Vincent Kompany says Bayern Munich are close to producing their best football despite an unconvincing start to the season, as they prepare to host an in-form RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Bayern have collected 11 points from their first five league matches, their poorest opening to a Bundesliga campaign for four years. They have dropped four points through three wins and two draws – the same number they conceded during the entire first half of last season, when they recorded 15 wins and two draws.
Kompany’s team sit third in the early table, two points and two places above Leipzig. However, the visitors arrive with confidence after winning three of their past four matches in all competitions, losing the other. Those victories include a 6-0 success against Eintracht Frankfurt and a 5-0 league win over Hamburg.
The Bayern manager acknowledges the threat posed by Leipzig but remains confident in his own side.
“We want to attack. We’re playing at home. We’re hungry,” said the Belgian.
“We know about Leipzig’s strengths. You can see they’ve made a few changes. It’s helped the team. They’re coming here with confidence.
“We’ve had 50 shots on goal over the last two games. We’ve been doing lots of collective things well. If we do a few things better, then we’re not far off our best version. We know we can do it.
“These games often come down to the quality on the pitch. They’ve got quick wide players and strong attackers. We also have that.
“They have defenders who also get involved in attack and a goalkeeper who’s good on the ball. We also have that as well.
“They’re games with a lot of creativity. If things start to go one way, then they can really go that way. Let’s see what happens.”
Players to watch
Harry Kane is set to make his 100th Bundesliga appearance for Bayern. His 101 goals already represent a competition record for a player in their first 100 matches.
The England captain has supplied three assists in his past three Bundesliga games, including two against Augsburg. That is as many assists as he managed in his previous 31 appearances.
For Leipzig, Christopher Nkunku scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick in his 124th appearance. It was also the first perfect hat-trick by a Leipzig player in the competition.
Nkunku has scored three Bundesliga goals away against Bayern. Only Dodi Lukebakio and Markus Rosenberg, with four each, have scored more league goals at Allianz Arena as visiting players.
Match prediction: Bayern Munich win
Bayern have scored 16 goals this season, giving them the Bundesliga’s best attack. Leipzig are second with 15, a club record after five matches of a league campaign.
Kompany’s side have scored 12 goals in their first two home Bundesliga games. Only Frankfurt, who scored 13 in 1976-77, have scored more in their opening two home matches of a season.
Bayern have won their past three meetings with Leipzig in all competitions, including February’s DFB-Pokal quarter-final. Their last run of four consecutive victories in this fixture came between April 2021 and July 2022.
Leipzig have lost their past four Bundesliga away matches, a sequence currently matched only by bottom club Borussia Monchengladbach.
Leipzig manager Martin Demichelis made 259 appearances for Bayern between 2003 and 2010 and won the domestic double four times. In the past 13 Bundesliga seasons, only Alfred Schreuder with Hoffenheim and Peter Bosz with Bayer Leverkusen have won their first away match against Bayern at Allianz Arena. Both victories came in autumn 2019.
Opta’s win probability gives Bayern a 73.9% chance of victory, with the draw at 14.4% and Leipzig at 11.7%.
