FULL TIME: BAYERN MUNICH 3-1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN Despite Bayern not receiving the third goal until the 90th minute, they cruised past Leverkusen in this one. The victory, however, is marred by the injuries to Tolisso and Rafinha. The Champions League returns this week as Bayern plays Benfica. On to the next... 90’- GOAL BAYERN MUNICH! James Rodriguez makes it 3-1 with a header from a Thiago cross. Thiago made a nice run through the Leverkusen backline, and Robben fed him a perfect pass. His cross was inch perfect, and James smashed it past Hradecky. James starts the move, and finishes it! The Colombian's first Bundesliga goal of the season makes it 3-1. #FCBB04 pic.twitter.com/JiR8mC1RQx — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 15, 2018 80’- RED CARD! Bellarabi is set off for a lunging tackle on Rafinha where he put his studs into his ankle. It’s been a couple of minutes now, and Rafinha is still down on the ground He’s in a lot of pain and being helped off the field. David Alaba comes on for him. 64’- There have been several good opportunities for Bayern over the last 10 minutes. Also, Jerome Boateng just sent a shot into the upper deck at the Allianz Arena. It was beautiful. 59’- Kovac brings on Javi Martinez for Serge Gnabry. Martinez will drop into the center of midfield allowing James and Thiago to push up even more in the attack. It was a relatively quiet afternoon for Gnabry. 46’- The second half kicks off. Related Corentin Tolisso leaves Bayern Munich match with injury HALFTIME: Bayern Munich 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen Corentin Tolisso and Arjen Robben scored to give Bayern Munich the 2-1 lead over Bayer Leverkusen. The visitors only real chance of the match came on the penalty that Wendell converted. Of course, for Bayern, losing Tolisso to the apparent knee injury is a disaster. With one talented younger player already out for an extended period of time in Kingsley Coman, nobody wanted to lose another. We’re sad. 40’- Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. After a solid 40 minutes, Tolisso has to leave the match with a knee injury. He stretched out to block a run from Volland, and some knee-to-knee contact when his leg planted in the ground looks like it buckled his knee. Tolisso was in a lot of pain and had to be helped off the field. James Rodriguez comes on for him. 30’- Müller rips a shot from distance and forces Hradecky into a great save to keep him out. 24’- If you’re Leverkusen, this has to be disappointing. Following a hot start, they’ve completely capitulated to Bayern. If Bayern win this game, Leverkusen will have acquired 0 points out of 4 games. 20’- GOAL BAYERN MUNICH! Arjen ROBBEN! Tah tries to head away a long ball over the top, but it lands right in front of Robben. The winger takes one touch before curling it just inside the far post from outside of the penalty area. Bayern take the 2-1 lead. 10’- GOAL BAYERN MUNICH! Tolisso’s initial shot is blocked, but the deflection lands at his feet. His second shot finds the back of the net to equalize! Bayern don't waste any time with the response! Tolisso makes it 1-1 inside 10 minutes. #FCBB04 pic.twitter.com/2BLqKmW2f2 — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 15, 2018 5’- Goal Leverkusen 1-0. Wendell converts. 4’- SAVE BY NEUER! Neuer makes an astonishing double save to deny Volland, but the referee is waiving off play. What is happening? OH COME ON! Encroachment? The ref never blew his whistle? Nonsense. Leverkusen is retaking it. Manuel Neuer makes not one, but two HUGE saves on an early Leverkusen penalty... but it gets called back because the referee never blew the whistle! Leverkusen score on the 2nd attempt. It's 1-0 to the visitors! #FCBB04 pic.twitter.com/yGZq4hhnCz — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 15, 2018 3’- PENALTY! Oh no. Thiago is whistled for a penalty for a handball in the box. In a sliding attempt to block Volland’s shot, Thiago had his arm raised and blocked the ball with his hand. KICKOFF! Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen have the ball rolling at the Allianz Arena. One hour until kickoff: Lineups are out! The lineup holds a few surprises. Rafinha is starting in place of David Alaba at left-back. On offense, Serge Gnabry gets the nod for Franck Ribery, playing at left-wing opposite Arjen Robben. Thomas Müller will play centrally ahead of Thiago and Corentin Tolisso, while James Rodriguez remains on the bench. The international break is finally over, which means that Bayern Munich can finally resume its quest to a sixth consecutive Bundesliga title. In its path stand Heiko Herrlinch’s Bayer Leverkusen, who have endured a rough start to the season. Can the Bavarians continue their winning run, or will the pressure of being sandwiched in between an international break and a tough away Champions League fixture be their downfall? To begin, let’s recap the situation. Bayern Munich are currently second in the Bundesliga with a game in hand over Borussia Dortmund. A win would see them take back top spot for at least the coming week, while a draw would come down to goals scored (Bayern and Dortmund have the same goal difference). As for team news, Niko Kovac confirmed that everyone is fit, except for Kingsley Coman. James Rodriguez is heavily expected to start for the first time under his new coach, while Mats Hummels is doubtful because of concerns over his fitness following an Achilles tendon injury suffered during the international break. In any case, Niklas Sule and Jerome Boateng should be more than enough for any fixture, not just this one. It’s Bayern time. Match Info Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany Time: 3:30 pm local time, 9:30 am EST TV/streaming: Find Your Country Tips for commenting: