Matthäus’s championship prediction: “Even Bayern’s B team would have a chance” | OneFootball

FC Bayern enters the new Bundesliga season as the clear favorite. For Lothar Matthäus, the team’s lead over the competition is so great that even Munich’s second string could contend for the title.

Shortly before the start of the Bundesliga, Lothar Matthäus shared his predictions for the new season. The German record-holder for national team appearances sees a clear favorite for the championship: FC Bayern. In the 65-year-old’s view, Vincent Kompany’s team possesses a level of quality and depth that the competition can hardly match.

Last season, the Munich team had already pulled away from the rest of the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund finished as the closest pursuer, 16 points behind the record-holding German champions. Matthäus does not expect a real two-horse race for the championship this time around either.

“This season, too, no team will—under normal circumstances—have the quality to take on FC Bayern’s superstar squad in the title race,” Matthäus writes in his column for Sport BILD.

The former Bayern captain even takes his assessment a step further: “Even Bayern’s B team would have a chance in the title race against rivals like Dortmund, Stuttgart, Leipzig, and Leverkusen!”

Matthäus raves about Bayern’s depth

For Matthäus, a key reason for this strong assessment is the team’s development under Kompany. The Belgian has not only delivered impressive results on the field during his tenure so far but has also given his team a clear identity. “The playing philosophy, passion, and self-confidence with which coach Vincent Kompany had his team play last season were impressive.”

Added to this is the quality of the roster. With Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown, FC Bayern made another high-profile addition this summer. Matthäus points out that Munich invested more than 100 million euros in the two players combined.

The 1990 World Cup champion illustrates just how deep the roster has become by suggesting a possible “B team.” Jonas Urbig would be in goal. In his vision, the back four would consist of Josip Stanisic, Minjae Kim, Hiroki Ito, and Brown. In front of them, Matthäus sees Tom Bischof and Bara Sapoko Ndiaye.

Matthäus was particularly impressed by Ndiaye: “I really liked the new signing from the Gambinos Stars during preseason.”

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In the offense as well, Kompany could field a top-notch second team, according to the former Bayern star. Lennart Karl and Arijon Ibrahimovic would play on the wings, while Serge Gnabry could operate centrally behind them. Up front, Matthäus sees Saibari, who has already proven his qualities for Morocco at the World Cup.

His verdict on this lineup is correspondingly clear: “This ‘B’ starting lineup should have a serious shot at the championship. That alone shows why FC Bayern is once again the clear favorite to win the title this season.”

The fact that Matthäus ranks FC Bayern first is also evident from his complete final standings. He expects Borussia Dortmund to finish second. He sees Stuttgart in third place, followed by Leipzig and Leverkusen.

From the perspective of the record-holding national team player, the starting position for Munich is thus clear: If Kompany’s team remains largely free of major problems and builds on its performance from last season, the path to the championship will once again lead only through FC Bayern.