German powerhouses Bayern Munich will continue their preparations for the 2024-25 campaign with a pre-season friendly against Duren Merzenich on Sunday afternoon.
The Munich giants are building towards their Bundesliga opener at the end of August, but their season will officially open in the German Cup in the middle of next month.
Match preview
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There is no getting away from the fact that the 2023-24 campaign was a disappointment for Bayern, with the club finishing third in the Bundesliga table behind Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.
Bayern did manage to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, losing to eventual winners Real Madrid, but they were also shocked by FC Saarbrucken in the second round of the German Cup back in November.
Thomas Tuchel has since departed as head coach, with Vincent Kompany arriving as the new manager, and it will be fascinating to see how he Belgian performs at Allianz Arena.
Bayern, who thumped Rottach-Egern 14-1 in their pre-season opener on Wednesday, have another four friendlies in the diary, taking on Tottenham Hotspur twice and WSG Tirol after this match, before beginning their German Cup challenge against Ulm on August 16; the team's Bundesliga opener will then come on August 25 against Wolfsburg.
Die Bayern have been busy this summer, with Michael Olise and Joao Palhinha proving to be their big-money signings, but there will be plenty more incomings and outgoings over the next few weeks.
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Duren will actually begin their Regionalliga West campaign against Paderborn II on Saturday afternoon, before taking to the field 24 hours later against Bayern.
Kristopher Fetz's side play their football in level four of the German league system, and the fact that they will open their new campaign just a day before this match adds to the intrigue.
As far as preparations go, Duren will be delighted, having posted five straight wins in friendlies this summer, including a 4-0 success over Hurth last time out.
The team have scored seven times in their last two matches and will therefore be in a confident mood heading into the new campaign, while this fixture will represent a huge moment in their history, as they prepare to lock horns with the biggest side in German football.
Duren took on Bayern in the German Cup in October 2020, with the Munich giants running out 5-0 winners in the first round of the competition.
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Team News
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Naming the Duren side for this match is a complex task considering that the team will open their league campaign 24 hours earlier against Paderborn II.
However, head coach Fetz will want to give minutes to as many players as possible, so it is likely that different XIs will take to the field for each half of the contest.
Among the starters for the home side could be 23-year-old English attacker Jayden Bennetts, who is a former Watford academy player.
Bayern, as mentioned, beat Rottach-Egern 14-1 in their pre-season opener on Wednesday, with Mathys Tel netting a hat-trick for the Munich giants.
Kompany's side remain without the services of a whole host of their first-team stars due to international commitments, with Harry Kane among those absent, while new signing Olise is representing France at the Olympics.
As a result, it will once again be a youthful side in his match, with Tel set to lead the line, while 17-year-old Adin Licina, who netted twice against Rottach-Egern, should also start.
Duren Merzenich possible starting lineup:
Stauch; Popovic, Wetschka, Lela, Damaschek; Geimier, R Garcia, Salman, Zeil; Bennetts, Harding
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulreich; Dier, Stanisic, Ito; Boey, Goretzka, J Fernandez, Guerreiro; Licina, Tel, Zaragoza
We say: Duren Merzenich 0-5 Bayern Munich
Bayern hit 14 in their pre-season opener; we are not expecting those type of numbers here, but Kompany's side should have far too much quality for their opponents even without a whole host of their first-team stars.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
