After taking down Wolfsburg and Freiburg before the September slate of international fixtures, Bayern Munich will return to action in the Bundesliga with a battle in the Topspiel against Holstein Kiel.
It wasn’t long ago that Kiel upset Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal, so Die Roten will be on red alert for an upset against a newly-promoted Bundesliga side that is more dangerous than they let on.
Here is a look at a potential starting XI for Vincent Kompany’s Bayern on Saturday evening at the Holstein-Stadion.
GK Manuel Neuer, LB Raphael Guerreiro, CB Dayot Upamecano, CB Kim Min-jae, RB Sacha Boey
No Alphonso Davies means Bundesliga veteran Raphael Guerreiro will stretch the pitch offensively at the left back position, and he may be a better fit for Bayern in this game because of his playmaking quality.
Although there was talk about Leon Goretzka needing to start at center back, the club’s top two options Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae should slot in comfortably.
This should be a huge game for Sacha Boey, who recorded an assist in his other start this season.
DM Joshua Kimmich, DM Aleksandar Pavlovic, AM Thomas Muller
Thomas Muller continues to get regular minutes at the age of 35, and after coming off the bench in his last two games, this should be the German international’s first start of the season.
We all know how much Joshua Kimmich prefers to play in midfield rather than at right back. He and youngster Aleksandar Pavlovic will get to show their quality as a duo against Kiel.
LW Jamal Musiala, RW Michael Olise, ST Harry Kane
Jamal Musiala may not be a winger by trade, but he certainly has the dribbling ability and football IQ to be an inverted playmaker off the left and create havoc with goals and assists galore.
After Didi Hamann’s awful, misplaced criticism of the German international, Musiala can have a statement game at Kiel’s expense this Saturday. He, Michael Olise, and Harry Kane are the best front three in Germany and will want to be the best front three in Europe. Olise is a monster, too.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.