A win in a difficult week
Bayern Munich needed a result, and they got one. They won 3-1 away at SC Freiburg on Matchday 7, with goals from Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise, and [1] reports that the result put them back on top of the table. Sporting director Max Eberl called the win the “best medicine” after a week of setbacks, according to [2].
The performance mattered as much as the scoreline. Kicker describes [3] despite the bad news around the club. Both sides rotated their starting elevens, and Bayern still opened a two-goal lead in the first half. Gnabry’s goal was his 100th in the Bundesliga, in a match that was also his first league start of 2026/27, per [4]. Freiburg were without Yannik Engelhardt, which is worth remembering when judging the margin.
Kompany’s absence and a changed dugout
The off-field story is serious. [5] reports that head coach Vincent Kompany is recovering in hospital after collapsing while watching Bayern’s second team train. Freiburg coach Julian Schuster hoped Kompany would take enough time to recover, according to [6], which also notes that the nature of the health issue has not been specified. Nothing in the available reporting gives a return date.
In the meantime, assistant coach Aaron Danks stood in on the touchline. After the match he spoke about chat messages exchanged with Kompany, and Kicker says Kompany sent his congratulations by WhatsApp and [3]. Danks is expected to keep covering for now.
There is a goalkeeping change too. Manuel Neuer is injured, and Jonas Urbig started in goal. Dayot Upamecano’s side of the pitch was settled by the return of Tah, Brown, Olise and Karl to the starting XI, according to [1]. Neuer’s timeline is not given in the input, so his availability for Dortmund is unconfirmed.
Kane’s Ballon d’Or and the attacking depth
The week also brought good news. Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or, the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001, as [7] reports. His 2025-26 totals were 61 goals in 51 competitive matches, and [8] notes he has 21 league goals since January 2026, the most in Europe’s top five leagues in that period. BBC Sport also puts him on 10 goals in his first 12 games of the current campaign.
What the Freiburg game showed is that Bayern are not reliant on him alone. The goals came from a centre-back, a winger returning to the side and Olise. Gnabry’s milestone, in a first league start of the season, is a reminder of the depth available when Danks needs to rotate. Bayern have scored 25 goals in seven league games, and that includes the 6-1 win over RB Leipzig on 17 October.
The flip side is defensive. Bayern drew 3-3 at Viking and 2-2 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League, and 2-2 at Augsburg in the league. Attack is rarely the concern. Closing out matches is.
What it means
Bayern sit first in the Bundesliga with 17 points from seven games: five wins, two draws and no defeats, with 25 goals scored and 6 conceded, a goal difference of +19. They are also unbeaten in the Champions League, though the 3-3 at Viking and 2-2 against Arsenal mean that unbeaten run is built on draws as much as wins. Across their last five matches the record reads two wins and three draws, with 16 goals scored and 12 conceded.
The form says Bayern are dominant in the league but loose in games that turn into shootouts. The next fixture asks a direct question of that profile. Dortmund visit on 31 October, and the league table will not stay settled if Bayern concede cheaply against a side that can punish them. They will also be doing it with Danks in the dugout, Kompany still recovering and Urbig likely to continue in goal unless Neuer’s fitness is cleared.
Predict.game’s forecast for Bayern v Dortmund locks 24 hours before kick-off, so the published call will reflect the team news available at that point.
Sources
- Bundesliga.com: Serge Gnabry scores 100th Bundesliga goal as Bayern beat Freiburg to reclaim top spot bundesliga.com ↩
- Kicker: "Mehr wert als ein Sieg": Bayern mit "bester Medizin" nach schwieriger Woche kicker.de ↩
- Kicker: Kompany-Vertreter Danks: "Als Erstes war da eine WhatsApp von Vince" kicker.de ↩
- Bundesliga.com: Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry nets 100th Bundesliga goal against Freiburg bundesliga.com ↩
- BBC Sport: Bayern continue unbeaten start in Kompany's absence bbc.co.uk ↩
- Kicker: Danks zu Kompany: "Super, und jetzt ruh dich wieder aus" kicker.de ↩
- BBC Sport: Kane ends England's 25-year Ballon d'Or wait - how he bucked the trend bbc.co.uk ↩
- Football Italia: Kane mentions in Conte in Ballon d’Or speech: ‘I wouldn’t be standing here’ football-italia.net ↩
