The first international break is over and for FC Bayern it's back to business with a real crunch match. On Saturday evening (live text and webradio commentary from 18:30 CEST on fcbayern.com), the record champions are away to last season's runners-up RB Leipzig in the Matchday 4's standout fixture. Find out everything you need to know about the match in the preview from fcbayern.com.
Enjoy the best images from Bayern's final training session on Friday before the game at Leipzig in our gallery:
The situation for FC Bayern
Bayern vs. Leipzig! A fixture that's thrilled the fans since the first clash five years ago, and this time round it has an additional twist! Both Marcel Sabitzer and Dayot Upamecano, two former Leipzig players are in the FCB squad and head coach Julian Nagelsmann also came to Bavaria from Saxony at the start of this season. "I'm really looking forward to the game," the 34-year-old said at the press conference on Friday. Nagelsmann and his team will certainly travel to the away game full of confidence. The men from Munich are still unbeaten in the league (one draw, two wins) and were getting more and more into their stride heading into the international break. The plan is for this trend to continue, as the Leipzig game marks the start of a month with a total of five intense matches for the record champions. The next one is on Tuesday in Barcelona, where the new Champions League campaign gets underway.
The previous clashes against Leipzig always delivered raw excitement. We've had a leaf through the picture book:
The opponents: RB Leipzig
After the high-profile departures both on and off the pitch this summer, RB currently still need to apply new coach Jesse Marsch's philosophy on the pitch in a winning way. In the league, they've won just the one game and lost twice. They will, however have additional support for the top match against FCB in the shape of 34,000 spectators. "Bring your power to the stadium - that's what we need! You can make the difference on Saturday," was how Marsch fired up the supporters at Thursday's press conference. The spark should then quickly spread to the pitch from the stands. "It's about going into the game free of fear and full of confidence. Focused and powerful. The whole group has to be ready on Saturday. It doesn't matter who starts: We need 16 very good performances, from the bench to the starting Xl in any case. We need to go flat out," said the American.
Team news, tactics and more: Watch Julian Nagelsmann's pre-match press conference before the game at Leipzig again (with English translation) here:
Team news for Leipzig vs. Bayern
The preparation for Saturday's standout fixture wasn't easy for the two coaches, with players only gradually returning from international duty during the week. "We had little training time together," Nagelsmann explained, after the Germans, for example, only joined in for the final training session. The coach already confirmed that Thomas Müller and Alphonso Davies, who each had to return early from international duty, will be able to play. New signing Sabitzer is also set to make his debut in a Bayern jersey. However, Corentin Tolisso and Kingsley Coman (both in rehab training) will miss out.
For Leipzig, Marcel Halstenberg will also miss out. Tyler Adams is a doubt due to his longer international trips. However, new captain Péter Gulácsi, who returned early from duty with the Hungarian national team, is ready for action.
What the coaches say
Julian Nagelsmann: "Leipzig's counter-pressing can be a threat, so we'll have to find good solutions. With a pitch that's 105 metres long, there' always space to play in and we'll have to find it. I think both will attack in a similar way, but it'll depend on who uses the ball better. It'll be about having a fresher mental approach."
Jesse Marsch (RB Leipzig head coach): "We weren't able to win all the clashes, so there's a bit more pressure on Matchday 4. But we won't be afraid, we'll be full of confidence and put in a good performance on the pitch. Clashes against Bayern are always a good opportunity to show what we can do. We'll have to make sure that we control the game more than the opposition. Of course, that won't be easy against a team with so much quality."
If you want to know more about the game against Leipzig, check out our facts and stats:
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