RB Salzburg 1-1 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Bayern Munich were dire. I don’t know what Nagelsmann thinks he has going on with this system of his, but it’s not working. Playing all three wingers is a disaster and the back-three offers nothing. Individual brilliance bailed out the coach today and that’s simply unacceptable.
• Robert Lewandowski is the best striker in Europe but he basically did not have a sniff at goal today. Usually it would take a prime Atletico Madrid defense to do that, but Nagelsmann has accomplished it with his winger emphasized system. De-emphasizing Lewandowski is the worst thing to have ever happened to this team’s offense, which looked toothless all game.
• Lucas Hernandez did well winning loads of 1v1 duels with Adeyemi throughout the game. Good work by him.
• Niklas Sule looks like his head’s already in BVB while Pavard saved Bayern from some serious blushes. This defense is so bad.
• The midfield is arguably just as bad too. So much to talk about post-game. Check out our podcast and analysis articles!

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Full time: Salzburg 1-1 Bayern.

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88’ — GOAL! Coman gets the breakthrough! 1-1!

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69’ — We’re almost 70 minutes in and there are barely any life signs from Bayern. This is horrendous.

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45’ — Well the second half is underway ...

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Halftime: Salzburg lead Bayern Munich 1-0 at HT.

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20’ — Goal. Salzburg go 1-0 up with only 20 minutes on the clock. Defensive disaster by Bayern.

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Kickoff: We’re underway in Salzburg!

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One hour until kickoff: We have lineups! So Bayern Munich are lined up in a back-three, with Dayot Upamecano dropped and Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, and Leroy Sane all starting. With Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski, that makes this another lineup with five forwards. At least we have a proper pivot this time. Hope the defenders are up for it.

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After a bitter loss to Bochum on Saturday, Bayern Munich make the short trip to Salzburg to take on Matthias Jaissle and the reigning champions of the other Bundesliga. The Champions League is a curious competition — despite being “international” opponents, RB Salzburg have so many connections to the club they’re about to face.

Both Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer are former players of the Austrian champs, while Karim Adeyemi is a former Bayern youth academy player. Munich itself is closer to Salzburg than any Bundesliga home city, and these two teams have clashed as recently as last year (where Bayern won both games in the group stage).

So what about this time? Bayern come into the game missing some key players — Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Leon Goretzka, and Jamal Musiala are all out for one reason or another. In terms of suspensions, Lucas Hernandez is at risk of missing the second leg if he gets a yellow card. Salzburg, meanwhile, might miss their main striker in Benjamin Sesko, while talisman Karim Adeyemi is one yellow away from a suspension.

Despite the absentees, Nagelsmann still has a team chock full of world class stars who can win games on their day. When one side has the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Joshua Kimmich and the like, it’s hard to bet against them. But Bochum showed Bayern’s frailty last Saturday, and Salzburg will be looking to that as an inspiration.

It’s Bayern time.

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While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our preview podcast? Listen to it below or at this link.

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Match Info

Location: Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria

Time: 9:00 pm local time, 3:00 pm EST

TV/streaming: Paramount+, Find Your Country

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