5 reasons Bayern Munich will beat RB Leipzig in the Supercup

11.08.2023

Bayern Munich take on RB Leipzig in the Supercup on Saturday. bundesliga.com looks at five reasons the record champions will come out on top.

Bayern are the reigning Supercup winners, having beaten Leipzig 5-3 when the teams faced off for this honour last July, and they have reason to optimistic of a repeat…

1) Tuchel making his mark

Thomas Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann as Bayern manager in March, and although he steered the Bavarians to their record-extending 11th consecutive Bundesliga title, it took until a final day 2-1 victory over Cologne to get them over the line.

Taking up the reins so late in a season is a thankless task for the best of managers, but Tuchel has now had the summer to mould the team in his vision, and after being edged 2-1 by continental treble winners Manchester City in Tokyo, Bayern rebounded with wins over Kawasaki Frontale and Liverpool. Form looks to be on their side.

Watch: Highlights of Bayern's 4-3 win over Liverpool

2) Impressive summer signings

A tactical shift isn't the only change there has been at Bayern, with Tuchel increasingly being handed key transfer targets to plug into his preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

Harry Kane has arrived from Tottenham Hotspur as one of the most feared strikers in world football. Further back, Kim Min-Jae is a Serie A winner with Napoli, and his central defensive partnership with Matthijs de Ligt could end up being the envy of any club in the game. Konrad Laimer has also joined from Leipzig - simultaneously weakening Saturday's opponents whilst strengthening Bayern - while Raphael Guerreiro is a shrewd acquisition from Borussia Dortmund, even if his competitive debut will have to wait due to injury.

3) Musiala magic

Not that Bayern didn't have some of the best players in the world on their books already, and perhaps first among those is Jamal Musiala. He was the champions' most potent attacking force in the Bundesliga last season with 12 goals and 10 assists, giving him a goal-involvement of one every 100 minutes he played.

With Thomas Müller injured, Musiala will be given a run-out in his preferred No.10 position - against a team he has three goals and two assists from his seven meetings with so far.

Watch: All of Musiala's goals and assists from last season

4) Revenge to be had

Leipzig went undefeated against Bayern in the Bundesliga last season, holding them to a 1-1 draw at the Red Bull Arena in January before stunning the champions with a 3-1 triumph at the Allianz Arena in May, a game in which Laimer scored against his future employers.

A return of one point from a possible six will still smart for Bayern, even though they went on to edge Dortmund to the title. Victory on home turf next Saturday will lay down a marker for the season, and Bayern will be going all out to get it.

MUNICH, GERMANY - MAY 20: Konrad Laimer of RB Leipzig scores the team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on May 20, 2023 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) - Getty Images

5) History on their side

History certainly suggests they'll manage it. Whilst Leipzig boast some headline-grabbing wins over Bayern - last season's 3-1 in Munich; March 2018's 2-1 win at the Red Bull Arena in which Timo Werner and Naby Keita scored - the Bavarians dominate the overall balance.

In their 17 meetings since Die Roten Bullen emerged as a Bundesliga force in 2016, Bayern have won 10, drawn five, whilst only dropping all three points in the two aforementioned meetings. They have scored 35 to Leipzig's 21. They have also won this competition a record 10 times.