Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig
, KO: 19:45 Aug 12, 2023, Allianz Arena
It is the traditional German curtain-raiser as Bayern Munich host RB Leipzig in the DFL Super Cup on Saturday. The Bavarians are seeking their fourth straight title and given their fine record in this fixture, should have the edge over Leipzig, who have been weakened by some key summer departures.
Bayern Munich are coming into the Bundesliga campaign as favourites once again and will be keen to lay down an early marker by picking up the first piece of silverware this season. This trophy has remained at the Allianz Arena for the last three years and each time the Bavarians have gone on to win the league title.
The transfer market has not been spectacular for Bayern Munich, although they brought in Konrad Laimer and Kim Min-Jae while losing Sadio Mane. They have also been involved in a summer long pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane and although several bids have been rejected, there is confidence the England captain will be with the Bundesliga champions this season.
Preseason has been solid enough for Bayern Munich, who have claimed four wins from their five warm-up matches. However, Thomas Tuchel’s men have looked vulnerable at the back, keeping only one clean sheet in that run.
RB Leipzig were the victims of Bayern Munich in last season’s DFL Super Cup as they suffered a 5-3 defeat. They went on to have a topsy-turvy campaign that required them to go on a late run-in order to secure a Champions League place.
Die Roten appear to have been weakened in the transfer window with Christopher Nkunku and Marcel Halstenberg, who were both on target in last season’s clash, leaving the club. They have also lost midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and defender Josko Gvardiol, with Lois Openda and youngster Benjamin Sesko the major arrivals this summer.
Manager Marco Rose can be satisfied with RB Leipzig’s preseason with three wins from four warm-up matches, although they mostly faced lower league teams. Their only meeting with a topflight team ended in a 2-1 defeat to Udinese.
How the bookies view it
Bayern Munich have unsurprisingly been installed as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 4/7 by bet365. A victory for RB Leipzig is valued at 9/2 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 18/5 by William Hill.
Head to head
Bayern Munich have a 10-2 advantage with five draws from 17 previous meetings with RB Leipzig. Both teams met three times last season with Bayern winning the DFL Super Cup while Leipzig claimed a 3-1 victory in the Bundesliga clash at the Allianz Arena.
Players to watch
Bayern Munich have retained much of their attacking quality with Serge Gnabry looking sharp in preseason and scoring in the last two matches. The forward was also on target in two of the three meetings with RB Leipzig last season and is priced at 6/4 by bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Following the departure of Christopher Nkunku, RB Leipzig will look to Timo Werner to provide the attacking threat on Saturday. The striker will be keen to hit the ground running after a difficult campaign last season and is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Meetings between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig are usually high-scoring affairs with last season’s DFL Super Cup producing eight goals. Over 4.5 goals is valued at 7/2 by Paddy Power, who are also offering odds of 7/5 on over 3.5 goals.
There have been goals for both sides in the last five meetings and with a straight Bayern Munich victory priced at minimal odds, a win and both teams to score provides more value at 19/10 with William Hill.
This match between Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig will be played on Aug 12, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
