Bayern Munich Opposition Form Report | September 27-28, 2014

Bundesliga

VfB Stuttgart (1-0) Hannover 96

1-0 VfB: Daniel Schwaab (69')

Going against a team that has not scored at home so far this season, Tyfon Korkut's tactics were baffling conservative. Joselu was left put top to fend for himself, Stuttgart midfielders Oriol Romeu and Carlos Gruezo easily able to cut off the supply. The pressure from Stuttgart was so consistent throughout the first half. It was only a matter of time that Schwaab found the opener in the second. Korkut will likely deploy similar tactics against Bayern, and they will lead to similar attacking results.

Hannover XI (4-1-4-1): Zieler – Sakai, Marcelo, Schulz, Albornoz – Gülselam – Bittencourt, Andreasen, Schmiedebach, Kiyotake – Joselu

UEFA Champions League

Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast (3-4) CSKA Moskva 

1-0 Ural: Edgar Manucharyan (10')
1-1 CSKA: Alan Dzagoev (29')
1-2 CSKA: Roman Eremenko (45+2')
2-2 Ural: Fyodor Smolov (55')
2-3 CSKA: Seydou Doumbia (69')
3-3 Ural: Alexandr Erokhin (83')
3-4 CSKA: Seydou Doumbia (89')

With a week of rest and Champions League match midweek, the CSKA defense left their motivation behind. They started slow, allowing an early opener to relegation zone club, and afforded Ural way too much space when they had the lead. Luckily Doumbia used his individual skill in his brief shift to salvage three points for CSKA. For a team that gave up five goals to Roma, this result is not a good sign.

CSKA XI (4-2-3-1): Akinfeev – Mario Fernandes, V. Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov – Dzagoev (A. Berezutski 85'), Natcho – Tošić (Efremov 78'), Eremenko, Milanov – Musa (Doumbia 66')

AS Roma (2-0) Hellas Verona

1-0 Roma: Alessandro Florenzi (75')
2-0 Roma: Mattia Destro (86')

Trying to manage the fitness of his players, Rudi Garcia elected not to start the match with Gervinho, and his well-timed, defense-buckling runs were sorely missed in the first half. Roma controlled everything, including firing away 23 shots in the match, but they needed two fabulous shots from distance to come way with the three points. Thus far, their grasp of their matches have been firm, and the chances have been a plenty. Against a tougher side, though, it is easy to fathom a scenario where they struggle to find the back of the net.

Roma XI (4-3-3): De Sanctis – Maicon, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Cole – Pjanić, Kéita, Nainggolan (Paredes 83') – Destro, Totti (Florenzi 67'), Ljajić (Gervinho 57')

Hull City (2-4) Manchester City

0-1 MCFC: Sergio Agüero (7')
0-2 MCFC: Edin Džeko (11')
1-2 HUL: Eliaquim Mangala (OG 21')
2-2 HUL: Abel Hernández (P 32')
2-3 MCFC: Edin Džeko (68')
2-4 MCFC: Frank Lampard (87')

Unlike their last few matches, Manchester City wasted no time getting on the score sheet. Since Steve Bruce only kept four in midfield, Manuel Pellegrini was able to resort to a two striker formation, one that worked fluidly. A defensive mistake and a penalty allowed Hull to get back in the match before halftime, but Džeko did what he does best to give City the winner. Pellegrini likely saved Martín Demichelis for the Champions League, although the impressive start to Mangala's City career might win him the spot.

Man. City XI (4-4-2): Caballero – Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy – Milner, Fernandinho (Navas 66'), Touré, David Silva (Demichelis 78') – Džeko, Agüero (Lampard 72')

DFB-Pokal

Hamburg SV (1-2) Eintracht Frankfurt

0-1 SGE: Haris Seferović (44')
1-1 HSV: Nicolai Müller (57')
1-2 SGE: Lucas Piazon (90')

In his third match in charge of Hamburg, Josef Zinnbauer finally got the temperate, controlled possession game that he said he was going to implement. Even so, chances in the box still went begging for a finishing touch, occasionally in a comical fashion. A push forward left them exposed at the back like the good ol' days, and Seferović found the breakthrough before halftime. Nicolai Müller scored the first goal for Hamburg of the season after a Bundesliga record 507 minutes without one, but needed Bastian Oczipka to keep him onside to do so. Hamburg's schedule gets much tougher with Dortmund and Hoffenheim on the docket, the points are not going to flow any time soon.

Hamburg XI (4-2-3-1): Drobný – Westermann, Djourou, Cleber, Ostrzolek – Arslan, Behrami – Müller, Holtby, Stieber – Lasogga