Bayern Munich take on RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup for the second successive season on Saturday.
Bayern ran out 5-3 winners during a pulsating encounter last time around, and they are aiming to win this competition for the seventh time in the last eight years.
Match preview
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Bayern had faced Borussia Dortmund in eight of the previous 10 DFL-Supercup's prior to coming out on top against Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena in last season's edition, so Leipzig's recent DFB-Pokal triumphs have provided a welcome change of face.
Of course, having sealed their 11th consecutive title in dramatic fashion by edging out Dortmund on the final day of the Bundesliga season, Bayern are a regular representative in Germany's curtain-raiser.
Thomas Tuchel's side will head into the campaign as red-hot favourites to extend their streak to 12 by next May, with the additions of Kim Min-jae, Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro bolstering their ranks during the summer transfer window.
However, the departures of Lucas Hernandez, Sadio Mane, Marcel Sabitzer and Yann Sommer have left an already light squad requiring further additions if they are to feel confident of fighting on multiple fronts as is expected by Bayern's hierarchy.
The Bavarians are chasing Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane as a belated replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who moved to Barcelona last year, but at the time of writing, the England striker is still deliberating whether to make the move after Bayern finally had a bid accepted by Spurs on Thursday morning.
In the meantime, Tuchel must find solutions from an undoubtedly talented squad at his disposal, and the former Chelsea boss will not want to begin the campaign with a defeat against one of their main contenders ahead of the Bundesliga season beginning next weekend.
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That said, Leipzig could be heading into a period of transition after selling star players Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku for big-money fees to Premier League clubs, while the likes of Marcel Halstenberg, Angelino, Andre Silva and Laimer have also all departed the club either permanently or on loan.
As is often the case under the Red Bull ownership model, Die Roten Bullen have taken a long-term approach by turning to youth as their replacements, with Lois Openda, Benjamin Sesko, Nicolas Seiwald, Christoph Baumgartner and El Chadaille Bitshiabu attracted on permanent deals so far.
Talented attacking midfielders Xavi Simons and Fabio Carvalho have also joined on season-long loan deals from Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool respectively. However, given that they have generated around £250m through sales, Marco Rose may be demanding further fresh faces if they are to build on their sustained period of success following his appointment as their manager last September.
Indeed, following their DFL-Supercup defeat to Bayern at the end of July, Rose's predecessor Domenico Tedesco presided over only two victories from seven matches - one of which was an 8-0 thrashing of fourth division outfit Teutonia Ottensen in the DFB-Pokal - leading to his 22-month tenure coming to a premature end.
Rose implemented a consistent playing style, winning 28 of 41 matches in all competitions to comfortably guide Leipzig into the knockout stages of the Champions League as well as guaranteeing their place in Europe's elite competition for this season. Most notably, he helped them retain Germany's domestic cup with an emphatic 2-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the final.
Leipzig's new signings will be determined to make an immediate impact by impressing against Germany's most fearsome team on their own ground at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, but it may take time for the latest Leipzig rebuild to take full effect.
Team News
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Bayern are likely to remain without legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer until after the upcoming international break in early September following his skiing accident last December, which prematurely ended his season due to a fractured leg.
With his stand-in replacement for the remainder of the campaign in the form of Sommer departing to Inter last month, Sven Ulreich appears likely to be called upon between the posts once again.
Thomas Muller, Eric Choupo-Moting and Gabriel Marusic have all been ruled out of Saturday's Supercup tie, while new signing Guerreiro will have to bide his time before making his debut due to a calf strain.
Laimer will be keen to make an instant impact against his former club from the engine room, though, with the 26-year-old's intense industry set to become a key part of Tuchel's desired pressing style.
Leipzig, meanwhile, were also deprived of their first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of last season, with Peter Gulasci still a few weeks away from returning from an ACL injury.
Amadou Haidara and Lukas Klostermann are both suffering with muscle strains and are therefore unlikely to be risked ahead of their side's tricky trip to Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga next weekend, while Baumgartner may also be kept back from making his debut due to his own ongoing knock.
Despite a summer of high turnover in terms of playing staff, the likes of Dani Olmo, Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg will all provide a feeling of familiarity, with Openda and Sesko likely to be fighting to line up alongside them in the visitors' front four in Munich.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulrich; Pavard, De Ligt, Kim, Davies; Laimer, Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Gnabry, Coman
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum; Seiwald, Schlager; Forsberg, Olmo, Werner; Openda
We say: Bayern Munich 3-1 RB Leipzig
Although both sides may not be at their free-flowing best due to some injury issues and having to accommodate several new faces, we expect to see another entertaining DFL-Supercup between these two teams on Saturday.
However, although they are lacking in squad depth compared to recent years, Bayern's starting XI remains formidable and they should have too much attacking potency for Leipzig once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Brett Curtis
