Bochum vs Bayern Munich

Bundesliga joint-leaders Bayern Munich head to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion to take on rock-bottom Bochum in a must-win fixture.

Out-of-sorts Bochum cannot catch a break at the start of a new Bundesliga campaign, as a 3-1 rout at TSG Hoffenheim last weekend marked their sixth league defeat in seven matches (D1). Nailed to the bottom of the standings, the hosts lament the division’s second-worst scoring record of only seven. It’s also worth noting that they’ve bagged under 1.5 goals twice in their three home league matches (D1, L2). Against this backdrop, ‘Die Unabsteigbaren’ have fared surprisingly well against the record-time German champions since returning to the top flight in 2021, claiming two wins in three home league H2Hs (L1), with both those victories seeing them score 3+ goals. That could be the ultimate confidence boost for Markus Feldhoff, who braces up for his touchline debut after replacing Peter Zeidler in the dugout.

In the meantime, the German press savaged Bayern Munich following a disastrous 4-1 defeat at Barcelona in midweek UEFA Champions League action. After back-to-back losses at Europe’s top table, under-pressure manager Vincent Kompany will expect a response from his side, with the Bavarians heading into proceedings as one of only two Bundesliga teams yet to lose a league fixture this term (W5, D2). Kompany’s men have been relentless in front goal this season, netting a club joint-record 24 league goals after seven games, including four in a 4-0 thrashing of Stuttgart last weekend. Scoring prowess is the only saving grace for the visitors, who have only registered one clean sheet across their last 15 Bundesliga travels (W7, D2, L6).