How do RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich stack-up ahead of their Matchday 18 clash?
Bayern Munich travel to RB Leipzig on Matchday 18 as both teams kick off the second half of the Bundesliga campaign with big objectives. Here’s how they stack up ahead of the encounter…
Bayern could hardly have performed better across the season’s opening 17 league fixtures. In fact, their 47 points and +53 goal difference is the best first half of a season in German top-flight history, surpassing Pep Guardiola’s 2013/14 vintage by a huge 18 goals. Their 8-1 hammering of Wolfsburg on Matchday 16 was the latest example of their clinical finishing.
Only twice have they failed to pick up all three points, drawing with Union Berlin and Mainz 2-2. That means they remain on course to match Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten, title-winning campaign of 2023/24.
Watch: Bayern Munich 8-1 Wolfsburg - highlights
This remarkable run started with a 6-0 victory over Leipzig on Matchday 1 in what was Ole Werner’s first game as head coach and Die Roten Bullen's heaviest top-flight defeat. Both he and his players could have buckled after such a setback, but they have recovered well to put themselves firmly in the conversation for a UEFA Champions League qualification spot.
That defeat against the Bavarians was followed by an eight-game unbeaten run, seven of which were victories. And while they ended 2025 with back-to-back losses against Union and Leverkusen, they sit third in the table, albeit only ahead of VfB Stuttgart on goal difference but with a game in hand.
Having lost Benjamin Šeško, Xavi Simons and Loïs Openda in the summer, others were required to step up and fill the void. Fortunately for them, midfielder Christoph Baumgartner has taken on that mantle, embarking on arguably the best season of his career to date.
Watch: Bayern Munich 6-0 RB Leipzig - highlights
With a season-best tally of seven goals prior to this campaign, the Austria international has already found the back of the net six times in 17 games this term, while only Bayern’s Michael Olise (10) and Luis Díaz (nine) have registered more than his six assists. Now in his third term in at the Red Bull Arena, he is developing into a key performer on whom the team can rely to make an impact.
Leipzig have also once again made use of the transfer market by bringing in a host of talented youngsters, with Yan Diomande the pick of the bunch so far.
The Ivory Coast international only turned 19 in November, yet has made the left-wing spot in Werner’s starting XI his own, netting six goals in his opening 15 matches – including a hat-trick in the 6-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 13.
Watch: Diomande named the Bundesliga's December Rookie of the Month
His participation at the Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored once in five appearances, threatened to prevent him from facing Bayern, but Ivory Coast’s 3-2 loss to Egypt in the quarter-finals means he can feature here after returning from the bench in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Freiburg.
Bayern, meanwhile, have their own young star enjoying a breakout season. Lennart Karl is only 17 years of age, yet is already a key member of the reigning champions’ title defence, starting nine of the last 11 competitive matches. He has already broken records, too, becoming Bayern’s youngest-ever scorer in the Champions League after becoming the third-youngest to do so in the Bundesliga.
Additionally, his goal off the bench against Cologne saw him join an elite list of 17-year-old with four career Bundesliga goals, alongside Youssoufa Moukoko, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Mathys Tel.
However, it is not only the numbers that stand out, but also the manner in which he has contributed; for example, his first Bayern strike against Borussia Mönchengladbach was a memorable one from outside the area, while his volleyed equaliser against Arsenal showed elite composure despite his relative inexperience.
Watch: Lennart Karl lighting up the game
Ultimately, though, the consistent ruthlessness of Bayern’s forward line has enabled Karl to flourish without pressure. Harry Kane continues to go from strength to strength, already amassing 20 goals to become the first player to reach that milestone in his first three Bundesliga seasons since Friedhelm ‘Tino’ Konietzka in 1966.
After fitting seamlessly into Bayern’s team last season following his arrival in the summer of 2024, Olise has hit new heights this season – only Kane and Deniz Undav (10) have managed more than his nine Bundesliga goals league-wide, while he leads the way in the assists charts, with 10.
As such, he is well on course to beat his 2024/25 hauls of 12 and 15, respectively. Meanwhile, Díaz’s switch from Liverpool has given Bayern an extra dimension. He, too, has nine goals and as many assists this term.
Watch: Olise & Díaz emulating Robbery
His arrival also means Kompany now has an attacking trio full of goal threat. And with Jamal Musiala still to return to the fold as he recovers from his long-term injury, Bayern could become even more prolific – a scary thought considering they have already scored a record 66 goals in 17 outings.
Leipzig will have their work cut out to keep them quiet this weekend, but they can draw confidence from their defensive record term. Bar the loss to Bayern, they have generally been tough to break down, conceding just 13 times in their other 16 matches. Only Gregor Kobel has kept more clean sheets than Péter Gulácsi’s eight, with Willi Orbán and Castello Lukeba forming a reliable partnership at the heart of the back four.
All in all, just two teams have shipped fewer goals in the Bundesliga this term, although one of them is, of course, Bayern. They have been breached on only 13 occasions, in part thanks to the still imperious Manuel Neuer between the sticks.
Watch: Orbán scored and kept a clean sheet as Leipzig beat Freiburg
Even when the legendary shot-stopper has been unavailable, Jonas Urbig has shown he has what it takes to eventually become Neuer’s successor by recording clean sheets in each of his three Bundesliga appearances in 2025/26.
Neuer has been assisted by Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah - the latter on a record run of 38 away games unbeaten in the Bundesliga - in front of him, and with Alphonso Davies now available once more after his own eight-month lay-off, Kompany has even more defensive options at his disposal.
In their attempts to end Bayern’s unbeaten streak, Leipzig will no doubt look to previous performances as inspiration. While the Bavarians have beaten the two-time DFB Cup winners 6-0 and 5-1 in two of the last three match-ups, Leipzig delayed their title celebrations last term with a 3-3 draw on Matchday 32. They also kicked off 2023/24 with a 3-0 Supercup victory, which was part of a four-game run against Bayern without defeat in 2023.
With exciting attacking talents on both teams and youngsters ready to further enhance their already burgeoning reputations, Saturday’s clash promises to be an intriguing one.
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