time? Let’s do it!
European Grand Masters
If we win the Bundesliga title this year, we will draw level with Real Madrid and Juventus on 36 titles across Europe’s top five leagues – it would be further proof of FC Bayern’s unique standing in Germany and Europe. Of course, we wouldn’t stop there in our quest for more silverware. There are still the records held by Olympiacos (48 league titles) and Rangers (55) to be chased.
Genuine intergenerational project
Manuel Neuer is on the verge of adding the historic milestone of 250 clean sheets in the Bundesliga to his exceptional career – he already has 246 to his name. At the same time, Jonas Urbig is gradually taking on more responsibility and gaining valuable playing time in big matches, and may soon be called up to the national team as well. One continues to build his legend, while the other’s story is only just beginning. In the Bayern goal, legend and the future stand side by side this season.
122 is not enough
Last season, our front line literally smashed the supposedly unbeatable goalscoring record set in the 1971/72 season. After scoring 122 goals in the Bundesliga, what’s left to do? Even more spectacular goals, of course! There are still plenty of targets for Harry, Michael, Lucho and Co: perhaps scoring the most goals in a calendar year? We managed 116 in 2021. To achieve that, however, our superstar strike force would need to score an average of 3.6 goals in their next 14 league matches. And the fact that this sounds difficult, but not impossible, is the greatest compliment to the FCB attack. And there are further targets: we could try to break the 91-point record from 2013. Or rack up the most wins in a single season (29, in 2013 and 2014). Hardly any record seems out of reach this term with Jamal Musiala getting into better and better form, our super-talented Lennart Karl and the top-class new signings on board.
Big talents stepping into big shoes
A great team have to keep evolving – even, and especially, after winning titles and trophies. That’s the only way to maintain that hunger; it’s the only way to combine experience with fresh impetus. Following the double, Georgia Stanway and Mala Grohs, amongst others, have left FCB Women. But we have signed exciting new game-changers such as Dutch player Sophie Proost and new Germany international Sarah Mattner. Successful coach José Barcala, on the other hand, has extended his contract early, thereby guaranteeing the continuity that is also essential for success.
New home
A new era is beginning for FC Bayern Women in Unterhaching. By 2029, the entire women’s football division – including the youth teams and management – will be moving to the Sportpark, just 15 minutes from Säbener Straße. The stadium is undergoing extensive modernisation: in addition to LED floodlights and new team benches, the stands are being refurbished and a new pitch laid. Step by step, a state-of-the-art training centre is taking shape that will set new standards across Europe. The women will already play their Champions League home matches in Haching this season. It all kicks off on 9 August with a friendly against Paris FC.
World Cup rising stars
Anyone who’s honest has to admit that, before the World Cup, only avowed experts were fully aware of the quality of Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari. That changed in North America – and their market value rose with every match. “Transfers like this don’t happen on the spur of the moment, but are the result of forward-thinking work,” said Max Eberl. In other words: by the time prices started to rise, everything had long since been finalised. Brown, 23, scored for the German national team as a left-back in the first World Cup match of his career. The press praised his “clever runs and strong tackling” – he brings pace down the flank, in both directions. Meanwhile, Saibari, aged 25 and recently named Eredivisie Player of the Year, adds even more potency to the centre of the attack and brings plenty of versatility and a drive towards goal. And that means he fits perfectly into our attacking line-up.
A Brazilian at Säbener Straße
It is a tradition at FC Bayern to retain legendary players at the club for the long term. That is why Dante – winner of the treble in 2013 and an amateur musician (“And the Pokal too…”) – is now returning to Säbener Straße as U23 coach. The Brazilian has obtained all the necessary coaching licences and now aims to put into practice what he learnt from great footballing mentors during his 23-year professional career: Jupp Heynckes’ leadership skills, Pep Guardiola’s attention to detail. We’re keen to see what victories and songs he’ll bring to FCB fans.
1,000 square metres
While our stars were enjoying a well-deserved holiday after a long season and the World Cup, excavation work began on Säbener Straße. Vincent Kompany’s players are set to gain a third training pitch, the training centre is being extended across four floors to a total of just over 1,000 square metres, and the medical facilities are being modernised. It will still take a little while for this mammoth project to be completed. The FC Bayern Store at Säbener Straße, which has also been refurbished, reopened in August.
Derby returns at long last
FC Bayern v TSV 1860, red v blue. After five years, there’s finally another Munich derby in men’s football – even if it’s ‘only’ taking place in the Bavaria Regional League. Following the Lions’ forced relegation, our amateurs are keen to improve their record against the Blues’ first team (3 wins, 6 draws, 8 defeats). The city derby will take place on 17 October at the Grünwalder Stadium; the return fixture (with our amateurs having home advantage) is scheduled for late April 2027.
Rivals of the heart
After several years in Bundesliga 2, Schalke 04 are finally back in the top flight. We’re already looking forward to more legendary clashes. Of the 119 matches played so far, FCB have won 70. Unforgettable moments include the first match at the Olympiastadion in 1972 (5–1), the dramatic DFB Cup semi-final in 2010 featuring an unstoppable solo run by Arjen Robben, and of course the battle for the title in 2001, which went right down to the wire. Schalke fans are a real asset to the league too: with an average attendance of over 60,000 in the second tier, the Royal Blues more than make up for the smaller stadiums of the other promoted sides from Paderborn and Elversberg. We’ve secured six wins from six matches against Paderborn. We haven’t played a single competitive match against SV Elversberg yet and will be making our first visit there in September.
The end is the beginning
At the end of December, FCB Basketball legend Svetislav Pešić returned to the club he holds dear to take over as interim coach until the end of the season. Now the 76-year-old is stepping down for good, with Anton Gavel taking over as new head coach. The former Bayern point guard impressed in Bamberg with his modern approach to basketball and was voted ‘Coach of the Year’. Thorsten Leibenath is also taking up his post as the new sporting director alongside Gavel. With the signings of top talents such as Dane Tobias Jensen and EuroLeague veterans like Duane Washington, FCB are laying the foundations for a successful era.
Red number 7
For those who believe in the mystique of numbers, the number 7 traditionally holds a special status, and it has also become firmly enshrined in the FCB’s history. Take, for example, the year 1957, when the club won its first cup. Or 1967, when FCB won its first European trophy – the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Another milestone followed in 1987, when Bayern overtook 1. FC Nürnberg as German record champions with their tenth league title. Now let’s make sure that 2027 will also go down as an unforgettable year!
Season preview taken from the August edition of Members’ Magazine ‘51’.
Topics of this article