Match in the ticker

Bayern vs Bayer Leverkusen, LIVE from 18:30

Can Joshua Kimmich and his Bayern team celebrate again this season?

(Bild: AFP/APA/Axel Heimken)

Big summit meeting in Munich! Record champions Bayern Munich welcome reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen. Will coach Vincent Kompany's team get the revenge they are hoping for? We'll be reporting live - see ticker below. 

Here is the live ticker:

Will Bayern strike back?
FC Bayern are looking for revenge in the big clash of the German Bundesliga. Bayer Leverkusen snatched the league title and the DFB Cup from the record champions in the previous season, now the old balance of power is to be restored in the Allianz Arena on Saturday (18:30). Munich lead the table with four wins from four games and a goal difference of 16:3, with the Werkself three points behind them.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany is looking forward to the clash. "It's an important game against perhaps the best team of the last twelve months," explained the Belgian. After scoring 20 goals in the last three games and a high-scoring start to Oktoberfest, Munich are looking to put a big dent in last season's league dominators. "We're playing at home against the champions and we want to win," said the 38-year-old, who is hoping that Manuel Neuer, who has been injured recently, will be in goal.

Lederhosen stay at home
Leverkusen arrive with the self-confidence of the champions. "We're ready," said former Bayern professional and now Bayer coach Xabi Alonso. "I don't know if it's the toughest game for Bayern, but the game in Munich is the toughest for all the other teams." Alonso leaves his lederhosen at home. "We don't have time for that," said the Basque about a visit to the beer tent. The Champions League continues for both teams in a few days' time.

Xabi Alonso

(Bild: Glomex)

The coaching duel between Kompany and Alonso has come under the spotlight following Munich's tough search for Thomas Tuchel's successor. Leverkusen's master coach was initially a preferred candidate - but no one expected Kompany to be the surprise solution. Kompany laughed out loud when asked whether this constellation was particularly motivating.

Enormous demand for tickets
"It always seems as if everyone has an extraordinary ego. I don't care about any of that," said Kompany, who has already faced Alonso as a player in the Premier League and Champions League. "My motivation is: Leverkusen were champions, they're coming to the Allianz Arena, we're top of the table and we have the opportunity to do something for our fans."

FC Bayern could have sold over 300,000 tickets, with the stadium seating 75,000 spectators. Munich's record-breaking player Thomas Müller is expecting an exciting league summit. "They'll keep knocking on the door until someone opens it," said the 35-year-old. "It's crazy that Bayer Leverkusen always open the door in stoppage time." This season, the last-minute kings from the Rhine have already won twice in stoppage time against Gladbach and Wolfsburg. Munich still have painful memories of the 2:2 from the previous season, when Leverkusen equalized in the wild stoppage time.