10 August 2021, 18:18 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Bundesliga season opener, Borussia Moenchengladbach vs. F.C. Bayern Munich kicks off at 19:30 (GMT+1) this Friday, August 13 at Borussia Park.
Preview Borussia Mönchengladbach Bundesliga, Aug 13, 2021
Preview A carousel of managerial changes saw several replacements in the coaching seat in what appeared to be a career upgrade across Germany's top-flight football league. Marco Rose departed for Borussia Dortmund after guiding the Colts to an 8th place finish last season. New manager, Adi Hütter got off to a flying win in his first competitive game in charge for Gladbach after defeating FC Kaiserslautern, 1-0 in a first-round DFB Pokal fixture. A single goal from Lars Stindl (11') minutes after kick-off was enough to separate both sides at full-time inside the Fritz Walter Stadion. Having missed out on continental football of any kind at the end of last season, Adi Hütter would be counting on the likes of Lars Stindl and Marcus Thuram to restore the Colts as contenders for a top-four finish. On Friday, Hütter would be looking to seal an important win in his first Bundesliga game in charge as coach of Gladbach. His side could line up in an attacking 4—3—3 formation with the trio consisting of Marcus Thuram playing on the left, Patrick Herrmann on the right, while Lars Stindl occupies the center-forward position. Breel Embolo remains doubtful after recently picking up a hamstring injury while team-mate and Swiss compatriot, Denis Zakaria tested positive for coronavirus.
Preview FC Bayern München Bundesliga, Aug 13, 2021
Preview The current Bundesliga champions of Bayern Munich return after a 3-0 defeat to Italian Serie A side, S.S.C. Napoli in a pre-season club-friendly. A treble-winning title season remains the goal after an underwhelming performance last season featured an early exit from the DFB Pokal. A quarter-final exit to PSG in the UEFA Champions League dampened the mood further for former boss, Hansi Flick. Flick departed for the German national team after a two-year spell which saw him pick up several pieces of silverware with the Bavarians, including the UEFA Champions League (2019/20). Ahead of the new season, FC Hollywood made several acquisitions at the transfer market. The possibility of another major signing appears to be on the horizon before 18:00 (C.E.T) on deadline day, August 31. They acquired the signature of center-back Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig for €42.5M while Omar Richards penned his signature for the champions as a free agent. Earlier in the week, Bayern Munich sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic confirmed the Bavarians would evaluate the possibility of signing Erling Haaland from Dortmund. However, a move for the Norwegian in this transfer window looks unlikely due to financial constraints. Julian Nagelsmann will be looking to get his reign off to a flying start when he lines up the familiar 4—2—3—1 formation with Bayern's prolific forward, Robert Lewandowski leading the attack.