Bayern Munich just about beat FC Köln 3-1, requiring a comeback win to seal the three points. The Billy Goats are sat in midtable and gave Bayern a hard time, so who knows what Champions League hunting RB Leipzig will do to them. Yes, the Bavarians did batter them in the reverse fixture (on opening day of the season) but this Leipzig side is actually a good team that may punish Bayern at any given moment.
We are now officially entering the second half of the season, or the back 17 matches.
Location:
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
Date: January 17, 2026
Kickoff: 6:30 PM Local time | 12:30 PM EST | 9:30 AM PST
TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country
Team news
Here’s what we think the team will be like for the match against Leipzig.
Lineup changes:
- IN: Raphael Guerreiro, Lennart Karl
- OUT: Konrad Laimer, Serge Gnabry
Player status updates:
- Joshua Kimmich, ankle (doubtful)
- Josip Stanišić, ankle (out)
- Konrad Laimer, ankle (out)
- Sacha Boey, illness (out)
- Alphonso Davies, illness (out)
- Nicolas Jackson, AFCON (out)
Three things to know about Bayern:
- Josip Stanišić’s injury is his second for the season.
- Jonathan Tah hasn’t lost an away match for 38 league matches, last doing so in May 2023.
- Bayern has never lost a match to Leipzig when Manuel Neuer is playing.
Three things to know about RB Leipzig:
- Bayern beat them 6-0 on the first matchday of the season.
- Leipzig join Bayern as the team with the second most clean sheets in the league (8). Only Borussia Dortmund (9) has more.
- The Saxons are the only team in the league who have yet to concede a goal from distance, a set piece or in the opening quarter of an hour.
Prediction
Bayern wins 4-1 with goals from Harry Kane, Luis Diaz, Michael Olise, and Aleksandar Pavlovic. Xaver Schlager will score the consolation goal for Leipzig.
While you’re here, do consider listening to the latest episode of Bavarian Podcast Works! Check us out on Spotify! You may also read some of our other articles below:
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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