Bayern Munich will open another season as the defending champions, hosting fourth-place Stuttgart to kick off the Bundesliga slate. After the World Cup this summer, Bayern focused the preseason matches on player development and valuable minutes for the younger players on the squad. In particular, Tom Bischof and Kim Min-jae have been praised for a string of solid performances that should increase their role with the senior team.
After a few years in relegation battles, Stuttgart has thrived under
Sebastian Hoeneß. Stuttgart has finished in the top four twice in the last three seasons. Unfortunately, that league success has only translated into one win against Bayern in the last 16 attempts. That singular 3-1 win was in May 2024 when Leverkusen had already clinched the title and Bayern heavily rotated the lineup to reward players who spent most of the season on the bench.
Match Info
Location: Allianz Arena, Germany
Date: Friday, August 28th, 2026
Time: 8:30pm CEST (2:30pm EDT)
TV/streaming: USA Network and Fandango (English), Telemundo and Peacock (Spanish), Find Your Country
Odds: Bayern (-345), Draw (+550), Stuttgart (+700)
Team Info
Here is the predicted lineup, courtesy of BFW:
Lineup changes
- IN: Dayot Upamecano
- OUT: Kim Min-jae
Player status updated
- Manuel Neuer, shoulder (questionable)
- Jamal Musiala, illness (out)
- Serge Gnabry, adductor (out)
- Lennart Karl, hamstring (out)
Three things to know (via FCBayern.com)
- Bayern has defeated Stuttgart 88 times, the most of any opponent in Bundesliga history
- Harry Kane has scored 14 goals against Stuttgart, more than any other Bundesliga opponent
- Stuttgart finished second in Bundesliga scoring last season with 71 goals, 51 goals shy of Bayern’s record-shattering season
Prediction
Bayern wins 4-1. Stuttgart matches up well with most of the Bundesliga, except Bayern. Bayern will race out to a 3-0 halftime lead behind a Harry Kane brace and a wonder goal from Michael Olise. Ismael Saibari will add the fourth goal in the second half. Bayern will slow the game down and concede a silly goal in the final 10 minutes, but the game will never be close.
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