Bundesliga Bayern 1st 14 points, goal difference +17 | Bundesliga Freiburg 3rd 13 points, one behind | At home this season Freiburg 5 of 5 Won, in the league and Europe | Last five league meetings Bayern Unbeaten Four wins and a draw |
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| 01 The Big Take |
| The football can wait for a paragraph. |
| On Friday, Kompany collapsed at the training ground while watching the reserve team train, and was taken to hospital. The club says he is stable and will stay under medical care. Max Eberl, Bayern's board member for sport: "We won't be talking about days, but weeks. Vinnie will be given all the time he needs." Danks said he had told Kompany they would not be talking about football. |
| We wish Vincent Kompany a full recovery. Nothing else in this issue matters as much as that. |
| Danks has already stood in this month. He took the press conference before Arsenal, and against Leipzig he passed on most of the instructions while Kompany sat on the bench. Now he leads the team for longer. |
| And the fixture is hard. Freiburg are third, one point behind Bayern. If Freiburg win, they go above Bayern. Dortmund, level with Bayern on points, play Frankfurt on Saturday evening. |
| Bayern have lost their manager for weeks, their captain to a family bereavement and a winger to a hamstring. They haven't lost a game. |
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| Team news is from Saturday's press conference and reports by FCBinside and LKZ (dpa). It may change before kick-off. Kimmich is still with his family after his father's death; we wish him and his family well. |
| 02 The Tactical Take |
| Four things that decide it |
| 1 · Attack: Olise is back, Díaz is out |
| Olise's suspension was for the Champions League only, so he's available again on the right. On the left, Díaz has a small muscle tear in his left hamstring and will miss several games. Davies played left wing against Arsenal and scored; Gnabry is the other option. |
| 2 · Midfield: still no Kimmich |
| Pavlović and Bischof are the obvious pair again. Freiburg's midfield had a hard Thursday: Engelhardt went off injured after 15 minutes in Monaco. Eggestein has made more interceptions than anyone else at Freiburg this season. |
| 3 · Defence: who's in goal? |
| Upamecano and Tah are expected at centre-back, with Kim out for what Danks called a few days. Neuer didn't train on Friday, and no goalkeeper decision had been announced. Freiburg's threats: Suzuki has four league goals, Matanović three, and centre-back Ginter has three assists. |
| 4 · Legs: Freiburg played on Thursday |
| Freiburg lost 3–0 in Monaco on Thursday night, with four changes from the weekend. Bayern played on Wednesday, at home. Freiburg have a day less to recover, and travel on top. If that matters, it will show late in the game. |
| Previews list no long-term absentees for Freiburg. Engelhardt's fitness after Monaco is the one to check. |
| 03 The Numbers |
5 of 5 Freiburg's home wins this season, in the league and Europe. Including 5–0 against Gladbach and 4–1 against Bremen. |
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11–2 Freiburg's goals for and against at home in the league. Three games, three wins. |
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2 Defeats in a row for Freiburg. 2–1 at Leverkusen, then 3–0 at Monaco. |
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3–2 Bayern's win at Freiburg in April. Bayern are unbeaten in the last five league meetings: four wins, one draw. |
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| 04 The One Thing You Missed |
Beyond the headlines Freiburg reached a European final in May What we saw Last season Freiburg reached the Europa League final for the first time in their history, losing 3–0 to Aston Villa. At home they lost only three of 25 games in all competitions, and won all seven Europa League home games. What we think it means The home record this season isn't a fluke. This is a side used to beating good teams at home, and Bayern arrive without their manager. |
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| 05 The Counterargument |
| Maybe this is the right week to play Freiburg |
| — Freiburg are tired. Thursday night in Monaco, three days to recover, and an early injury to Engelhardt. |
| — Freiburg are losing. Two defeats in a row, five goals conceded in two games. |
| — Bayern know the way. Unbeaten in their last three visits to Freiburg: 2–2, 2–1 and 3–2. |
| 06 What to Watch |
| Four things to look for on Sunday |
1 | Who's in goal. Neuer missed Friday's training. Urbig is the alternative. |
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2 | Davies or Gnabry on the left. Davies scored from there on Wednesday. Gnabry is the more natural winger. |
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3 | The last 15 minutes. Two late equalisers conceded in the Champions League. Freiburg's legs, or Bayern's concentration? |
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4 | Saturday night's result. Dortmund play Frankfurt. Unless Dortmund lose, Bayern kick off on Sunday in second place. |
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| Out for Bayern: Kimmich (personal reasons), Díaz (hamstring), Kim (minor injury), Musiala (still in rehab). Kompany is in hospital; Danks takes the team. |
The B90 Question With Díaz out, who should start on the left: Davies or Gnabry? Tell us on X @Beyond90Bayern. We'll pick up the best answers in the post-match issue. |
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Next: Bayern v Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga · Matchday 8 · after the DFB-Pokal against Magdeburg
Sat 31 Oct · 17:30 UK |
| Sources: Goal: Bayern statement on Kompany · Bulinews: Eberl quotes · Goal (DE): Danks, team news · FCBinside: injuries · LKZ (dpa): Díaz injury · Bundesliga.com: Monaco 3–0 Freiburg · Bundesliga.com: Freiburg's 2025–26 · Squawka: form, players, head-to-head · Results and table: GoalIQ |
BEYOND 90 Bayern Munich, beyond the scoreline. Tactical insight. Honest analysis. Opinions you won't get from the usual coverage. An independent publication. Not affiliated with or endorsed by FC Bayern München. |
