Treble-winners, Bayern Munich, enjoyed a stellar season under manager, Hans Dieter Flick, as the hosts won just about everything on offer last term with not only the DFP Pokal, the Bundesliga title, but also the Champions League after they registered a 1-0 win over PSG in the final.
It’s a clean slate this weekend though as another Bundesliga season commences but Bayern Munich will no doubt be eager to continue their impressive winning momentum in this Friday night curtain-raiser against Schalke at their Allianz Arena.
Bayern have racked up an extraordinary 22 wins on the trot in all competitions and look almost unstoppable at the moment, regardless that it’s the start of another season.
Within this impressive sequence of results is a 1-0 win away at Friday’s opponents, Schalke, in the last meeting between the two clubs back in early March.
Friday’s hosts won last season’s Bundesliga title by a 13-point margin with results at home being a major contributor to Bayern’s success as the home side won nine of their last 10 matches, including a 5-0 rout of Schalke towards the end of January.
Onto Schalke, and the visitors produced a much more modest campaign in the German top flight last term as they finished in 12th place but held a comfortable eight-point cushion above third from bottom outfit, Werder Bremen, who occupied the relegation play-off spot.
Overall, Schalke appeared to do just enough to stay clear of any relegation trouble that was brewing below them in the lower reaches of the Bundesliga table, but this applied more to the first half of the season for the visitors.
Schalke enjoyed a solid first half of the campaign as they suffered just three defeats out of their first 18 matches of the season, but the aforementioned 5-0 thumping away from home at the hands of Friday’s upcoming opponents, Bayern Munich, subsequently had a profound effect on the players.
The visitors failed to win any of their last 16 matches of last term which consisted of 10 defeats and six draws, and had it not been for their solid start to the season, Schalke would have almost certainly been involved in a relegation dogfight.
🔥 @LeroySane19: Intensive Vorbereitung auf sein mögliches Debüt! #FCBS04 #packmas #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/LJrrzuGB9I— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 16, 2020
🔥 @LeroySane19: Intensive Vorbereitung auf sein mögliches Debüt! #FCBS04 #packmas #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/LJrrzuGB9I
A new season brings new hope, but Schalke will more than likely have to wait until next weekend as they’re up against the best team in Europe and Bayern Munich are expected to be on fire here.
A Bayern win and over 3.5 goals may be an option to boost the odds.