FC Bayern Munich predicted lineup for Bundesliga 2024-25 season

The Bavarians had a rare trophyless season and will aim to bounce back.

FC Bayern Munich had a lacklustre last season under Thomas Tuchel, finishing third as Xabi Alonso’s invincible Bayer Leverkusen side won Bundesliga 2023-24 and VFB Stuttgart finished in second place. Bayern also exited the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 after a slender 4-3 aggregate loss to eventual winners Real Madrid in the semi-finals. 

The German giants also faced a shocking second-round exit from the DFB Pokal after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of third-tier side FC Saarbrucken. Bayern’s disappointment continued in the summer transfer window as they let Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui leave the club to join Manchester United. 

However, the Bavarians have a new manager in former Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany, under whom the club have made a few solid reinforcements. He helped pry away Crystal Palace’s prized youngster, Michael Olise and Leverkusen right-back Josip Stanisic. The former is a talent to watch while the latter wasn’t assured game time with Jeremie Frimpong’s fantabulous form. 

Now let’s see FC Bayern Munich’s predicted lineup for Bundesliga 2024-25:

FC Bayern Munich Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer 

Still going strong at 37, the German goal custodian will be the club captain for another season. With no suitable replacements to take his gloves apart from Sven Ulreich, Neuer will be manning the Bayern goal for a record-13th season running. He managed to save a good 66.7% of the 93 shots he faced last season. But his defence let him down, allowing only six clean sheets. 

Right-Back: Josip Stanisic 

The 24-year-old right-back featured extensively for Bayer Leverkusen last season, scoring four goals and assisting six. They won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal and made it to the final of the UEFA Europa League. With Mazraoui’s exit, the Croatian international will be expected to fill in the right-back slot.

He ranked in the 99th percentile (per 90 minutes) for progressive ball carries, successful take-ons and shot-creating actions. Defensively, he was equally reliable with a commendable 66.7%  tackle win rate, nine interceptions and 26 clearances.

Centre-Back: Eric Dier

Keeping aside the memes, Dier was consistent enough to bench De Ligt and put in a decent shift at centre-half last season. The former Spurs defender maintained good numbers regarding clearances, interceptions and blocks. Although his 83.3% tackle win rate might be shocking.

It was probably because he only contested six duels and wasn’t directly engaging players. But with De Ligt’s exit, he makes a good case for Kompany to start him.  

Centre-Back: Kim Min-Jae 

The hulking South Korean was the more active of the two centre-backs, playing 25 times last season while managing to rack up 12 completed tackles. While the number might seem low, Min-Jae was more active and attempted 24 tackles. Incidentally, he also ranked 4th in the Bundesliga 2023/24 charts for percentage of aerial duels won (72.1%), signaling his set-piece efficacy.

The centre-back is going to be the Bavarian’s best bet in the heart of their defence and will surely nail down a starting spot. 

Left-Back: Alphonso Davies 

Alphonso Davies made 42 appearances for FC Bayern Munich last season, across all competitions, scoring thrice and assisting six times. He upped his game when it comes to defensive actions in his own third, with the highest number of interceptions, clearances and tackle win rate in the past three seasons. Although his shot-creating actions per 90 took a hit, he still ranks in the above 97th percentile for progressive carries and take-ons, siginifying his importance to Kompany’s system.

Central Defensive Midfielder: Joao Palhinha

After a much-anticipated move from Fulham, Joao Palhinha is sure to start ahead of Leon Goretzka for the no-nonsense defensive stability he provides. A crisp 67.8% tackle win rate and a staggering 256 tackles, interceptions and clearances mean Kimmich can freely wander forward and pull the strings in the middle of the park.

The Portuguese destroyer is also an uncanny source of goals, as he scored four times while at Craven Cottage. He can pop up once in a while to bang in worldies.  

Central Defensive Midfielder: Joshua Kimmich 

Once talks of an imminent move quietened down, Kimmich was back to being a regular contender for Bayern Munich’s starting eleven. The German is one of the most reliable midfielders in the world. Currently, with an 86.1% pass completion rate in the league and seven-goal contributions.

Although he has maintained his defensive prowess consistently, for which he’s hailed more often, his vision and high volume of ball-carrying make him an underappreciated deep-lying playmaker. This season hopefully he can build on that as he starts for Kompany’s side. 

Right Midfielder: Michael Olise

Patrick Viera’s identification of the French winger’s talent must be lauded given how far he has come. Michael Olise scored 10 goals and registered six assists for Crystal Palace in the Premier League last season. He was pivotal for France in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

There he scored twice and assisted five times while helping them win silver. A dauntless, direct winger, Olise doesn’t shy from taking on opponents and taking shots on goal. With Serge Gnabry’s flickering form, he is sure to start under Kompany.    

Central Attacking Midfielder: Jamal Musiala 

By now 21-year-old Jamal Musiala has cemented his place in the German national football team and FC Bayern Munich. He scored 10 times and assisted five goals in the Bundesliga last season. It is his defence-splitting through balls (12 last season) and nimble footwork that stole the show (56.5% efficiency).

Musiala can combine with Harry Kane, Kingsley Coman and Olise to devastating effect. He should be starting in his preferred number 10 role to increase his output.   

Left Midfielder: Kingsley Coman

Injuries have limited the French speedsters’ capabilities but this season Kingsley Coman will hopefully be up and running. Last season he scored thrice and assisted three more in the Bundesliga 2023-24. But it is his double-edged threat Bayern missed as he played only 17 times for them. Kompany might have to resort to Leroy Sane eventually, but Coman being their best bet as a natural left-winger can prove to be vital.

Striker: Harry Kane

Another record-breaking yet trophyless season for Harry Kane ended in heartbreak as he ranked first for most goals in the top five European leagues with 36 staggering goals. Kane is the perfect candidate to lead Bayern’s attack this season. The Englishman also had the maximum number of non-penalty goals and goal contributions across Europe.

He will be hoping to put his Euro 2024 failures behind him as he gears up for another season.

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