Bayern vs Leverkusen: Olise or Wirtz? Kompany or Alonso? Kane on fire

Bayern Munich face Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday in what promises to be an enthralling encounter, live on Sky Sports Football.

Bayern top the table with a 100 per cent record, while Leverkusen sit second after winning three of their opening four games.

Leverkusen stopped Bayern from claiming the title last season for the first time in 11 years.

Here are five of the key talking points ahead of the crucial clash…

Saturday 28th September 5:20pm


Kick off 5:30pm

Will this be an early indication of where the title is heading?

Bayern have equalled their best start to a Bundesliga season, having built up a goal difference of +13 following four wins from four.

Only the Bayern side of 2016/17 and Stuttgart in 1996/97 have made such imperious starts after four matches.

Leverkusen, on the other hand, saw their 35-game unbeaten league run come to an end in their second match of this term when RB Leipzig came from 2-0 down to prevail 3-2.

They have won three of their opening four fixtures though to lie second in the table, just three points behind ‘FC Hollywood’.

Ominously for the defending champions, Bayern have not lost in their last 16 Bundesliga encounters when they have taken on the team in second while topping the table.

With Bayern desperate to atone for last year’s third-place finish, Leverkusen once again appear to be the best bet for stopping them from lifting a 34th title.

Kane’s scintillating start

Despite having scored 36 league goals in his debut season with Bayern, Harry Kane will have felt aggrieved his heroics did not result in him lifting the first bit of silverware in his career.

After further heartbreak in the summer with England, which saw him criticised for his performances as Gareth Southgate’s side lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, he has once again hit the ground running for the German side.

Kane has scored five times already, becoming the highest-scoring Englishman in Bundesliga history in the process, and provided four assists.

Since data collection began, only legendary Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski in 2020/21 has contributed more goal involvements over the first four matchdays of a league campaign.

The 31-year-old will hope to fire Bayern to victory over Leverkusen as he bids to win that elusive first trophy in an otherwise outstanding career to date.

Olise vs Wirtz: The young forwards who could prove pivotal

Michael Olise and Florian Wirtz could be crucial players in determining which side emerges victorious.

Olise has made an impressive start to life at Bayern since joining in the summer, with the ex-Crystal Palace forward having provided five goal involvements so far in the league.

Wirtz, meanwhile, showed his class last term, scoring 11 goals and contributing 12 assists as Leverkusen won the first Bundesliga title in their history.

With four goals and an assist already, that form has carried on into the current campaign as the 21-year-old continues to show why he is one of Germany’s hottest young prospects.

Which forward performs best could prove vital in determining not only who prevails on Saturday but also in this year’s title race.

Kompany vs Alonso: The tactical battle

Vincent Kompany seemed a surprise choice to take over from Thomas Tuchel as Bayern boss, having overseen Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League last season with just 24 points.

However, the Belgian has excelled since joining Bayern, with the club at the domestic summit after four games.

They have scored a remarkable 29 goals in only six competitive fixtures so far this term, which is their best start in terms of goals scored since securing promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965.

Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso has established himself as one of the hottest young managerial prospects since taking the job at Leverkusen.

With the club mired in the relegation zone when he took over in October 2022, Alonso first sealed Europa League qualification before guiding them to one of the best seasons ever in European football in his first full season in charge.

Having ended Bayern’s 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga, Leverkusen also triumphed in the DFB-Pokal for just the second time before their hopes of an astonishing unbeaten treble came to an end courtesy of a 3-0 loss to Serie A side Atalanta in the Europa League final.

With Alonso yet to lose in his three league meetings so far with ex-side Bayern, the tactical battle between two of the most highly regarded young managers in the game today will be fascinating to witness.

Leverkusen’s set-piece threat

Like Arsenal in the Premier League, Leverkusen have proven to be the Bundesliga’s set-piece kings in the early stages of this campaign.

They have already scored six times from dead-ball situations this season, which is the most in the division, and all four of their goals last time out against Wolfsburg came from set-pieces.

In last year’s Premier League, Kompany’s Burnley were one of the worst performing teams in terms of goals scored and conceded from this area of the game.

How Bayern deal with Leverkusen’s set-piece threat could prove decisive in how Saturday’s mouth-watering clash pans out.

Watch Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen live on Sky Sports Football from 5.20pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm.