Vincent Kompany finally gave us the Pavlović-Bischof midfield pivot and it was glorious. Pavlović looks fresh and healthy, dropping dangerous dimes all over the pitch like a veteran Toni Kroos. Bischof is less controlling and stringent than Kimmich and opens up Pavlović to his full potential.Luis Díaz’s infectious energy always elevates this team. When things start to slow down or get congested, Díaz explodes and makes something magical happen.It was nice to see Sven Ulreich with some dirt on his jersey but his minutes would have been much better spent on the development of Jonas Urbig or 16-year old Leonard Prescott.Hats off to the teenagers, Lennart Karl and Felipe Chávez, for breaking the game wide open.No injuries, lots of youngsters, and a second half flurry of goals. That’s a quality friendly for Bayern and the win is a cherry on top.
Bayern returns to Bundesliga action this weekend with a home match against Wolfsburg.
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90’+2: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 5-0. Luis Díaz freezes the defense, flicks the ball over them, and Tom Bischof finishes with a clever volley.
89’: Substitution. Maycon Cardozo replaces Lennart Karl.
88’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 4-0. Luis Díaz’s looping cross finds a high flying Lennart Karl.
85’: Substitution. Anrie Chase replaces Douglas Mendes.
82’: Substitutions. Guido Della Rovere and Javier Fernandez replace Deniz Ofli and Felipe Chávez.
79’: Substitution. Oliver Lukić replaces Karim Onisiwo.
75’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 3-0. Lennart Karl returns the favor to Felipe Chávez for a sliding tap-in.
71’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 2-0. Aleksandar Pavlović and Felipe Chávez take a turnover and find Lennart Karl for a quick finish.
46’: Vincent Kompany makes a full line change. Salzburg does the same, except for the goalkeeper.
Cassiano Kiala looked very confident in his spacing and challenges but struggled in the distribution aspect of the game.Hiroki Itō’s versatility was on display as he flew up the field as an inverted left-back, rarely playing near Bayern’s center backs. Itō has a little “shake ‘n bake” to his game when he’s allowed to play this freely.Wisdom Mike relies too much on his raw speed. He will need to improve his position and vision before rising to the senior level.David Santos Daiber had another solid performance. He might sneak into the midfield rotation if injuries persist.
HT: Bayern up 1-0 at the break.
45’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 1-0. Hiroki Itō’s volley catches a deflection.
33’: David Santos with a double goal line clearance!
30’: Bayern is starting to find the cracks in Salzburg’s defense.
19’: Michael Olise’s bending left-footed shot is parried away by a diving Alexander Schlager.
1’: LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Vincent Kompany has opted to mix and match the regulars and the youngsters. Cassiano Kiala, Wisdom Mike, and David Santos are in the starting lineup. Jonathan Tah, Luis Díaz, Konrad Laimer, and Aleksandar Pavlović should feature in the second half.
7:27AM EST: Bayern Munich did not bring Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, Manuel Neuer, or Joshua Kimmich to Salzburg:
Bayern Munich will travel to Austria for the club’s only friendly ahead of a very promising Rückrunde campaign. Jamal Musiala had hoped to make an appearance but has been ruled out as a safety precaution. Vincent Kompany will want his starters to put in a solid shift before yielding playing time to the reserve and academy players.
The “other” Bundesliga leaders, RB Salzburg, have struggled mightily in Europa League competition and will focus on their own performance rather than the end result.
Location: Red Bull Arena, Wals-Siezenheim, Austria
Date: Tuesday, January 6th, 2026
Time: 3:00pm local time (9:00am EST)
Odds: Bayern (-550), Draw (+550), Salzburg (+900)
Bayern wins 4-2. Bayern will race out to a 3-0 halftime lead behind goals from Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry, and Luis Díaz. Vincent Kompany will rotate the champagne XI, conceding a couple goals around the 65th minute. Kim Min-jae will put the game away with a late header.
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