Bayern Munich made light work of the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash against Atalanta. The Bavarian club clinched a comfortable 6-1 win against the Italian side on Tuesday. The Bavarian club will look to continue their excellent run of form when they play away at Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 26 of the Bundesliga.
Die Roten have enjoyed five Bundesliga wins in a row. After a slightly shaky start to 2026, Rekordmeister have taken control of the Bundesliga title race over the last few weeks. They are currently 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. A win away at Leverkusen will ensure Bayern take another big step closer to regaining the Bundesliga title.
On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen have endured an inconsistent Bundesliga campaign. They are currently sixth in the Bundesliga table, three points away from fourth spot in the points table. Leverkusen are coming into Saturday’s game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League. The hosts will look to build on this result by getting a positive result against Bayern.
Team News
The injury list is getting longer for Bayern with every passing week. Manuel Neuer remains on the sidelines due to a minor injury, while Jonas Urbig will miss Saturday’s game due to a concussion.
Alphonso Davies, unfortunately, got injured against Atalanta, which has ruled him out for the game against Leverkusen. It remains to be seen how long he will be in the treatment room. Hiroki Ito will need more time to get into the matchday squad, even though he has been training on the pitch. Jamal Musiala is ruled out for the game against Bayer Leverkusen due to a minor knock he suffered against Atalanta.
Predicted Starting XI
With Neuer and Urbig on the sidelines, Bayern will have to start Sven Ulreich in the goal away at Bayer Leverkusen. Ulreich has not played a game for Bayern this season. There is a good chance for him to look scratchy on Saturday, but hopefully, Bayern’s back four can make life easy for him.
Kim Min-jae will come into the starting XI and partner with Jonathan Tah in the heart of defense. Since Davies is out injured, Josip Stanisic will continue in the left-back position. On the right side of the defense, Die Roten can rest Konrad Laimer and hand a start to Raphael Guerreiro.
Joshua Kimmich will start in the center of the park. The German international will play alongside Leon Goretzka in the midfield. Aleksandar Pavlovic will get minutes from the bench after starting against Atalanta.
With rotation in midfield and defense, Bayern will look to retain their key attacking players in the starting XI. Michael Olise will play on the right, while Luis Diaz is expected to start on the left side of the front four. Serge Gnabry is expected to play in the number ten role, while Harry Kane will lead the attack.
Predicted Bayern Munich XI: Ulreich; Stanisic, Tah, Kim Min-jae, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Goretzka; Diaz, Gnabry, Olise; Kane
Score Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen had a decent result against Arsenal in the midweek Champions League game. They have been inconsistent this season, which makes it difficult to see anything but a comfortable win for an in-form Bayern side on Saturday.