Bundesliga: Nagelsmann, New Bayern Recruits Brace for Red Bulls Reunion

Bundesliga: Nagelsmann, New Bayern Recruits Brace for Red Bulls Reunion

RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich

The Bundesliga comes back from the international break with a blockbuster battle between RB Leipzig and champions Bayern Munich.

This match will mark the first time that new Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann, as well as former RB Leipzig players Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer, will return to Red Bull Arena to take on their old club.

The Red Bulls have had a rough start to the season, losing two of their first three matches under new coach Jesse Marsch. And the Bundesliga 2021 betting odds are backing Nagelsmann’s Bayern to make that three losses in four when they visit Leipzig.

Talking Points

Red Bulls off to slow start under Marsch

RB Leipzig have not gotten off to a great start under new coach Jesse Marsh. They’ve lost two of their first three games away to Mainz and leaders Wolfsburg while adjusting to Marsch’s new system.

Although, they did have a 4-0 home win against Stuttgart sandwiched in between. That match saw Leipzig’s two new main men in attack – Andre Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai – give the Red Bulls the attacking quality they missed at times last season. Szoboszlai bagged a brace in his first Bundesliga start for his new club, while Silva scored from the penalty spot and also set up Emil Forsberg’s goal.

In fairness to Marsch, he has had a challenging task to start the season without many of his best players. Aside from losing star centre-back Dayot Upamecano to Bayern, he’s also had to make do without full-backs Angelino and Marcel Halstenberg, as well as midfield maestro Dani Olmo. It seems unlikely that Olmo, who was left out of Spain’s recent qualifiers, will be fit enough to play against Bayern.

Marcel Sabitzer also departed to Bayern Munich during the transfer window, which further limits Marsch’s midfield options. Tyler Adams, who was on international duty with the US men’s national team, and Amadou Haidara have started the last two games in midfield for Leipzig and will have their hands full against Bayern.

Bayern stars banged up during international break

The Julian Nagelsmann era at Bayern Munich is off to a decent start. After drawing in his debut against Borussia Monchengladbach, the Bavarians have picked up back-to-back wins against Koln and Hertha Berlin and are in a three-way tie for second place.

Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller created a handful of Bundesliga 2021 highlights in their 5-0 thrashing of Hertha. Lewandowski bagged yet another hat-trick while Muller got a goal and assist.

Lewandowski kept up his great goalscoring form while on international duty with Poland as he scored three times in their three World Cup qualifiers. Wingers Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane also shone for Germany; Gnabry grabbed three goals while Sane scored twice and set up another.

However, Muller and Alphonso Davies picked up injuries which saw them head home early. Dayot Upamecano is also a doubt to face his former club with a leg injury that saw him miss out on the World Cup qualifiers, while fellow Frenchmen Kingsley Coman and Corentin Tolisso are also dealing with knocks.

But Bayern have quite capable replacements in the form of Jamal Musiala and Lucas Hernandez. The 18-year-old Musiala has already played five games for Bayern this season, scoring three times with one assist. And Hernandez is finally back fit after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason.

Meanwhile, Sabitzer, who missed out on international duty to deal with his own injury, could be on the bench with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretza likely to start in midfield.

History

RB Leipzig have been reasonably competitive in their limited Bundesliga meetings against Bayern Munich. The Red Bulls are far behind in terms of wins (1-5), but they had held Bayern to four consecutive draws prior to their 1-0 home defeat in their most recent meeting in April. Leon Goretzka got the winning goal in that match.

Bayern and Leipzig also had one of the best games of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season with a 3-3 draw. Leipzig went ahead twice in a back-and-forth game, but Bayern fought back to claim a point. Thomas Muller scored a brace, including the equaliser on 75 minutes.

Betting Tip

1X2 Bayern Munich @ 2.33

The SBOTOP odds for this much-anticipated matchup are quite close. Bayern Munich are slight 2.33 favourites, with RB Leipzig priced at 2.48 at home. A draw has the highest odds at 3.45.

This is shaping up to be another tough match for Marsch, who has yet to fully implement his new system on his side. Nagelsmann is going through the same process at Bayern, but at least he has the benefit of having a much stronger squad at his disposal.

Despite their injury concerns, Bayern still have a wealth of attacking options that should give them the win on Nagelsmann’s return to Red Bull Arena.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

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