Matchday in focus: Bayern Munich | OneFootball

Bayern combine possession with precision passing and fierce pressing, even in the absence of the injured Jamal Musiala.

Tactics

Bayern have been outstanding so far this season, particularly in terms of possession and passing accuracy. They have had 69.7 percent of the ball on average across their Bundesliga games in 2024/25, which is over eight percent more than the next best team in this category, VfB Stuttgart. They are also “aggressive in their pressing and counter-pressing,” as Eintracht head coach Dino Toppmöller put it in his pre-match press conference.

New Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany has relied on a 4-2-3-1 formation so far. The spine of the team is made up of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer; centre-back pairing Dayot Upamecano and Min-jae Kim; defensive midfielders Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic; summer signing Michael Olise alongside Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala in attacking midfield – although the latter will be absent due to injury; and Harry Kane up front. All of the players named have started at least four of Bayern’s five Bundesliga assignments this season.

Absentees

Eintracht will be without Oscar Højlund on Sunday as he continues his recovery from a broken foot. Kevin Trapp could return in goal, depending on how he fares in the final training session, while Tuta will only miss out if the birth of his child is immediately imminent. Bayern will be without Sven Ulreich due to suspension, while Sacha Boey, Hiroki Ito, Musiala and Josip Stanisic are all injured.

One to watch: Aleksandar Pavlovic

Pavlovic has broken into the Bayern first team in recent months. Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann called him up to the senior squad for the first time in June, but he missed out on the European Championship on home turf due to tonsillitis. He is no longer considered merely a squad player for the record German champions but is a starter, even keeping headline summer signing João Palhinha on the bench. Pavlovic...

Facts and figures

Omar Marmoush has had 25 shots on goal in the Bundesliga – more than any other player.

Bayern hit the woodwork six times across the first five matchdays, with Serge Gnabry responsible for three of those. Both tallies are league highs.

Kompany’s side have also scored more goals than anyone else (17), but curiously none of them have been headers.

Both Eintracht and Bayern have only been behind for 18 of a possible 450 minutes each so far this season, less than any other team.