RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich

The Bundesliga returns to action following an extended mid-season break with a blockbuster encounter between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena.

The World Cup halt couldn’t have come at a worse moment for Leipzig as they were gathering momentum with four consecutive Bundesliga wins. Three of those four triumphs yielded a two-goal margin, which may bolster Leipzig’s spirits ahead of a must-win contest as far as their title hopes are concerned. Marco Rose’s men sit only six points adrift of pacesetters Bayern Munich, whom they’ve defeated only once in 12 Bundesliga matches. Indeed, ‘Die Roten Bullen’ have gone winless in their last eight top-flight H2Hs against the perennial German champions (D4, L4) while finishing on a wrong side of a 5-3 scoreline in their Super Cup clash at the start of the season. However, with six victories from seven home league games in 2022/23 (D1), they’ve won more points on home turf than any other side (19).

In the meantime, visiting Bayern Munich carried a four-point lead over second-half Freiburg into the World Cup break off the back of an eye-catching six-game winning Bundesliga streak. All competitions included, the ‘Bavarians’ have racked up ten consecutive victories for the first time under Julian Nagelsmann. They will be looking to pick up where they left off in November by extending a three-game winning league run away from home. Continuing that record would see Naglesmann register seven successive wins for the first time as a manager. The Red Bull Arena could be the perfect venue to celebrate that milestone as Bayern have netted 4+ goals on their last to competitive visits to Leipzig (W2), claiming an overwhelming 4-1 triumph in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.