RB Leipzig vs. Bayern Munich preview: Ole Werner's team aiming for revenge | OneFootball

RB Leipzig

After having their first game of 2026 against St. Pauli postponed due to the winter weather in Germany, RB Leipzig finally got their year under way on Wednesday, defeating Freiburg 2-0 thanks to two second-half goals.

Sitting third, Die Roten Bullen now turn their attention to a very different challenge as they face league leaders Bayern Munich, who remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season.

Leipzig have won seven of their eight home matches at the Red Bull Arena, with their only defeat coming against Saturday’s opponents in the season opener. It was a heavy loss, as Leipzig were beaten 6-0, but captain David Raum insists Ole Werner’s side are now better equipped to get a result.

"It will be a tough match. In my opinion, Bayern are one of the best – and maybe the best – team in the world at the moment," Raum said at a media round in Leipzig when asked by Bulinews.com to outline his expectations for the game.

"They killed us at the start of the season, but this will be a completely different match because we have some new players and are playing in a different way compared to the start of the season," added the Leipzig captain.

RB Leipzig coach Ole Werner expressed a similar sentiment.

“We’re confident in ourselves, we want to show our football and prove that we’ve developed,” said the 37-year-old ahead of the game, according to local outlet Leipziger Volkszeitung.

Team News

Unfortunately for RB Leipzig, highly-rated youngster Assan Ouédraogo is sidelined once again after the knee injury he battled last year flared up during Wednesday’s win over Freiburg.

Lukas Klostermann (infection) and Johan Bakayoko (muscle injury) will also miss out for the hosts.

Bayern Munich

After playing Wolfsburg off the pitch with a crushing 8-1 win, Bayern Munich surprisingly found themselves 1-0 down against 1. FC Köln on Wednesday. However, Vincent Kompany’s side recovered to win 3-1, securing the best-ever first half of a Bundesliga season with 47 points.

Still unbeaten in the league, Bayern will look to extend their streak against an RB Leipzig team they hammered 6–0 in the reverse fixture at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, however, is not taking anything for granted and noted at his pre-match press conference that Leipzig have come a long way since that heavy defeat in the Bundesliga season opener.

“Leipzig have a young team, so it can happen that not everything goes perfectly in the first game,” Kompany said on Friday. 

"They were right behind us for a long time after that and won a lot of games. Many of their players have developed very well. Their coach has also been there for a while now. They're a strong attacking team, so it could be a great game. It will be intense, both teams care capable of scoring goals. It'll be very interesting."

Team News

With Konrad Laimer (calf), Josip Stanisic (ankle), and Sacha Boey (illness) all ruled out, Bayern are short of options at right-back.

Alphonso Davies (illness) is also sidelined, while Nicolas Jackson remains unavailable as he's part of Senegal's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

On the bright side for Bayern, Kompany revealed at his press conference that Jamal Musiala is expected to make his long-awaited return to the squad following the serious injury he suffered at last summer’s Club World Cup. 

Predicted Lineups:

RB Leipzig: Gulácsi – Baku, Orbán, Lukeba, Raum – Baumgartner, Seiwald, Schlager – Diomande, Romulo, Nusa.

Bayern Munich: Neuer – Kimmich, Upamecano, Tah, Ito – Goretzka, Pavlovic – Olise, Karl, Diaz – Kane.