Sadio Mane enjoyed a winning debut as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig in a 2022 Supercup thriller. - © DFL
Sadio Mane enjoyed a winning debut as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig in a 2022 Supercup thriller. - © DFL
bundesliga

RB Leipzig vs. Bayern Munich: Top 5 previous meetings

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With the Bundesliga season drawing to a spectacular conclusion, along comes a fixture that has produced plenty of fireworks over recent years. bundesliga.com takes a trip down memory lane and recalls five classic encounters between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich.

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2022 Supercup: Leipzig 3-5 Bayern
Goals: 0-1 Musiala 14', 0-2 Mane 31', 0-3 Pavard 45', 1-3 Halstenberg 59', 1-4 Gnabry 66', 2-4 Nkunku, 3-4 Olmo 89', 3-5 Sane (90'+8)

After the first half of last July's Supercup curtain raiser, few would have predicted the game would turn into a classic. Sauntering along with a certain new signing making his competitive bow for the club, Bayern were flying high on the Sadio Mane feel-good factor. Indeed, the new arrival from Liverpool was in his element in this fixture, enjoying himself by scoring his team's second of the evening. Jamal Musiala and Benjamin Pavard also hit the target in a first-half cruise for the record champions.

Andre Silva and Dani Olmo were introduced in the second half for Leipzig, who saw Marcel Halstenberg briefly reduce the arrears. Serge Gnabry then pounced after Peter Gulacsi parried a shot and Bayern's three-goal cushion was restored.

Watch: Bayern beat Leipzig to Supercup glory

That's when things took a mighty turn. Christopher Nkunku's penalty changed the atmosphere inside the Red Bull Arena, and the crowd were on their feet and filled with belief when Olmo scored in the 89th minute. During a lengthy period of added time, the feeling was that at 4-3, this game could now go either way. In the end, however, it was Bayern who registered a fifth and took the Cup after Leroy Sane rounded off a swift counter attack.

2016/17 Bundesliga: Leipzig 4-5 Bayern
Goals: 1-0 Sabitzer (2'), 1-1 Lewandowski (pen. 17'), 2-1 Werner (pen. 29'), 3-1 Poulsen (47'), 3-2 Thiago (60'), 4-2 Werner (65'), 4-3 Lewandowki (84'), 4-4 Alaba (90'), 4-5 Robben (90'+5)

"This is why people come to the stadium, you know, to enjoy a match like this. It's like a big advertisement for football." Match-winner Arjen Robben's summary of a game for the ages fit this classic Bundesliga encounter at the Red Bull Arena perfectly. The hosts suffered a 3-0 reverse in the corresponding fixture, the Bavarian giants welcoming the Saxony-based upstarts to Germany's top table with a tough lesson. Ralph Hasenhüttl's men learned from that and went mightily close to putting the champions to the sword, having led this Matchday 33 encounter on two occasions, twice by two goals.

Marcel Sabitzer edged Leipzig ahead with the game barely two minutes old. Robert Lewandowski pulled Bayern level from the penalty spot but after the hosts scored again through Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen, the home fans sensed blood.

Watch: A Leipzig vs. Bayern belter for the ages

Thiago Alcantara made it 3-2 before Werner bagged his second and as the game ticked into it's 84th minute, the game looked all but settled. Not so. The prolific Lewandowski - who would finish the campaign with 30 Bundesliga goals - netted once more before David Alaba broke home hearts with a deadly free-kick in the 90th minute. Robben's deliciously clipped finish deep into stoppage time completed the most sensational of turnarounds.

2017/18 Bundesliga: Leipzig 2-1 Bayern
Goals: 0-1 Wagner (12'), 1-1 Keita (37'), 2-1 Werner (56')

To date, there have been 16 meetings between these teams in all competitions and the numbers continue to heavily favour Bayern. Leipzig have won just once since the teams' first meeting back in December 2016, a record Die Roten Bullen are keen improve upon. If in need of inspiration, they can look back on a day in March 2018, when the champions were finally downed after 18 games without a loss.

The outcome was far from certain when Sandro Wagner headed home a James Rodriguez cross in the first half. Naby Keita's equaliser eight minutes before the break gave Leipzig something to build on, which they did through substitute Werner, the forward accepting Keita's superb through pass before applying a low finish. It was Werner's first goal in seven games and would prove to be the winner. Little did Leipzig know at the time that they would still be searching for a second famous scalp against their rivals some five seasons later.

Watch: Leipzig's one and only Bayern win to date

2020/21 Bayern 3-3 Leipzig
Goals: 0-1 Nkunku (19'), 1-1 Musiala (30'), 2-1 Müller (34'), 2-2 Kluivert (36'), 2-3 Forsberg (48'), 3-3 Müller (75')

A seismic clash between two of the division's top three teams took place, with Bayern boasting a record haul of 31 goals after just 10 games going into this 2020 encounter. Leipzig had never before scored at the Allianz Arena, but they broke that curse when Nkunku netted for a second successive game to put the visitors ahead. Musiala joined the likes of Christian Pulisic, Werner and Kai Havertz as prolific teens to have scored at least three Bundesliga goals by the tender age of 17 when he equalised on the half hour. The far more experienced Thomas Müller converted from close range before Justin Kluivert - son of legend Patrick - brought parity before the break.

A spellbinding game flowed into an absorbing second half that soon swung Leipzig's way, Emil Forsberg registering his first ever Bundesliga header to put Die Roten Bullen in front. Kingsley Coman had assisted Bayern's two goals in this encounter, and the French attacker made it a hat-trick when his cross was nodded in by Müller for the game's equaliser, Bayern maintaining their two-point lead over Leipzig as a result.

Watch: Six-goal thriller at the Allianz Arena

2021/22 Bayern 3-2 Leipzig
Goals: 1-0 Müller (12'), 1-1 Silva (27'), 2-1 Lewandowski (44'), 2-2 Nkunku (53'), 3-2 Gvardiol (o.g. 58')

When Bayern and Leipzig faced off for a 12th time in the Bundesliga, there was drama once more. Having swapped one dugout for another, Bayern coach Julian Naglesmann winced when Olmo almost put Domenico Tedesco's charges ahead. Müller made FCB's opponents pay with what was the Raumdeuter's 136th goal in the top flight. It also meant that Bayern had scored for a record-extending 68th Bundesliga game in a row. Andre Silva found space at the back post to knock in an equaliser and with the visitors heading into this one on the back of four wins on the bounce, the possibility of an upset reared its head.

Watch: Bayern maintain unbeaten home record against Leipzig - just!

Goal machine Lewandowski dented Leipzig hopes when heading in a Coman centre before Nkunku brought his season's tally up to 10 for the campaign with an equaliser. Defender Josko Gvardiol was then left ruing a touch on Gnabry's centre which took the ball past the Croatian defender's goalkeeper. That would prove to be the match-winning goal.