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Often times, the lead spot of the Weekend Warm-up is filled by a story or two detailing the latest Bayern Munich related transfer gossip or hot topic revolving around the team, but not this week.
This is “Beat PSG” Weekend.
Now…I get it, Tuesday is just the first leg of the Champions League clash between the two European powers, but if there was ever a “Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.” match, it is this one.
For all of the griping and hullabaloo we see here from time-to-time, Bayern Munich has been pretty terrific (though not perfect) this season. Of late, Bayern Munich seems to have settled into a nice groove, namely because the squad’s talent is meshing, gelling, and being used properly.
The coaching and the performances have been on-point recently and it is all coming together at just the right time to square off with one of the most dynamic offensive juggernauts on Earth. No matter what recent reports say about the health of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, the dynamic duo must be considered dangerous until we see official shots of them in street clothes watching from the stands
PSG is not just deep and talented, but they are also a little wounded and beat up. Scuffling in France, belaboring the state of the team’s injuries, and altogether just not playing up to their potential, PSG is going to have to find a way to dig deep and pull out a monster effort to combat what looks to be a strong and in-sync Bayern Munich squad that appears to be poised to take down Les Parisiens.
So...it’s time. It’s time to get hyped up about this one and I can think of no better way for the squad to approach than for Joshua Kimmich to gather the troops together on the pitch right before the game starts on Tuesday and break out this classic (and totally NSFW) pregame, hype speech:
If you are not ready to go out, win a flag football game. slam eight cans of Natural Light, get shot down by like three girls who have common sense, and then pass out on the floor of frat house kitchen win a Champions League match, and set yourself up nicely for the return leg, then you just don’t have a pulse.
(Yes, I have posted that video before. I save it for only the most special of occasions.)
Prediction (if Joshua Kimmich follows my instructions): PSG 0-69 Bayern Munich
Prediction (if Joshua Kimmich fails to follow my sage advice): PSG 1-2 Bayern Munich
Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 31
Bayern Munich seems to have gotten fully back on track and will now be ready to square up with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Of course, Bayern Munich will have to get by VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga before the mega match up, but there is plenty to talk about — even aside of the upcoming marquee tie. Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:
- Captain-gate: Is Bayern Munich set to replace Manuel Neuer with Joshua Kimmich?
- Looking at the transfer news of the week, including the stories on Benjamin Pavard, Erling Haaland, Randal Kolo Muani, and...Harry Kane.
- An early look at some storylines for Bayern Munich vs. PSG.
- Some thought on episode three of “The Last of Us.”
Song of the Week: “Fire Woman” by The Cult
Come on...how does this song, not get your juices flowing?
Released in 1989, this song by The Cult still hits hard and I cannot fathom how anyone does not like it.
Like...I cannot process it at all.
Anyway, enjoy it, as it was among those great songs that towed the lines between heavy metal, glam metal, and alt rock right before grunge hit (I like grunge, so I won’t break out Mickey Rourke’s infamous line from The Wrestler about how music transitioned during that time period — as much as I want to):
Entertainment Rundown
The Last of Us
The fourth episode of the series offered an expected plot point (trouble on the journey), but I somehow found myself lamenting a truck. Let’s get to it:
- We start to learn more about the primary characters (Joel and Ellie), what they have been through, and what is driving them (not the truck any more!). It seems that we will continue to get a slow and steady flow of this kind of information, which works well in a show like this.
- The interplay between Joel and Ellie was the highlight of the episode. We learned that despite her rough exterior, Ellie is still just a kid, who has fears and still enjoys some sophomoric humor. To me, the one-on-one discussions and interactions were the highlight of the episode.
- While on the road, the duo hits an inevitable roadblock, which leads to the truck being taken out by boobytraps, a shootout, and the quest to escape from a community of folks who seem to have their own set of major issues (the biggest of which seems to be whatever the hell was going on with the floor of that building).
- There are many potential outcomes on what happens from here. The gamers already know what goes down, but us newbies are left to watch and wonder.
- Overall, I like the episode, but was a little miffed they already lost the truck — which a whole episode was dedicated to Joel and Ellie getting.
Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. VfL Bochum
Bayern Munich is finally back and rolling, but can the league leaders stay hot?
VfL Bochum will visit the Allianz Arena in an effort to throw a wrench into those plans, but even the most optimistic fan of Die Unabsteigbaren might take a look at this match up and wonder if there is anyway to stop Bayern Munich from running away with this game.
Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:
- A gander at the Bundesliga table and where each team ranks.
- Some thoughts on how Bayern Munich might line up for this match and who the starters might be. Will we see a back three again?
- A prediction on the match.
Predictions
Before Bayern Munich gets to PSG, there is some Bundesliga business to attend to this weekend and the boys are well-poised to smoke VfL Bochum despite all of the noise going on around the team.
Even with a few players probably not yet at 100%, Julian Nagelsmann still has plenty of talent to work with — and will get the chance to toy with how he wants to align his boys. By all accounts, this one should be a rout.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-0 VfL Bochum
Other Bundesliga Match Day 20 predictions include:
- Schalke 04 1-2 Wolfsburg
- SC Freiburg 3-1 VfB Stuttgart
- Hoffenheim 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
- Mainz 05 1-0 FC Augsburg 1-3
- Werder Bremen 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig 2-1 Union Berlin
- Hertha Berlin 1-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
- FC Köln 0-2 Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0
Prediction Records
- Overall Bundesliga record: 86-85
- Last week’s Bundesliga record: 4-5
- DFL-Supercup record: 1-0
- DFB-Pokal record: 3-0
- Champions League record: 5-1
- World Cup overall record: 38-25
- WWU overall record: 129-106
- Guest predictions: 7-5
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