According to a report from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg and Philipp Hinze (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich is not ever likely to feature a backline featuring Dayot Upamecano and Nico Schlotterbeck
together at center-back.
In fact, if Upamecano extends his deal, it is almost a certainty that the club will permanently pass on Schlotterbeck. If that happens, Liverpool and FC Barcelona might be the real winners:
Should Dayot Upamecano decide not to extend his contract, Nico Schlotterbeck would then be on Bayern’s list and discussed seriously as a potential replacement. If Upamecano ends up extending his contract, signing Schlotterbeck would then rather be unrealistic. In that case, Bayern would go for a ‘challenger’, a talented 18, 19 or 20-year old centre-back with potential to challenge for a spot in the future.
It is definitely an odd report, though believable in many ways. Some things that could raise questions are the viability of Jonathan Tah continuing to play at the level he has show in recent months and the willingness of Kim Min-jae to stay in Bavaria as a third wheel.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Kim leaves in the summer and that Tah’s form dips down. While it is easy to say that Bayern Munich is likely to pass on Schlotterbeck, it could be something that happens eventually, just not in 2026.
Song of the Week: “Gotta Getaway” by Stiff Little Fingers
We are going WAY back to 1980 for this one.
What a glorious time to be alive (I was just a very wee lad, but all of the Philly teams were actually good at the same time)!
If I remember correctly I become acquainted with this song in the late 80s and it always kind of stuck with me. Oddly, though, I had not listened to it in quite some time…but, damn, I am glad I did. If you were yearning for some punk, this will fill that void in your life:
Pavlović probably won’t start for Bayern vs. Stuttgart
Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović has picked up a few knocks lately and now it seems like the club is going to give the kid a brief respite. The 21-year-old is likely to sit out against VfB Stuttgart even if he is deemed healthy enough to play per Abendezeitung’s Maximilian Koch (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
However, for those of you hoping to see Tom Bischof starting in the midfield, well, we have some bad news:
Even though he didn’t suffer a major injury against Union yesterday, it’s conceivable that Aleksandar Pavlović will be rested against Stuttgart on Saturday, with Leon Goretzka replacing him in the starting lineup.
Entertainment Rundown
It: Welcome to Derry — Episode 6
It was another solid episode for this show, but I docked it points for stalling. There was too much wasted time. Anyway, let’s get into it:
- One thing that I continues to push my boundaries is how there is not a great public outcry about everything going on —military deaths, the missing kids, and a lot of other crazy stuff. It’s sort of a plot hole.
- In each iteration of It (the two movies, this show), the demon seeks an acolyte (a term I’ll use for it). In the movies, Henry Bowers was the one who the demon was using to do some of his work. In the show, the selection was surprising and now explains some things.
- Look, I know times were different, but an adult giving middle-schoolers liquor was just….weird. we’ll just leave it at that.
- That whole scene was just forced and contrived…come on with the drumming.
- Sure, it was all used to set up the final scene, but it seems like one of the areas where the show is not fine-tuned is with the accompanying storylines.
- How shook is Leroy Hanlon? His character went from fearless to losing it.
- I purposely try to avoid revealing major plot-points here, so people don’t get spoiled, but it gets harder by the week with this show.
- A big issue with the show came up — the sheriff was fired over this “movie theatre massacre”…but we’re going to ignore the dozens of other people who went missing?
- Overall, it was a solid episode, but not a great episode because the sloppiness of the writing. That said, it does seem like the show will be pretty action-packed from this point forward.
Episode Rating: 7.75/10.00
Terminal List: Dark Wolf
Admittedly, I went into this one blind. I did not know there was a first season titled, “Terminal List” starring my guy Nicky Sobotka (Pablo Schreiber) from season two of The Wire. I will now have to go back and watch that, but I digress. Let’s get into this:
- I thought this was going to be some kind of war, special mission-type show, but I was wrong. In reality, it is part CIA thriller, part shoot ‘em up rollicking ride, and part mercenary suspense show. I was very confused initially about what I was going to get, but with a cast include Taylor Kitsch, Tom Hopper, Luke Hemsworth, and Chris Pratt, I was willing to give it a shot.
- A bonus was the inclusion of Robert Wisdom (Lt. Colvin from The Wire).
- It is hard to describe what the show evolves into. It’s got a nice deep state element to it and some echoes of the good seasons of 24. I…liked it.
- It was not going to be some, deep intricate story that made you think about it for days. However, it was suspenseful, it had twists and turns, and it was fun.
- There were definitely some moments where you had to suspend your beliefs.
- I enjoy a nice thriller and was a big fan of 24 back in the day. This show certainly had some of those elements to it.
- Overall, I enjoyed the show and part of the reason was that I knew that it was not going to be overly deep. It was always going to come down to fighting, shooting, assassinations, double-crosses, and the desire to see the series move to another version. It definitely has potential as a fun show, but do not go in expecting to have to think too much afterward. Maybe that is why I liked it so much. You didn’t have to book time to think about an episode or research it to understand…you just had to sit back and be entertained. Most of the time, I like the challenge that some shows present in having to learn about backgrounds of characters or storylines. Not for this show, though, you just had to relax and enjoy it.
Season Rating: 8.00/10.00
Predictions
Bayern Munich will on the road, a bit weary, and definitely not in its best form…but neither is VfB Stuttgart.
The Bavarians have shown some extreme grit and mental toughness and those will be necessary element of the performance if Bayern Munich is going to emerge victorious in this one.
There should be some rotation by Vincent Kompany, but I do not think that will be a hindrance for the Bavarians. Stuttgart will be tough, but Harry Kane and company in the attack will be licking their chops to face a very unsteady backline for Die Schwaben.
Prediction; VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Bayern Munich
Other Bundesliga predictions:
- Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Hoffenheim
- Mainz 05 1-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
- RB Leipzig 3-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
- VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 Union Berlin
- FC Augsburg 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
- Heidenheim 0-2 SC Freiburg
- FC Köln 1-0 St. Pauli
- Hamburger SV 1-1 Werder Bremen
Prediction Results
- Total: 309-155
- Perfect Picks: 30
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 4-5
- Bundesliga Overall: 66-42
- DFB-Pokal: 45-11
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 99-45
- Champions League: 56-34
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Club Friendlies: 3-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
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…
