Bayern Munich’s seventh Bundesliga match turned out to be quite unlucky as the defending champions suffered their first defeat of the season 1-0 away to Augsburg.
That defeat extended the Bavarians’ winless league run to four games as concerns about the form of Julian Nagelsmann’s side deepen.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund bounced back from back-to-back defeats to beat rivals Schalke 1-0 in the return of the Revierderby, sending BVB to the top of the table.
Meanwhile, struggling RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen remain in the lower half of the table after dropping more points.
Read on below as SBOTOP brings you the main takeaways from the latest round of Bundesliga fixtures.
Bayern creeping closer to crisis mode after Augsburg defeat
After three straight draws, Bayern Munich’s recent rotten league form continued as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat away to Augsburg over the weekend. Bayern, who were coming off a 2-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League, struggled at Augsburg on both ends of the pitch.
The attack, which looked so fluid and dynamic in the first few weeks without Robert Lewandowski, sputtered as they were held without a goal for the first time this season. And perhaps more concerningly for Julian Nagelsmann, his side still allowed Augsburg a fair number of chances despite controlling over three-quarters of possession (76-24).
This poor run of Bundesliga 2022 results is putting a lot of pressure on head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who will need to watch his back with Thomas Tuchel available to take over should he continue to falter.
Nagelsmann will have the upcoming international break to sort out Bayern’s growing issues. And with some big games coming up after the break – including Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund – he cannot afford to suffer many more setbacks, or else Bayern management may consider making a coaching change.
BVB back on top but suffer Reus injury blow
As if going back to the top of the Bundesliga – albeit momentarily with Union Berlin and Freiburg yet to play – wasn’t enough great news, Borussia Dortmund defeated fierce rivals 1-0 Schalke in the return of the Revierderby to get there.
Teenage wunderkind Youssoufa Moukoko came on as a second-half substitute to score Dortmund’s winner 11 minutes from time.
It was a much-needed win for Dortmund, who had suffered back-to-back defeats to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and Manchester City in the Champions League.
However, Dortmund’s win came at a cost as captain Marco Reus had to be stretched off in the first half with an ankle injury. The 33-year-old Reus had gone off to a fine start this season with three goals and three assists in all competitions, and his absence will be sorely missed.
On the bright side for BVB, Gio Reyna came on for Reus and looked impressive as he played a key part in the winning goal. The 19-year-old American has had his share of injury issues in recent years, but if he can stay fit, he can help fill the significant void that Reus will leave in the Dortmund lineup.
Leipzig and Leverkusen still slumping
While Borussia Dortmund are flying high at the top of the table, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig – who finished third and fourth last season, respectively – are still trying to snap out of their early-season slump.
Leipzig thought they had done so after thrashing Dortmund 3-0 in their first match under new coach Marco Rose. But the Red Bulls reverted to the form that saw Domenico Tedesco sacked as they were themselves thumped 3-0 by Rose’s other old club, Borussia Monchengladbach. Leipzig were utterly disastrous defensively as they conceded 21 total shots, 10 of which were on target.
In the meantime, Bayer Leverkusen followed up their impressive 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League with a 1-1 draw at home to Werder Bremen. It was a completely frenetic match with both clubs totalling 19 shots apiece.
Both Leipzig and Leverkusen will be hoping to solve some of their early-season issues during the upcoming international break.
The Bundesliga 2022 betting odds will likely have Leipzig as massive favourites to return from the break with a win as they face bottom-club Bochum. But Leverkusen will have a much tougher test as they travel to Munich to face a Bayern side that will be desperate to end their own winless drought.
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