If you’re a new member, feel free to introduce yourself. Don’t feel pressured or anything, we’re mostly very friendly. Also, we’re from all parts of the world so don’t feel shy if you’re from a country that doesn’t seem represented on the blog. Refresh the page regularly to keep up with the discussion. One refresh every 55-60 seconds is ideal but if that’s too much then just try for one every five minutes and after every goal. The goal celebrations are for everyone to participate in. Even if you’re lagging behind the others, keep replying to the most recent call of the player’s name. Even if you missed the first call, just start from the second, and so on. While swearing is allowed within reason, please be polite to your fellow posters and avoid gratuitous obscenities. Check out our beginners thread if you have any more questions. That’s about it. Auf geht’s! Looking for an unending well of Bayern Munich content? Sign up for an SBNation account and join the conversation on Bavarian Football Works. Whether it's full match coverage and analysis, breaking news or something completely different, we have it all.<doc-sep>Now that this horrible international break is over, Bayern Munich fans can finally enjoy the return of their beloved club in a game against Heiko Herrlich’s Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen, a club best known for their uproariously funny English twitter account (which frequently gets into feuds with our own @FCBayernUS), have not had the rosiest start to the season, losing both of their opening games. They have a daunting task if they want to take any points from this Bayern side, who are playing some great football at the moment. Team news Heading into a stretch of 7 games in 22 days, “rotation” was the buzzword for Niko Kovac in press conference. The coach confirmed that everyone was fit and available, except for Kingsley Coman who suffered a ligament injury on matchday 1. Most importantly, Kovac confirmed that James Rodriguez had been working through some injury problems over the break, and is now finally fit and ready for selection. Apart from that, here’s a quick rundown of the manager’s press conference: Joshua Kimmich will keep playing at right back. No changes there. will keep playing at right back. No changes there. Franck Ribery felt a slight thigh blockage in training but it’s all fine. felt a slight thigh blockage in training but it’s all fine. Kovac likes what he’s seen from Renato Sanches. Every player will get his chance eventually. Since there’s not much else worth mentioning, let’s get on with our predicted lineups: Ineednoname CSmith1919 John Dillon<doc-sep>Champions to play out a thriller Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen Saturday September 15, 14:30 Live on Betfair Live Video Although new Bayern coach Niko Kovac was derided by some as an inexperienced candidate who wasn't the Bavarian giants' top choice, the Croatian could barely have made a better start to life at Sabener Strasse. Four games across three competitions, and four wins. The Supercup is in the bag, and two victories in the Bundesliga put the German champions on top of the pile before the international break. Kovac is an excellent man-manager (look what he did with Kevin-Prince Boateng), and his ability to get into players' heads has already reaped rewards. Thomas Muller has shrugged off a dismal World Cup, while Robert Lewandowski has gone from wantaway agitator and World Cup flop to razor-sharp goal machine in a matter of weeks. I said in my ante-post column that I didn't fancy Bayer Leverkusen to make the top four this term, and defeats to Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg have reinforced my view. Doubts have resurfaced about coach Heiko Herrlich, and it's worth noting that stretching back into last season, B04 have won just one of their last six league games. Bayern are firm favourites here and there isn't a lot of wiggle room in their price of 1.241/4, so I'll look to the Over 3.5 Goals market. Bayern have rattled in three goals in each of their first two league matches, while five of Bayer's last eight league games have featured at least four goals, and they have leaked 12 goals in their last six Bundesliga outings. It's also worth remembering that Bayern put six goals past Bayer in the DFB Cup last season. Fortuna to take another step forward Fortuna Dusseldorf v Hoffenheim Saturday September 15, 14:30 Live on Betfair Live Video Although they have only picked up one point from their first two matches back in the Bundesliga, Fortuna Dusseldorf have plenty to be cheery about. They led Augsburg in their opener before the Swabians turned the game around in the second half, and they were very impressive at RB Leipzig on Matchday Two. They played well enough to win the game at the Red Bull Arena, but ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Now they face another big hitter, as Hoffenheim come to the ESPRIT Arena. Hoffe have a Champions League trip to face Shakhtar Donetsk looming on the horizon, and coach Julian Nagelsmann has to deal with a long injury list. Nadiem Amiri is out until November, Kasim Adams is struggling with a ligament injury, Benni Hubner is suffering from the after-effects of a concussion, and playmaker Kerem Demirbay has only just returned to training. Even when Hoffenheim have a fully fit squad, they struggle on the road in the league. They have won just three of their last 16 Bundesliga away games, amazing for a team that finished third last season. I think they might be a bit distracted by that Champions League game, and Fortuna have played better than their points total suggests. At 1.9620/21, I'll lay the visitors. Floundering Frankfurt to lose again Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt Friday September 14, 19:30 Live on BT Sport 3 There