BERLIN (AP) – Bayern Munich’s first loss of the season couldn’t have come at a worse time for St. Pauli.
After eight straight defeats in the Bundesliga, the Hamburg-based promoted side were happy after their celebratory performance in the Champions League and were hopeful that Bayern might have a day off this Saturday.
But Bayern slumped Lost 3-1 to Arsenal He entered the match on Wednesday after mistakes by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Dayot Upamecano, but will be hoping to make amends in front of his home fans when coach Alexander Blethysin’s side visit.
“Maybe they still have the Champions League on their minds after the Arsenal game. Or maybe they underestimated us a little bit,” Blessin said after his team lost 1-0 at home to Union Berlin. “We just have to keep them scoreless for as long as possible and take advantage of the game. That’s the challenge.”
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Bayern will now have a record of 44 consecutive league leads, breaking their own record from 1973. Leipzig are in second place with six points difference.
Bayern’s mighty side have already made their best start ever in the Bundesliga after 11 matches, with 10 wins and one draw, and a goal difference of +33.
major matches
Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund clash in the final stages of Saturday, with both sides looking to build on their success in the Champions League.
Leverkusen defeated Manchester City 2-0 and Dortmund defeated Villarreal 4-0. The winner could end up being Bayern’s biggest challenger.
Leipzig visit Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday, who are in good form. Gladbach defeated Heidenheim 3-0 in Eugen Polanski’s first match as manager. His team has won four games in all competitions since losing 3-0 to Bayern.
Eintracht Frankfurt hosts Wolfsburg on Sunday in the latest challenge for the visiting side, who have fallen into the relegation zone.
Interim manager Daniel Bauer was unable to stop the team’s slowdown after losing 3-1 at home to Leverkusen last weekend. This was Wolfsburg’s first match since they sacked their manager and sporting director. Frankfurt lost 3-0 at home to Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday, but have won their last two Bundesliga games.
Featured players
17-year-old Lennart Karl scored Bayern’s goal against Arsenal and is quickly becoming the club’s most talked about player. he He played a starring role in the 6-2 rout. He played in Freiburg last weekend and caused so much excitement that many are calling for him to be included in Germany’s 2026 World Cup squad.
Cologne’s 19-year-old Saeed El Mara has already been called up for the World Cup qualifiers. The teenager, born to a German mother and a Lebanese father, became a key player in his first season in the Bundesliga, scoring four goals and providing three assists. His club will visit Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Alex Grimaldo is Leverkusen’s latest star after leaving the club in the summer. The Spanish left-back scored again against City on Tuesday. Despite his role as a defender, he has already scored four goals and provided four assists in the Bundesliga.
Who is out?
Leipzig’s young players Assan Ouédraogo and Yann Diomande were injured in last weekend’s game against Bremen. Ouedraogo, 19, has a tendon problem in his left knee and will be out for several weeks. the club said. He had made his dream debut for Germany the previous week.
Diomande, also 19, broke his nose against Bremen but should be able to play against Gladbach.
off the field
Thousands of organized fans are protesting against possible new German government safety measures around stadiums, including individual tickets, the use of facial recognition software, increased surveillance and stadium entry bans, to be discussed at an interior ministry meeting from December 3 to 5.
Most fans in stadiums in the Bundesliga and other divisions remained quiet for the first 12 minutes of matches, although many supporters took part in large protests in Leipzig the weekend before.
Fans have been backed by clubs, including Bayern chief executive Jan Christian Dresen, and several teams, including Stuttgart and Freiburg, issued statements on Wednesday opposing the proposed measures.
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