Last year Bayern Munich was back on their throne. After the surprising third place in the 2023-24 season, shock waves sent through German football, the record champions responded exactly as everyone expected: by winning the title back. Their comfortable victory in the 2024-25 campaign makes it 12 Bundesliga victories in the past 13 years.
For a moment it seemed that the competition might open again, similar to the era before Bayern’s incredible run started. Between 2004 and 2012, four different clubs – Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund (who won two in a row under Jürgen Klopp) all won) Championship. But that period feels a long time ago.
Bayern Munich opened their title defense in the Allianz Arena with a sweet victory against a dangerous RB Leipzig side. During the weekend, Borussia Dortmund traveled to face the newly promoted St. Pauli, and Erik ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen organized Heoffenheim.
Bayern clearly established that they are an overwhelming team to beat with a 6-0 finish in their first game.
It is not surprising that, while we look ahead to the new season, Bayern are the overwhelming favorites to win it all again. But what makes them so strong? And if they slip away, who is ready to take advantage? And is it safe to say that the Bundesliga of 2025 is the world of Bayern, and that everyone else just lives in it? In this article we give you a breakdown of our prediction of the gameplay of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga season 2025-2026.
The Kompany & Kane era is in full swing
The short experiment with Thomas Tuchel is now a distant memory. Under Vincent Kompany, Bayern has found a clear identity and a playing style that fits their team. High-Dringing, Voetbal that Kompany argues, was perfect for a team who wanted to regain its reputation.
And then of course there is Harry Kane. The English striker is nothing less than phenomenal since his arrival in 2023. The figures are just amazing. In all competitions for Bayern, he scored 86 goals from an expected goals of only 70.7. This means that he scores many more goals than the average player would be of the opportunities he gets. This “overperformance” is the best of every player in Europe’s top five competitions. He is the most clinical finisher on the continent.
Kane is already in mind of a third consecutive Bundesliga Top Scorer Award. If he wins again in 2025-26, he will participate in the game legends. Only Gerd Müller and Robert Lewandowski, with seven each, have more gold boots in the German top flight. With Kane that leads the line, you can always count on goals.
Bayern has drawn new players
Every champion team needs refreshingly and Bayern has been very smart in the transfer market. They identified important areas and brought in top quality players to fill them.
The main arrivals are winger Luis Díaz from Liverpool and defender Jonathan Tah van Rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
Luis Díaz looks like a perfect signature for the Kompany system. He made an immediate impact and scored the winner in the pre-season Franz Beckenbauer Cup victory over Stuttgart. His greatest strength is his ruthless press. Last season he won possession more times in the last third (147) than any other Liverpool Vooruit. He doesn’t just work hard; It offers a serious quality. He comes from his best goal coria season in a Major League (17 goals in all competitions) and an average of 2.05 open-play opportunities created in the Premier League per 90 minutes. To put that in perspective, only new teammate Michael Olise (2.88) had a better average among Bayern players in the Bundesliga last season.
Jonathan Tah brings much needed stability and leadership to the heart of the defense of Bayern. Signing the captain of your direct rivals is a huge explanation. He is a dominant, title-winning center-back that has the competition inside out. Bayern should make his arrival much more difficult to break down.
The end of an era: Replace Legends
Although the new signs are exciting, Bayern also said goodbye to some huge names. This season will feel different for fans, because Thomas Müller will not be in the team of the first team for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Müller is a real icon. With 756 performances, he played more games for Bayern than any other player in history. Even in his last season he was incredibly effective and contributed to 15 goals (8 goals, 7 assists) despite only 19 games. His football information and unique presence in the dressing room are irreplaceable.
On the wings, the experienced duo of Kingsley Coman and Ler Sané also went further. This has cleared the path for the new generation. The injury to Jamal Musiala (out with a broken fibula) is a blow, but it opens the door for Michael Olise to make the number 10 roll for the first months. The pressure will be on the younger attackers to perform and offer the output that Sané and Coman have consistently delivered.
Who can stop Bayern?
From what we can see, the race for second place is very tight. But if Bayern has a crisis, the two teams below have the most likely to benefit and will take the first position.
1. Bayer Leverkusen
The team that started it all by breaking Bayern’s Streak a few years ago is now confronted with a huge rebuilding of itself. With Xabi Alonso has long since disappeared, Erik ten Hag is the new man who is in charge. His job is huge.
Leverkusen has lost a nuclear part of their title -winning team. In Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jeremie Frimpong and now Jonathan Tah, they lost four of their five most important players last season when building attacks. Only Alex Grimaldo remains of that important group.
Ten Hag has already asked for patience from the fans. The club has made a number of interesting signing sessions, such as Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin (who completed the second dribbles in the 2. Bundesliga) and Malik Tillman from PSV, who was a sensational long-distance shooter in the Eredivisie.
Their biggest piece of good news is holding striker Patrik Schick. The Czech attacker was brilliant last season and scored 21 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches. Just like Kane, he greatly surpassed his expected goals (XG), with the highest over performance in the competition (8.3). If he stays fit, Leverkusen always gets the chance to win games. But a title challenge seems a step too far this season.
2. Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund has become the masters of squeaking in the top four. They took the fifth Champions League place of the Bundesliga in 2023-24 and then achieved fourth place on the last day of the 2024-25 season. In fact, for 30 consecutive match days they were outside the top four before their dramatic push in the last day.
The team looks more stable under Niko Kovač, who took over the middle of the season from Nuri Sahin. The improvement was clear. Under Sahin, Dortmund gave 1.72 goals and 1.35 expected goals (XGA) per match. Under Kovač, those figures fell considerably to 1.21 goals and 1.19 XGA per game. He made them much harder to beat.
Their most important man is striker Serhou Guirassy. The Guinea attacker was wonderful last season and corresponded to Patrik Schick’s count of 21 Bundesliga goals. He also proved on the largest stage and ended as the joint-top scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals, level with Raphinha in Barcelona.
Their most important signing is Jewe Bellingham, who helped Sunderland to win promotion to the Premier League. He brings energy and potential, but with a calm transfer window in general, the most important goal of Dortmund seems to consolidate a top three finish. However, a title pushes a distant dream.
Our prediction
So, is Bayern’s title in safe hands? All the proof indicates yes.
They have the best striker in the world in Harry Kane. They have done intelligent signing sessions in Luis Díaz and Jonathan Tah who immediately improve their starting eleven. They have a manager whose philosophy is now embedded in the team. And they have the experience and mentality of champions.
The departure of Müller, Sané and Coman are important, but Bayern has planned for this. Their team depth and quality remain the best in the competition with a considerable margin.
For gamblers, supporting Bayern to win the Bundesliga is the safe, logical choice. Harry Kane for the top scorer is almost a standard option, while he looks at Bayer Leverkusen or Dortmund to finish in the top four without winning the title, a better return can offer.
The Bundesliga is perhaps another race with one horses, but with Kane Chasing History and a new look Bayern who takes the field, it will certainly be an exciting ride.
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