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Initial observations and reactions:
- A difficult match for Bayern Munich. In the end, three points are all that matter and the Reds can be satisfied with the victory. Union Berlin was passionate and a well-organized team. It is always hard to crack that dense defense.
- Although they won the match, there is a feeling that there could be done more. Two goals and one goal conceded. The attack has to do a lot better. Lewa managed to score the winning goal, but there were too many missed chances.
- Individual mistake spoiled the party. Pavard did generally do well, but he made a reckless challenge which lead to a penalty goal by Union.
- Philippe Coutinho wasn’t at his best today. In a match where one team attacks and the other practically parks the bus, Coutinho is the man in charge to deliver useful balls. But instead, he would dribble and shoot more often than making a good pass.
Final whistle! A tough game for the Bavarians. In the end, Bayern won 2:1 in front of home audience.
93’ — Unbelievable miss from Lewy. To be fair, the ball was fast and the situation was difficult
92’ — Only two minutes left in this game
90’ — Remarkable save by keeper to deny Goretzka’s try.
89’ — Union Berlin looking for a draw now and Bayern are making it difficult for them.
87’ — Substitution: Leon Goretzka in and Philippe Coutinho out.
86’ — Sebastian Polter scores first ever goal for Union Berlin against Bayern. Sloppy defending from Benjamin Pavard lead to an unnecessary penalty.
85’ — Penalty for Union Berlin!
84’ — Goal by Lewandowski ruled offside.
82’ — A beautifull double pass from Gnabry and Lewandowski. but Gnabry’s shot just went wide. In the next attack Gnabry tried his luck from distance, but keeper saved it AGAIN!
79’ — Another corner for Bayern. Another good chance. Another save.
78’ — Series of good attacks from Bayern, but the attack ends with a foul.
77’ — Substitution: Corentin Tolisso in and Ivan Perišić out.
75’ — Thiago bleeding from his cheek after he got elbowed in an aerial clash.
73’ — Thiago bossing the midfield. Such a beautiful thing to see.
71’ — Again Gnabry with a nice shot, but the keeper managed to save it again.
70’ — WHAT A VOLLEY FROM GNABRY! Unfortunately, the keeper saved it.
67’ — Great run from Ujah. He had the space, he had the time, but luckily for Neuer his pass was wasteful.
66’ — Substitution: Serge Gnabry in, Kingsley Coman out.
65’ — Good shot from Lewandowski, but the keeper was up to his task.
64’ — Looks like Gnabry is being subbed in.
60’ — Bayern giving their all to score another. Few good situations now for Bayern, but too many Union’s players were in the way
58’ — Neuer saves the penalty! Classy save.
57’ — VAR check for something. Seems like Perišić played with his hand in the box
56’ — Great header from Gentner near the post, but someone from Bayern’s defense cleared it.
53’ — GOAL! Robert Lewandowski makes it 2:0 after a lucky deflection and a nice finish
51’ — Neuer screaming at his teammates. Bayern still haven’t started playing properly in the second half.
49’ — Chance for Union Berlin, but Neuer saves it who sends a quick ball forward, in the end Coman’s shot went wide
47’ — Foul on Alphonso Davies. He stayed on the ground, but quickly went back up.
Kickoff! The second half is underway!
Half-time observations:
- Union Berlin is doing surprisingly well. They’ve defended very very well and have kept Bayern’s attacks at bay, most of the time and have shut-down Lewandowski, for now. They haven’t really threatened Manuel Neuer in the first half, but few situations were quite dangerous for Bayern.
- Lots of energy and passion from Bayern. Good to see. Bayern is playing very energized and are clearly motivated to end the no-win run in Bundesliga. They’re on the right track for now.
- Bayern didn’t make many clear-cut chances. They are still mostly trying to threaten Union Berlin with crosses that aren’t working too great. There were few pleasant attacks from the Bavarians. There is an attacking idea, but it is always difficult to implement it when you’re playing against a well-organized team.
Half-time! No extra time. Union Berlin are holding well against last year’s Bundesliga champions.
45’ — A good run from Ivan Perišić, but Neven Subotić is there to clear the ball.
44’ — A risky pass from Manuel Neuer. Pavard takes no chance and kicks the ball far from his box.
42’ — A shot from distance from Coutinho, but the ball goes straight at the keeper.
41’ — Few good crosses, but Union’s defense is very compact and balls are not getting through.
40’ — Nice idea by Muller, but Coman got in the way of Muller’s pass to Lewandowski
37’ — Coutinho was selfish (again). There were few available players, but he decided to dribble and shoot. A good chance wasted
35’ — Nice attacking play from the reds, but they didn’t manage to capitalize. In the end, Coman slipped and the ball went out.
34’ — Besides this one goal that they’ve conceded, Union Berlin is playing well and defending quite organized.
32’ — Pavard and Gentner stayed on the ground after an aerial clash, but nobody was injured.
30’ — First shot for Union Berlin, but nothing to worry Manuel Neuer
29’ — Good long ball from Pavard to Kimmich, but Kimmich cross found Berlin’s goalkeeper
27’ — Felix Kroos left on the ground. Seems he got a bit bruised after his clash with Coman
25’ — Needless foul from Pavard. He has to be careful now not to get booked
24’ — Union Berlin attacked on the right side and made a dangerous cross, but Thiago made a brilliant tackle to pass it to Boateng
21’ — Bayern looking more and more dangerous. Thomas Muller made a shot on target, but the shot went directly at the keeper
20’ — Good run from Davies, but his pass is blocked.
18’ — Good cross from Coutinho who almost found Lewandowksi, but the goalkeeper kicked it out.
17’ — Nice attacking play from Bayern. First a beautiful pass from Muller then an nice try from Coman, but failed to find Lewandowski.
16’ — Joshua Kimmich stopped an counter-attack with a foul. Lucky he didn’t get a yellow for that.
13’ GOAL! Benjamin Pavard with a brilliant half-volley!
12’ — Both teams are playing quite physically at the moment and aren’t leaving much space for organizing attacks
9’ — Passionate Union Berlin aren’t letting Bayern Munich to create much chances. Lewandowski’s try was denied by the defender
6’ — Union attacked on the right flank, but Thiago Alcantara was there to make a clearance
5’ — No real chances yet from either side. Union Berlin made a semi-promising chance in Bayern’s box, but nothing camre from it
2’ — First cross made by Kingsley Coman! Bayern already pressuring Union Berlin
Kickoff: We are underway! Kovac’s hyper-offensive lineup will need to be careful, no room for slip-ups today.
One hour before kickoff: We have lineups! Contrary to expectations, Niko Kovac has decided to start Alphonso Davies, with Thomas Muller and Philippe Coutinho together in midfield. Let’s see how that works out for him.
Unsere Elf gegen Union! #MiaSanMia #packmas pic.twitter.com/dBhSf8yeps
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) October 26, 2019
The Bundesliga is back! Following a grueling game in Greece during midweek, Bayern Munich return home to host newly promoted side Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena. The Bavarians are once again going through an Autumn mini-crisis, so Union will be cautiously optimistic about their chances.
Niko Kovac has a variety of problems to solve, most of them in defense. With Niklas Süle and Lucas Hernandez both sidelined with long term injuries, the coach will have to rely on a paper-thin backline of David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Benjamin Pavard, and Joshua Kimmich to keep a clean sheet against the East Germans.
In the meantime, Serge Gnabry, one of Bayern Munich’s most prolific attackers this season, may be doubtful for the game due to a knock he received in midweek. This will put even more pressure on Robert Lewandowski, who has scored the bulk of Bayern’s goals so far. Philippe Coutinho has looked a bit shaky in recent games, but the chances of Thomas Müller getting a start are slim. He performed well against Olympiacos, so it’s not impossible — just unlikely.
Regardless of who plays, we hope for a good defensive display and all three points. The Bundesliga looks tighter than it’s ever been, and Niko Kovac cannot afford any more slip-ups.
It’s Bayern time.
Match Info
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Time: 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 pm EST
TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country
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