are plenty of examples of clubs who have suffered the Icarus Effect, in that they rose high, flew too close to the metaphorical sun, and subsequently crashed and burned. Cologne are currently smouldering in the second tier of German football, after a first European qualification for 25 years was followed by the ignominy of relegation. Now Eintracht Frankfurt must battle to avoid the same fate. Having won the DFB Cup - their first major trophy in 30 years - Frankfurt lost their inspirational coach Niko Kovac to Bayern Munich. He was followed out of the door by key players like Kevin-Prince Boateng, Marius Wolf and Omar Mascarell, weakening a squad that must now deal with the demands of a Europa League group-stage campaign, starting with Marseille on Thursday night. The early signs under new coach Adi Hutter haven't been promising. A humiliating 5-0 shredding by Bayern in the German Supercup was bad enough, but a first-round cup exit at lower-league Ulm was the nadir. A dramatic Matchday Two defeat at home to Bremen (the Eagles conceded a 96th-minute winner) means Hutter has lost three of his four competitive games in charge. To make matters worse, a clutch of senior players are either injured or suspended. Borussia Dortmund suffered their first setback under new boss Lucien Favre before the international break, as they drew 0-0 at Hannover. BVB ought to have nicked it - Marco Reus hit the crossbar, having earlier been denied by a world-class save from H96 keeper Michael Esser, and Maximilian Philipp saw a brave header deflected onto a post. Dortmund are unquestionably a work in progress, but they should beat a disjointed and depleted Frankfurt with room to spare. Opta tell us that BVB have won their last seven home games against Eintracht. It will help the hosts' cause that their attack has been boosted by the loan signing of Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer. The Spanish international should make his debut on Friday night. *Kevin will be commentating on Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig v Hannover for the Bundesliga's TV world feed, and on Freiburg v Stuttgart for Amazon Music - you can follow him on Twitter @kevinhatchard<doc-sep>
Bayern dominated Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1, in a costly match yesterday. Here some quick hitters on the contest: Leverkusen cannot seem to find its bearings and it never really threatened Bayern. With so much young talent, it just frankly looks like they are under-achieving. Even when they took a 1-0 lead, Bayern was in complete control. The decision to leave Julian Brandt on the bench to start was absolutely puzzling. Not that Brandt lit it up when he was in, but I am not sure how any coach could enter that game without Brandt in the lineup. Arjen Robben has a fantastic game and his goal was nothing short of brilliant. The Bayern defense was never really tested, but was extremely strong anyway. The entire back four of Jerome Boateng Niklas Süle, Joshua Kimmich , and Rafinha (before the injury) was impressive. , and Rafinha (before the injury) was impressive. While he didn’t get on the score sheet, Thomas Müller has an extremely effective game. Thiago was a boss at the “6” again. Now for the elephant in the room...the injuries. Just a few weeks ago I was lamenting (SO DUMB!) that this Bayern roster might have too much talent and that Niko Kovač might have trouble keeping everyone happy. Now, three players are down with significant injuries and Uli Hoeness is considering signing Tommy Adams for depth. Okay, he’s not that desperate yet, but Corentin Tolisso is likely out for the season and Kingsley Coman and Rafinha both also out for extended periods. Let’s just hope that’s where this injury bug stops and also hope that some of the Bayern reserves can come up to the first team and provide depth. Oh, speaking of the possibility for unhappy players, James Rodriguez is becoming Kovač’s first major (aside of a minor tantrum from Robben) issue when it comes to dealing with the rotation. Tolisso’s absence will open up some additional time in the middle of field and make the rotation less painful for James, but it is a situation to watch as his loan term ends in June. If you missed our Match Awards or Observations, give them a look: There are those of you who scoff at aging European players who go to MLS to ride out the twilight of their respective careers and then there are the rest of us, who just think it’s really cool to watch a legend do stuff like this: Anyone who saw the Fox broadcast saw them spotlight Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am. Bundesliga.com caught up with the artist, who detailed why he was at the game: I always come to Munich and see the stadium. I’ve always dreamed of playing [a concert] in the stadium, so after coming here my dreams of playing here are even bigger. Being a part of this; being in the crowd when Bayern were playing, to see James [Rodriguez] play and score a goal… shows you just how awesome he is as a player. The team, the offense and defense was superb, the fans, the energy the love. We are trying something here at the Daily Schmankerl and need YOUR help. If you read my man Tommy Adams’ piece about his experience with the FCBNYC Fan Club (if you haven’t, SHAME ON YOU! ), you could see how great the event was. So we want to highlight some of these wonderful groups that are out there globally and this is what we need from you: Name of the group Location Year founded Leadership (if you have people are kind of running the show) Meeting place Social media handles Pictures We have 7 clubs on board so far. I’d LOVE to be able to feature a different fan group every week this season. Maybe we can do it, maybe not...but only YOU can help decide the fate of this idea. Send your info to: barrelsportsblog@gmail.com.