Preview: Preussen Munster vs. Bayern Munich
Kicking off their quest for yet more silverware, Bayern Munich begin their latest DFB-Pokal campaign at 3. Liga side Preussen Munster on Tuesday evening.
Germany’s perennial champions missed out on lifting the cup over the past three seasons, but they are now clicking into top gear, having scored 11 times in their last two games.
Fresh from their 14th straight Champions League group-stage win in midweek, Bayern Munich welcomed VfL Bochum to the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon and dealt out a familiar beating to their visitors from the Ruhr region.
Days after Thomas Tuchel’s men posted a 4-3 home win over Manchester United, they ruthlessly dispatched domestic opponents who lost 7-0 in Munich last season, as Harry Kane’s first hat-trick for the club helped his side smash seven past Bochum once again.
Kane also found time to lay on two assists as he surpassed a record jointly held by Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose and Mario Mandzukic, taking his tally to seven goals in five Bundesliga matches to start his Bayern career.
Now, ahead of Saturday’s league clash with RB Leipzig, Die Roten must take care of business in the rather less glamorous surrounds of the 14,300-capacity Preussenstadion, where their first-round tie in the DFB-Pokal will take place.
Given their ongoing dominance of the Bundesliga, Bayern have been relatively unsuccessful in their national cup in recent times, having failed to make the last three finals and lifted the trophy only two times in the past seven years.
The Bavarian giants will no doubt seek to change that trend this season, which they have begun in menacing style; after starting with a shock 3-0 Super Cup loss to Leipzig in August, they have since won five of their last six matches, scoring 22 goals and netting at least twice on each occasion.
While Bayern moved top of the Bundesliga standings with their battering of Bochum, their cup hosts currently occupy a far more modest 14th place in German football’s third tier.
Having won only two of their first seven league matches this term – averaging just one goal per game – Preussen Munster will surely head into their first-round tie with some trepidation.
Founded in 1906, and an original member of the first Bundesliga back in 1963, the North Rhine-Westphalia club have plenty of history to reflect on, but in recent decades they have languished in the lower leagues.
Beating SV Sandhausen and holding VfB Lubeck to a 1-1 draw in their last two outings may boost confidence in the camp, but coach Sascha Hildmann – who led Die Adler out of the Regionalliga last season – has his work cut out to suppress the irresistible force of Bayern Munich.
Preussen Munster form (all competitions):
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Bayern Munich form (all competitions):
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We say: Preussen Munster 0-3 Bayern Munich
Although Bayern Munich are in fearsome form ahead of their trip to Munster, a tough league fixture coming up at the weekend means they may not go at full tilt in the DFB-Pokal. Even a much-changed team will have far too much quality for their hosts to withstand, though, and a place in the second round surely awaits.