Will Bayern Munich confirm their Bundesliga title or will the drama continue for another week? That's what's at stake in the match with RB Leipzig this Saturday.
The Red Bulls took a couple of steps back in their quest for Champions League football after getting forced into submission by Eintracht Frankfurt last week (4-0). This horrible defeat came right after a disappointing draw at home against Holstein Kiel, and these results allowed Freiburg to replace them in the Top 4.
RB Leipzig have one of the worst schedules among the teams fighting for Europe and Bayern Munich is the worst possible team to face at this stage. Since they got eliminated from the Champions League, the Bavarians have been a completely different monster in the Bundesliga, with back-to-back wins with clean sheets over Heidenheim (4-0) and Mainz (3-0).
Bayern are under no pressure right now as even if they lose this round, the title could still be decided this week if Bayer Leverkusen fail against Freiburg. And even if Bayern lose and Leverkusen win, the Bavarians have two more rounds to win at least one more time. But their recent performances suggest they aim to secure the title as early as possible.
How the bookies view it: Good value given the circumstances
Bookmakers gave RB Leipzig some room, although the Bavarians are a solid betting favourite as usual. But there is unusual value in the odds, especially after the reverse fixture this season. You can pick RB Leipzig or the draw at 9/2 each, or Bayern Munich at 13/20.
Recent head to head: Almost entirely about the Bavarians
Bayern Munich have mostly dominanted this rivalry, apart from the four H2Hs in 2023. This was RB's year, in which they went undefeated against the Bavarians (W2, D2). But the overall picture shows a significant advantage for the 33-time champions – 12 wins to three in 21 H2Hs (D6).
Players to watch: Olise is made for the highest level
Few people expected Michael Olise to become such an integral part in Bayern Munich's midfield after just one season but the 23-year-old has played an exceptional season for the Bavarians. His back-to-back assists against Heidenheim and Mainz made it 12 Bundesliga assists this season, which is more than any other player has had in their debut campaign. Additionally, he also has nine goals in the league. And he provided the assists to the first two goals in the reverse fixture against RB this season. Otherwise, you can easily opt for Serge Gnabry, who will replace Harry Kane, who picked up a red card last week.
Probable line-ups
RB Leipzig: Vandevoord, Klostermann, Lukeba, Orban, Raum, Kampl, Vermeeren, Baku, Simons, Openda, Sesko
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Laimer, Dier, Kim, Stanisic, Kimmich, Pavlovic, Coman, Olise, Sane, Gnabry
Anything else catch the eye?
Last week's 4-0 trashing at Eintracht Frankfurt showed that Zsolt Low has not yet found a solution to all of RB's problems. And Bayern Munich are not going to give them any room to breathe if they play like the last couple of fixtures.
There is the fact that Bayern haven't won at this stadium since 2021 but they haven't lost here since 2018 either. The Red Bulls can be optimistic to a certain extent, given they only lost one of their last 10 home matches but we still plan to back Bayern Munich to win and put a rest to this exciting campaign.
This German Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich will be played on and kick off at 14:30. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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