Midweek Warm-up: It’s time for Bayern Munich to get a signature win; Champions League predictions; Mathys Tel could be just what VfB Stuttgart needs in January; Throwing it back to Soul Asylum; & MORE!

Bayern Munich is a very good team (borderline great) with an absolutely loaded roster, and an up-and-coming coach.

There are a lot of positives to consider when evaluating the squad this season. However, there is one thing missing — a big, signature victory.

When tasked with facing teams on their level or maybe even a little above their level, the Bavarians have not risen to the occasion. In the Bundesliga so far, Bayern Munich has faced two serious contenders for the league title — Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt. In both of those matches, Bayern Munich came away with draws, unable to put away the competition. Even in these games, Leverkusen is experiencing a downturn after a miraculous 2023/24 campaign, while Frankfurt is not exactly a juggernaut.

In the Champions League, Bayern Munich has faced top-tier competitors like Aston Villa, FC Barcelona, and Benfica. A late unraveling against Aston Villa cost Bayern Munich the game, while Barca shellacked the Bavarians.

Bayern Munich did win against Benfica, but it was a bit underwhelming against a team that probably is a notch below the Bavarians in terms of quality at this point.

A win over Paris Saint-Germain, though…this would be a team that would give Bayern Munich the legitimacy this season that it is currently lacking.

This Bayern Munich team is extremely good and has a chance to be great, but it will have to start its crusade to greatness somewhere…so why not now against PSG?

Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain

Other Champions League predictions include:

Bavarian Podcast Works — The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl: Matchday 11

Thank the stars that the Bundesliga is back!

After the international break, The Bundesliga Rundown returns, showcasing the thrilling drama from Matchday 11.

From analysing the 7-goal ‘El Plástico’ thriller between TSG Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig to offering controversial VAR opinions, this episode has it all!

Additionally, this episode will cover:

Christian Ilzer: TSG Hoffenheim’s intriguing managerial signing.
Why Mainz 05’s Bo Henriksen might be one of the most underrated coaches in the Bundesliga.
Why Marcus is not head over heels in love with VAR.
Dominik Salz: The most heart-warming story of the past week.

Stay tuned for detailed highlights of the two featured games below.

TSG Hoffenheim 4-3 RB Leipzig

Holstein Kiel 0-3 Mainz 05

Song of the Midweek: “Black Gold” by Soul Asylum

Soul Asylum has been featured here before with “Can’t Eve Tell” (one of my all-time favorite songs), but not for “Black Gold.”

Released in 1993, Soul Asylum burst onto the scene with a few big hits. My first run-in with them was with “Somebody to Shove”, but there were many great tunes put out by this band over the years. Undoubtedly, though, they had peak popularity there in the 90s.

It is probably hard for the younger generation to understand how cool it was to hear a new song by a band on the radio back then, but hearing Soul Asylum release hit-after-hit in the 90s was something really cool.

For whatever reason, it is just not the same today, but alt-rock radio in the early to mid-90s was just unreal. Enjoy:

Tel to Stuttgart makes sense

According to a report from Sky Sport journalist Dennis Bayer (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich attacker Mathys Tel is an intriguing option on loan in January for VfB Stuttgart — but nothing is close to happening yet:

Mathys Tel’s name has been discussed internally at VfB Stuttgart following El Bilal Touré’s injury, which will sideline him for around 4-6 months. The people in charge in Stuttgart believe the Frenchman is an exciting player. If a January loan deal is feasible and financially viable, a move for Tel could be an option for VfB. But at the moment the topic is still cold.

Tel needs to time to develop and has a slim chance of getting any significant minutes barring injury in Bavaria. At VfB Stuttgart, Tel would get a chance to play under Sebastian Hoeneß in a system that is aggressive and focused on utilizing the skills of the team’s attacking talent.

This move almost makes too much sense for Tel’s development — and Stuttgart does not look like a serious threat to Bayern Munich at this stage.

It could be a win-win.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 7, Episode 18

Bayern Munich is running away with the league this season; they have won nine of their 11 games and drawn another two; the draws came against the teams sitting second and fourth in the table currently, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, but is this the best Bayern out there? We try to answer this question in the Flagship and more: