Midweek Warm-up: Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is on a mission to destroy…everyone; Champions League predictions; Throwing it back to The Damned; and ...

Bayern Munich is preparing to face Club Brugge…

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What is the story about?

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is in the midst of a historic campaign where he is dominating everyone in front of him.

At this point, the only question you can ask of Kane is, “who’s next?”

The answer to that, of course, is Club Brugge in the Champions League. A game opponent, no doubt, but Kane has shown no signs of slowing down. Noted pundit and Bayern Munich and German national team legend Lothar Matthäus said as much.

“I don’t see a better striker in the world than Harry Kane right now. Not just

because of his goals, but because of his versatility and the positions he plays. He showed his qualities as a passer, dribbler, and tackler. He is simultaneously a goalscorer, playmaker, box-to-box player, and tackler. I’ve never seen Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé slide tackle in their own penalty area like Kane did in the 88th minute against Dortmund,” Matthäus told Sky Germany (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I also don’t see (Erling) Haaland and (Kylian) Mbappé make passes of 50 meters or more. I haven’t seen the long balls that Kane can play from the other two When you look at Kane’s performances, you wonder why he only finished 13th in the Ballon d’Or voting. If he continues like this, he might be able to win the award next year – but that will only be possible in conjunction with the team’s success.

“Robert Lewandowski won the Champions League with FC Bayern in 2020 and was later named World Player of the Year, but the two aren’t comparable. Kane reinvented the center-forward game, just as Manuel Neuer did with goalkeepers about a decade and a half ago. Kane is 32, and his contract runs until 2027. I would extend his contract as soon as possible.”

Matthäus is not wrong. After two great seasons in Bavarian, Kane has unlocked another level in his game and…it is lethal. Kane has the most goal contributions in Europe’s Top 5 leagues across all competitions so far this season per Transfermarkt:

So far this season, Kane has a supporting cast that is more than willing to feed the striker the ball in advantageous positions. That was not always the case during his first two seasons with Bayern Munich, a pain that lingered during Robert Lewandowski’s final season in Bavaria and helped grease the Polish Hitman’s pathway out of the club.

This group is just…different.

Because Kane is notoriously unselfish and has been the consummate teammate, it has — GASP! — become the norm for the striker to be the focal point of the attack at Bayern Munich once again.

An interesting subplot to this will be to see how the attacking group’s chemistry will be affected when Jamal Musiala returns. Perhaps one of the world’s best players when healthy, Musiala might have to sacrifice some of his individual goals to fill the role currently being occupied by Serge Gnabry, which requires selfless play and a genuine deference to Kane to be the lead dog.

Will Musiala be willing to cast aside his well-known goal of winning the Ballon d’Or to be a part of the machine, rather than the engine? Probably, but that is a question for another day. For now, we can watch Kane continue on with his path of destruction…and, yes, Club Brugge is the next opponent attempting to stop Kane’s path of domination.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs. Club Brugge

Bayern Munich looked pretty tired by the end of its 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund and now must quickly rebound for a Champions League showdown with Belgian power Club Brugge.

On paper, Bayern Munich figures to be a heavy favorite, but Club Brugge has been tough in the Champions League so far. Is Bayern Munich ripe for an upset?

Eh…we don’t know about that, but this match-up does represent some danger for the Bavarians. Let’s dig into all of the details on the this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:

Checking out how each team has played int the Champions League so far.
What to watch for with Club Brugge.
A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
A prediction on the match.

Song of the Midweek: “Smash It Up” (Parts 1 & 2) by The Damned

This had been sleeping in my archives for quite a while, but damn, it’s still hits.

Released in 1979, you can tell the era from the sound, but this is an anthem that many American punk rockers would take on as an influence.

And, yes, my punk kick has raged forward. Enjoy:

Gündoğan heaps praise on old teammate Kompany

When İlkay Gündoğan looks at his former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany — who just inked a contract extension with Bayern Munich — he is amazed.

“He’s doing very, very well. I had a few phone calls with him during his time at Bayern. I think he’s presenting himself very well – in the way he articulates himself in the media, and how he speaks about his team, but also about the opponents, and about how his team is playing football. And that speaks extremely for him. It’s not surprising for me personally, because I’ve known Vincent for some years now, and for me he was the best captain I had in my career. I believe that, considering his qualities, he was always destined to become a top coach, that’s what he is now. He’s on a great path, a path that I might also hope to follow myself someday, and that can serve as an example for me. As a friend, I wish him all the best,” said Gündoğan (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Kompany will be with Bayern Munich through 2029.

The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl: Matchday 7

The Bundesliga is top heavy, but there could be some real competition as the season goes on. We’ll take a look at a resilient and resurgent Bayer Leverkusen side and how they are proving everyone wrong!

Today’s Bundesliga Rundown will include:

A look at the scores from the weekend.
A dive into how Bayer Leverkusen has seemingly defied the odds and overcome so many losses.
A look at the Bundesliga table ahead of Matchday 8.

Predictions

Bayern Munich is tired.

The second half of Der Klassiker showed us that the rugged schedule and the international duties are catching up to the Bavarians. That presents at least some risk with this match-up.

Club Brugge is no pushover, but Bayern Munich is not likely to have a letdown just yet…it just does not seem like it is the mentality of the group. In fact, this could be a moment for the team to rally around itself and put on a another display of attacking prowess.

Bayern Munich is better, deeper, and more talented, even if they it is a bit more fatigued. We are counting on the attack to overwhelm the Club Brugge backline and the defensive group to be stout enough to ward off the pressure from the Belgians.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 4-0 Club Brugge

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Barcelona 4-0 Olympiacos
Kairat Almaty 1-2 Pafos
Arsenal 2-1 Atlético Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain
F.C. København 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Newcastle United 3-1 Benfica
PSV Eindhoven 1-2 Napoli
Union St.-Gilloise 1-3 Inter Milan
Villarreal 0-4 Manchester City

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Athletic Club 2-0 FK Qarabag
Galatasaray 3-2 Bodo/Glimt
AS Monaco 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Atalanta 3-0 Slavia Prague
Chelsea 3-1 Ajax
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-4 Liverpool
Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus
Sporting CP 1-1 Marseille

Bavarian Podcast Works — Special Edition Reaction Show: Bayern Munich signs Vincent Kompany to a contract extension

Bayern Munich announced the signing of a contract extension with head coach Vincent Kompany — a move that was well-deserved and needed by all parties.

Let’s break it all down on this special edition of Bavarian Podcast Works. This is what we have on tap: