Harry Kane’s hugely impressive start to life at Bayern Munich continued as a hat-trick on his Der Klassiker debut sealed a 4-0 victory for the Bavarian giants at Borussia Dortmund.

Kane bagged his third treble in the Bundesliga in just his 10th match, taking his tally to 15 goals, as Bayern bounced back from their embarrassing German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken in style.

Dayot Upamecano quietened the famously noisy Signal Iduna Park as Bayern made a fast start before Kane took centre stage, putting Bayern two goals to the good inside the opening 10 minutes.

The England captain then struck twice more in the second half to record a second successive hat-trick, having put three past Darmstadt last weekend while he did likewise against Bochum in September.

While Bayern sit two points adrift of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, Kane’s display and his nerveless eye for goal was an emphatic statement in the defence of their crown.

After being rested in midweek, Kane was restored to Bayern’s starting XI alongside the likes of Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman and Upamecano, who gave the visitors an ideal start in the fourth minute.

Upamecano was filmed sharing a joke with Nico Schlotterbeck moments before the Frenchman got in front of his marker and headed into the net from close range from Leroy Sane’s teasing corner.

Bayern went two up in the ninth minute, with Kane bagging his 13th league goal in just his 10th match since swapping Tottenham for the Bavarian giants in the summer.

Kane put the finishing touch to a nice move which was started by Sane’s clever backheel before he collected the ball back and unselfishly squared for the England striker to tap into an empty net.

Goretzka tried an audacious overhead kick that missed the target and Bayern’s only setback of the first 45 minutes came just before half-time when Thomas Tuchel was booked for remonstrating with officials.

Dortmund almost ended a forgettable half – in which they struggled to contain their opponents – by pulling one back but Netherlands forward Donyell Malen angled his effort just over the crossbar.

Former Bayern defender Niklas Sule was introduced at the start of the second half in an attempt to shore up Dortmund’s defence, but they were soon on the back foot as Bayern again sprung out the traps.

Just seconds into the resumption, Kane’s pass played through Jamal Musiala, who was denied by the spreadeagled Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Bayern had the ball in the net again soon after through Coman, but that was chalked off because Kane was offside in the build-up.

Dortmund were offering not much in the way of a threat but the long-serving Marco Reus, on his 400th appearance for the club, forced a fine save with a turn and shot parried away by Manuel Neuer.

Another Musiala effort was kept out and while he finally breached Kobel’s defences after tapping in from Kane’s pass, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Kane ended any faint hope of a Dortmund comeback by bagging Bayern’s third goal in the 72nd minute, collecting Coman’s low cross, taking a touch to compose himself then sending Kobel the wrong way.

Kane had his hat-trick in the third minute of added-on time after latching on to Aleksandar Pavlovic’s through ball and finishing brilliantly to put an emphatic stamp on Bayern’s victory.

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insists no one is blaming each other for the shock German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken but accepts it will take a while to process.

The Bundesliga champions head to Borussia Dortmund for Der Klassiker on Saturday and Tuchel admits their midweek embarrassment “doesn’t make everyday life any easier”.

“It takes some time to digest it. There is no reason to be resigned and point fingers at each other,” he said.

“We were obviously very disappointed. Nobody was shouting or blaming others. We were very disappointed because our goals were clear. We need to put it behind us.

“It is important that we stay together and keep calm. Criticism we have to endure. We know what we’re doing.”

Tuchel brushed off criticism aimed at him and his relationship with the squad.

“You can’t expect eulogies. You obviously get criticism. When you sign on at Bayern, you do so to compete for every title,” he added.

“We know where we are and that we want to be better. I take defeats very personally. We have to stand together and keep going.

“I’m part of a team and a great club. I’m a part of it when we win and a part of it when we lose.

“It’s all good with the internal relationship, otherwise we wouldn’t be capable of playing a season like we’re doing now.

“And a defeat, no matter how painful, won’t change that now. It’s about staying together.”

Tuchel has a number of selection problems to cope with as his second-placed side attempt to extend their two-point advantage over their long-term rivals, currently fourth.

A knee problem sustained by Matthijs de Ligt on Wednesday means he could be short at centre-back with Dayot Upamecano not match fit having not played for a month because of a hamstring injury.

Leon Goretzka is undergoing surgery on a broken hand a fortnight ago, while forward Thomas Muller is suspended.

Tuchel explained: “Despite the importance of the match it is not a Champions League semi-final. We’ve got to think about the season as a whole,” said the former Dortmund coach.

“There’s no thinking about bringing in other people right now. We’ll nurse Upa and hope that he’s back in action quickly. The loss of Matthijs de Ligt really hurts.”

Nevertheless, Dortmund coach Edin Terzic is wary of the threat Bayern still pose.

“I have rarely seen two bad games or two disappointing performances from Bayern in a row,” he said.

“Against us, their senses are always a little sharper than perhaps against one or two opponents in the Bundesliga. Now there’s probably a little bit of anger added to it.”

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt is set for a spell on the sidelines with a knee problem suffered in the DFB-Pokal defeat by Saarbrucken.

The Dutch centre-back was forced off midway through the first half of Wednesday night’s second round cup tie against the third-tier outfit.

Following scans, Bayern announced De Ligt had suffered a partial ligament tear in his right knee, which could see him face a lengthy rehabilitation.

The Bundesliga champions said in a statement on the club’s official website: “Matthijs de Ligt sustained a partial tear of the ligament in his right knee joint in FC Bayern’s 2-1 DFB Cup defeat at FC Saarbrucken.

“That is the outcome of a scan carried out by the club’s medical department on Thursday. Centre-back de Ligt will therefore miss FC Bayern’s upcoming games.”

Thomas Tuchel’s men return to league action on Saturday when they head to rivals Borussia Dortmund for a first Der Klassiker meeting of the season.

Anwar El Ghazi is set to play for Mainz again after the German club said he has “distanced” himself from a social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The former Aston Villa forward was suspended on October 17 by the Bundesliga club, who called the now-deleted Instagram post “intolerable”.

It was widely reported that El Ghazi would have his contract terminated, but Mainz have confirmed that the 28-year-old Dutchman will be staying.

A club statement read: “Anwar El Ghazi is warned by 1. FSV Mainz 05 for publishing a post on social media two weeks ago.

“After the publication, the club immediately released its player from training and games.

“Since then, in several conversations with the club’s board, El Ghazi has distanced himself from his post on his Instagram channel, which he himself deleted after just a few minutes.

“He regretted the publication of the article and its negative impact, especially for the entire club.

“In this context, El Ghazi also clearly distanced himself from terrorist acts such as those by Hamas, which led to a renewed escalation of violence in the Middle East two weeks ago, to the board.”

The club added: “He (El Ghazi) emphasised his sympathy with the victims of this attack as well as with all victims of this conflict. He made it clear that he did not question Israel’s right to exist.

“The club’s board clearly emphasised to Anwar El Ghazi in the discussions that it requires its employees to commit to the club’s values.

“This implies a special responsibility towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people, which derives from German history, but also the history of the club with its Jewish club co-founder Eugen Salomon.

“Against the background of El Ghazi’s commitment and the remorse he has shown, the club’s culture of dealing with mistakes requires that the player be given a chance for rehabilitation.

“Anwar El Ghazi will therefore return to training and games at 1. FSV Mainz 05 as soon as possible.”

El Ghazi joined Mainz on a free transfer last month from PSV Eindhoven and has made three substitute appearances.

He played for Lille and Ajax before moving to Villa in 2018. He made nearly 120 appearances in four years at Villa and also had a loan spell at Everton during his time in England.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham continued their stunning starts to life at their new clubs with multi-goal performances over the weekend.

Bellingham’s brace fired Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona in El Clasico while Kane hit a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 8-0 rout of Darmstadt in the Bundesliga.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the England duo’s season to date.

Goals galore

Kane kick-started the second-half scoring in Bayern’s wild win on Saturday, in a game which at half-time was goalless with Bayern playing with 10 men to Darmstadt’s nine.

His eventual treble, completed in the 88th minute and including one from his own half, sees him one ahead of Bellingham in the scoring stakes this season but the latter’s contribution on Saturday stands out as all the more impressive.

With Real trailing to Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for Barca, Bellingham blasted a stunning 30-yard equaliser midway through the second half before popping up with a close-range volley in stoppage time to give his side the Clasico spoils and a four-point lead over their rivals in LaLiga.

It is the third time this season he has scored twice in a game, following the wins over Almeria and Osasuna, giving him a goal-a-game record in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants.

Kane, in the same number of matches, has 14 goals, including another hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Bochum and a brace against Augsburg.

Both men scored in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland, one of three appearances this season for the national team as they sat out the friendly with Australia. That gives Bellingham 14 goals in 16 games for club and country and Kane, who added a brace against Italy, 17 in 16.

Bellingham, of course, has produced those numbers from an attacking midfield position and while acclimatising to a more advanced role than he had been used to with former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham, or with England. Kane leads the line and has already benefitted from four penalties for Bayern and another against Italy.

Brits abroad

Kane and Bellingham are already on their way to establishing themselves among the most prolific English or British players overseas.

Gary Lineker scored 20 goals in his debut LaLiga season with Barcelona, and 52 in 138 games for the club across three seasons in all competitions.

Michael Owen netted 16 times in his one season at Real, where David Beckham won a league title in his fourth and final season and Steve McManaman won two Champions Leagues, scoring in the 2000 final.

Wales’ record scorer Gareth Bale was another British star to ply his trade at the Bernabeu and scored over 100 goals for Real, with nine in his first 13 games – while often operating from the bench – setting up a tally of 22 in his debut season.

Kevin Keegan scored 12 in his first season at Hamburg in 1977-78, a total already surpassed by Kane and Bellingham, while Wales forward Mark Hughes managed only five goals alongside Lineker at Barca and seven in a season on loan at Bayern. Mark Hateley’s most prolific seasons at AC Milan and Monaco brought 11 and 14 goals respectively.

Jadon Sancho, a team-mate of Bellingham at Dortmund, took time to establish himself after moving from Manchester City’s youth academy. He did scored 13 goals in his first season as a regular starter, though eight of those came from December onwards. Tammy Abraham got 27 in his first season at Roma, albeit with nine in the unheralded Europa Conference League.

Bellingham himself scored only 12 league goals in three years with Dortmund – he is only two away from that already with Real, and more than halfway to his 24 in all competitions for the German side.

Jude Bellingham scored twice as Real Madrid took El Clasico honours with a 2-1 win at Barcelona.

The England midfielder struck with a 30-yard drive to cancel out Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for the hosts.

Bellingham then volleyed a stoppage-time winner to take his goal tally to 13 in 13 appearances since moving to Madrid from Borussia Dortmund.

Goals from Lucas Ocampos and Ivan Rakitic saw Sevilla come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in Cadiz, Las Palmas won 2-1 at Almeria and Mallorca were held 0-0 at home by Getafe.

In the Bundesliga, Harry Kane scored a hat-trick – including a goal from inside his own half – as Bayern Munich thumped Darmstadt 8-0.

Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break after a goalless first half.

Kane’s second goal was a magnificent effort from four yards behind the halfway line. Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane scored two apiece and Thomas Muller was also on target.

Bayern moved to the top of the table after Stuttgart slipped up 3-2 at home to Hoffenheim.

Borussia Monchengladbach beat Heidenheim 2-1, Augsburg were 3-2 winners at home to Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen sank Union Berlin 2-0 and Leipzig thumped Cologne 5-0.

Andrea Cambiaso struck with virtually the last kick of the game as Juventus climbed to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over Verona.

Moise Kean had earlier seen two goals disallowed by VAR as Verona chased an unlikely point in their battle against relegation.

But Verona have never won away at Juventus in Serie A history, and that record now stands at 33 matches, following a heartbreaking defeat.

In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Arkadiusz Milik’s header came back off the inside of the far post and Cambiaso smashed in the rebound.

Alessandro Buongiorno goal just before half-time gave Torino a 1-0 win at Lecce, while Sassuolo drew 1-1 at home to Bologna

In France, two penalties from Florian Sotoca helped Lens to a 4-0 win over Nantes and Reims beat Lorient 1-0.

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the Bundesliga season – including one from his own half – as 10-man Bayern Munich bounced back from a goalless first 45 minutes to beat nine-man Darmstadt 8-0 on a wild afternoon at the Allianz Arena.

Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break, the first time three men have ever been sent off in the first half of a German top-flight encounter.

Kane broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart but it was his second goal, a magnificent effort from inside his own half, that was the highlight of a contest that also saw him pick up an assist on the first of two goals for Jamal Musiala before striking in his 12th goal from nine matches of this still-new Bundesliga season.

Leroy Sane, who set up Kane’s third, scored two of his own while Thomas Muller also contributed to the heaviest defeat in the visitors’ history.

Things got off to a dramatic start when Kimmich brought down Marvin Mehlem at the edge of the area and was shown a straight red, deemed to have prevented the visitors from a clear goal-scoring opportunity after just four minutes.

Bayern were initially awarded a penalty after Gjasula was judged to have tripped Konrad Laimer, but on review referee Martin Petersen overturned his decision, determining Gjasula was the last man and the incident occurred outside the penalty area – resulting in the Albanian’s 21st-minute dismissal and a free-kick for the hosts.

Darmstadt were holding their own against the Bundesliga title-holders in the 10-v-10, even holding the shot advantage through the first 37 minutes, but became the architects of their own undoing when Maglica caught up with Kane in nearly the exact same spot as the previous red-card incident.

The outcome was also the same though the visitors, down to nine men, were able to sustain the deadlock to half-time despite threats from Kane and Sane, who had a  goal chalked off for offside.

It was a different story after the restart when Kane broke the deadlock with a diving header to open the scoring six minutes into the second half, five minutes before Sane tapped home Laimer’s cross from six yards.

Then it was Musiala’s turn, extending to the advantage to 3-0 with an assist from Kane and throwing open the floodgates in the process as Sane bagged his brace with an 18-yard strike past Schuhen four minutes later.

Then came Kane’s piece de resistance, a world-class strike from just beyond the halfway line, sending Marcel Schuhen on a futile scramble as he watched the ball touch down in the back of his net.

https://x.com/FCBayernEN/status/1718281482190438463?s=20

Muller made it six with his first goal of the season before Musiala slotted past Schuhen for Bayern’s seventh, and while the Darmstadt keeper made a few good saves, desperate not to see his side lose by double-digits, he could not keep out Kane.

The England captain, hungry for more, latched into a perfect pass from Sane to complete his hat-trick and relentless Bayern’s second-half rout.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has no doubts goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will return stronger as he prepares for a first game in almost a year after breaking his leg while skiing.

Neuer has been out of action since December 2022 following surgery on a lower leg fracture.

After stepping up his rehabilitation, the German World Cup winner is in line to make a comeback against Darmstadt on Saturday and should then be in line for Der Klassiker next weekend.

Tuchel feels Neuer, 37, will not need much reintegration as he takes over from Sven Ulreich between the posts.

“As long as nothing happens today, he’ll play tomorrow. He’s excited, we’re excited. There’s probably a lot of other people excited about it too,” Tuchel said.

“It’s a special situation. I can feel his excitement and his class. He’s got great experience. He’s enjoying things right now and he can he proud of himself.

“He should enjoy it, and that will make him strong. There will be some tension. Now we hope that he can quickly find his rhythm and things are all good.

 

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A post shared by Manuel Neuer (@manuelneuer)

 

“His comeback is very impressive. I notice the difference in his condition. Our whole recovery and physio department and he can be proud.

“I’m almost proud of the fact he’s come back. It’s all far more than a given. I’m very confident he’ll quickly reach his top form.”

Tuchel told a press conference: “I don’t feel he’s tensed up. I think he’ll show everyone again, but there’s some joy in him that he’s done it.

“I see a whole new level in goalkeeper training. He’s in his own league. He should see it as a gift for his work. We trust his experience and intuition.

“He has been match fit for a few weeks, now he is going to get playing time, but he can compensate for it all with his experience.”

Neuer will also have an eye on making it into Germany’s squad for next summer’s Euro 2024 tournament on home soil.

“If Manu remains free from injury until the Euros and takes all his experience, then I don’t think we’ll be asking this question in May,” Tuchel said. “But the most important thing now is that he stays fit and can keep playing.”

Bayern host Darmstadt on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run, which saw them win 3-1 away to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday might.

With Bayer Leverkusen two points clear of them at the top of the Bundesliga, Tuchel knows there can be no room for complacency from his side against Darmstadt, who have lost five of their eight games back in the top flight.

“I can imagine they will want to surprise us,” Tuchel said. “They are dangerous out wide, have settled in at this level.

“Darmstadt sometimes defend very high, very aggressively, man to man, but sometimes they also defend deep with a back five.

“But we will be ready and will give everything to win the game.”

Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht is relishing the challenge of a trip to the Allianz Arena.

“We have worked hard for this Bundesliga game, that is why we feel anticipation,” Lieberknecht told a press conference.

“Everyone knows that it is not an easy opponent we face on Saturday. Nevertheless, we want to present ourselves well as a team.

“We know that we will definitely be busy defensively. We prepare the boys so that they can show their best performance on the pitch.”

Thomas Muller has overtaken Bayern Munich team-mate Manuel Neuer as the player with the most Bundesliga wins in history.

Muller won his 323rd game in Germany's top flight as he helped Bayern beat Mainz 3-1 on Saturday.

That sets him clear of Neuer as the outright leader for Bundesliga victories.

Muller's contribution at Mewa Arena was limited as he replaced Kingsley Coman as an 88th-minute substitute, but with fellow Bayern legend Neuer still sidelined by injury, that brief cameo saw Muller edge ahead of his team-mate to claim the record for himself.

Goals from Coman and Harry Kane put Bayern 2-0 up within 16 minutes before Anthony Caci pulled one back for the winless hosts, but Leon Goretzka's second-half strike ensured Bayern ran out 3-1 winners.

The victory maintained Bayern's unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season, though Thomas Tuchel's men still trail surprise contenders Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart at the summit.

Muller's standout stats

Muller has played 449 Bundesliga matches, 127 more than any other Bayern player since he made his debut in August 2008.

The 34-year-old has created 884 chances for his team-mates in that time, with Franck Ribery (536) ranking a distant second for the Bavarian giants.

Of current Bayern players, Joshua Kimmich (505) is the closest to Muller, who has directly contributed to 306 Bundesliga goals, another team-high. Robert Lewandowski is second, with 273 goal contributions.

Lewandowski (238) is the only player to have scored more Bundesliga goals for Bayern than Muller (144) since the latter made his bow for the club, while the Germany international has provided 162 assists, almost 80 clear of second-best Ribery (85).

Muller has had 2,448 touches in the opposition box, over 500 more than any other Bayern team-mate since he made his Bundesliga debut, while he has also had the most duels (4,314), winning 1,904 of them.

 

His best goalscoring season came in 2015-16, when he netted 20 times in the Bundesliga and provided five assists.

However, it was in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons that Muller provided his most goal contributions in the Bundesliga, with 29 in each campaign.

Muller netted eight times in 2019-20, but supplied 21 assists. The following term, he teed up 18 goals and scored 11 himself.

Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich maintain their unbeaten start with a 3-1 win at Mainz.

Kingsley Coman and Kane put ruthless Bayern 2-0 up inside 16 minutes before Anthony Caci pulled a goal back just before the break.

Leon Goretzka restored Bayern’s two-goal lead just before the hour and Bayern remain unbeaten and sit third in the Bundesliga, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Mainz are still looking for their first league win of the season and stay second bottom with just two points from eight games.

Kane, fresh from his brace in the 3-1 win over Italy which helped England qualify for Euro 2024, now has nine league goals in eight games.

Joshua Kimmich had fired a speculative effort off target before Bayern scored two quickfire goals.

After 11 minutes Coman was left free on the right to receive Leroy Sane’s ball and fire in a low shot from 15 yards after a rapid Bayern counter.

Three minutes later the hosts nearly levelled when Sven Ulreich denied Lee Jae-sung.

Kane had failed to score in Bayern’s previous two games, the Champions League win in Copenhagen and the 3-0 win over Freiburg earlier this month but grabbed a second five minutes later.

A short free-kick from Bayern was eventually tossed into the box and Kane headed in from close range after Goretzka had nodded the ball back from the byline to put Bayern in control.

Mainz had scored just six goals in their first seven games of the season but they grabbed a lifeline two minutes before the break when Caci beat Ulreich from a tight angle to get them back into the game.

Kimmich tried his luck just after the break and after 58 minutes Mainz were inches away when Danny da Costa teed up Stefan Bell to fire just wide – it was a miss which they paid for just a minute later.

The hosts failed to clear and Goretzka collected Jamal Musiala’s pass on the edge of the area to find the bottom corner to make it 3-1.

Bayern, chasing down Leverkusen who won 2-1 at Wolfsburg earlier on Saturday, took their foot off the pedal with the game won.

They travel to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday knowing victory, their third, would put them in charge of Group A.

Thomas Muller came off the bench for the final two minutes and Bayern ran down the clock for an ultimately comfortable victory.

Bayern Munich have said Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui will remain part of the squad after holding talks with him over a social media post linked to the violence in Israel and Gaza.

Mazraoui, who is currently sidelined with injury, has given the club “credible assurances” that he rejects terrorism and war, Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Friday.

The talks with Mazraoui followed an Instagram post on his account which featured a voiceover saying: “God, help our oppressed brothers in Palestine to achieve victory. May God give mercy to the dead, may God heal their wounded.”

Israel has launched airstrikes in Gaza following attacks on its citizens by Hamas militants which began on October 7.

Mazraoui issued a statement via the club on Friday which read: “I condemn all terrorism and terrorist organisations.”

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said: “I’m pleased about the clear statement that the club has given. It was important that the club and Jan-Christian Dreesen gave the statement because the issue goes far beyond sport.

“Obviously I’ve spoken with ‘Nouz’ (Mazraoui). A changing room is always a place where you work towards a common goal peacefully, in a friendly way and with camaraderie. I have big trust in the team, in the impact of the changing room. We know that you can overcome tough circumstances together.”

Tuchel said the players and coaching staff were also trying their hardest to support Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz.

“It’s tough for me to put myself in his place. We’re trying to stand alongside him,” the former Chelsea boss said.

“We don’t have a healing world in the changing room but it has a healing effect. We need to ask Daniel how he’s doing. It’s a really sensitive topic, especially for Daniel, whose family are directly affected. We’ll look after him.”

Bayern resume their Bundesliga campaign after the international break with an away trip to Mainz on Saturday evening.

The Bavarian club are third, two points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen after seven matches.

Bayern have Manuel Neuer back in training but Tuchel confirmed Sven Ulreich would be in goal against Mainz, and most likely for the Galatasaray match in the Champions League on Tuesday.

He also revealed Matthijs de Ligt and Kim Min-jae were set to be his centre-back pairing at Mainz.

Tuchel confirmed Serge Gnabry, Dayot Upamecano and Raphael Guerreiro were all unavailable, with Leon Goretzka still a doubt. He also admitted it was looking “tight” as to whether Joshua Kimmich would play, having returned to training.

Asked about the threat posed by his former club Mainz, Tuchel said: “They love the role of the underdog. They’ve cultivated it.

“It’s a strength of theirs, especially at times when things aren’t going well. It’s something we need to face up against. We were in good form, had one of our best games against Freiburg.

“Now we’ve had an international break and are training again for the first time with the whole team today, but there are different situations.

“I’m pleased we’re playing at 6.30pm. It’s not just about our play but also how we play physically. We’re expecting a lot of long balls, lots of battling for the second balls. I’m well aware of what’s coming our way.”

Mainz sit second-bottom in the standings with just two points from their opening seven matches.

What the papers say

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips could leave the club in January to go to German giants Bayern Munich, the Sun reports. The 27-year-old, who continues to struggle for game time under Pep Guardiola, would join up with England team-mate Harry Kane at the Bundesliga champions.

The Express says Newcastle are interested in Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old midfielder has already played twice for England but has only played in six games for Arsenal in all competitions this season.

The Saudi Pro League’s director of football has labelled Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah as one of his “personal favourites” after the club turned down huge deals from Al Ittihad last summer, the Metro says.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Toni Kroos: Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo says Manchester City are interested in the 33-year-old Real Madrid midfielder when his contact expires next summer.

Arthur Vermeeren: The 18-year-old midfielder at Royal Antwerp is being sought by Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Kingsley Coman scored twice as Bayern Munich cruised to a 3-0 victory over Freiburg at the Allianz Arena.

Coman put the Bundesliga champions in front with a 12th-minute effort that it appeared he had intended as a cross.

Leroy Sane then netted his seventh club goal of the season in the 25th minute having been set up by Harry Kane, before a deflected second from Coman wrapped things up for Thomas Tuchel’s men with five minutes of normal time remaining.

It sees unbeaten Bayern – with 17 points from seven games – return to third place in the table, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who assumed top spot earlier on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Cologne.

Christian Streich’s Freiburg registered an early attempt on the hosts’ goal, with Lucas Holer firing off-target in the sixth minute but otherwise it was all Bayern in the opening stages.

And shortly after Alphonso Davies had blasted into the stand from a good position, Tuchel’s men took the lead when Coman’s apparent cross from the right flew over goalkeeper Noah Atubolu and in off the far post.

Kane went close to boosting his haul of nine goals in all competitions for the German champions since his summer move from Tottenham, drilling a low shot just wide twice in quick succession.

Bayern then extended their advantage with Kane the provider, Sane exchanging passes with the England captain and finishing past Atubolu from close range.

After Atubolu had to be alert to prevent a Manuel Gulde own goal, Bayern thought their dominance had yielded another goal for Sane in the 44th minute as he got the better of Merlin Rohl in the box and rifled into the top corner, but the effort was disallowed for offside following a VAR check.

As Bayern went in search of further goals after the break, Thomas Muller tried an acrobatic effort from Kane’s tee-up but sent his attempt wide, and Kane saw a volley inadvertently blocked his team-mate Leon Goretzka.

Coman almost got his second as he curled over the bar in the 68th minute, and another shot from the Frenchman then came back off Atubolu’s legs.

Tuchel subsequently replaced Kane and Muller with Mathys Tel and Jamal Musiala, who combined for Tel to finish in the 77th minute, but the flag was up for offside.

Five minutes later Goretzka cracked a shot against the post, before a third goal did arrive for Bayern when Coman’s shot went in off Philipp Lienhart.

Freiburg had the ball in the net two minutes later as Kiliann Sildillia headed in, but there was to be no consolation, with it ruled out as another offside effort.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel is expecting the unexpected when his side returns to Bundesliga action on Sunday against Freiburg.

Bayern sit third in the table, unbeaten in their opening six matches, but had to fight back from 2-0 down to salvage a point in last week’s 2-2 draw at Leipzig.

Tuchel’s side also came from behind in midweek to win 2-1 in Copenhagen and make it two wins from two Champions League group matches.

After quickly refocusing on this weekend’s domestic challenge, Tuchel told a press conference: “We really want to get all three points, but we know how difficult it will be, so we’ll have to show up on Sunday.

“Freiburg change their system a lot and I’m 100 per cent sure that they’ll do everything possible to make our lives difficult. We’ll have to be ready for that.”

Freiburg have not beaten Bayern in the Bundesliga in 14 attempts – their last win being in 2015 – but they knocked Tuchel’s side out of the DFB Cup last season.

Lucas Holer scored a 95th-minute penalty as Freiburg came from behind to win the quarter-final tie 2-1 in Tuchel’s second game in charge of Bayern.

The Bavarians’ last three matches have all been on the road and Tuchel admitted after Tuesday night’s win in Denmark that the travel had taken its toll.

“It was a long journey, which the boys are feeling the effects of,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of away games recently.”

Tuchel confirmed Matthijs de Ligt has still not recovered from the knee injury sustained in last month’s 7-0 home win against Bochum, but Raphael Guerreiro was back in training.

The Portugal midfielder has been sidelined since injuring his calf during pre-season.

“Unfortunately, Matthijs de Ligt has not made as quick a recovery as we had hoped for. Dayot Upamecano and Kim (Min-jae) are fit to play,” Tuchel added.

Freiburg, whose cup success at the Allianz Arena last season was their only win against Bayern in Munich, will be without suspended midfielder Nicolas Hofler.

Michael Gregoritsch and Yannik Keitel both missed Freiburg’s 2-1 home Europa League defeat to West Ham on Thursday and remain doubtful.

Harry Kane will still have the support of Tottenham fans despite his decision to leave the club, according to fellow Spurs favourite Jermain Defoe.

Kane signed for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for an estimated €117million (£100m) in the most recent transfer window, leaving North London having overtaken Jimmy Greaves as the club's all-time record goalscorer.

Kane scored 280 goals in 435 appearances in all competitions before ending his 19-year association with Spurs, and he has started life at Bayern in similarly prolific fashion, netting eight times in six Bundesliga outings while also getting off the mark in the Champions League.

Though Kane decided to leave in pursuit of the silverware that eluded him at Spurs, Defoe believes the club's fans will continue to back the England captain in his new surroundings.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Legends of Football event, in aid of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy, Defo said: "For Harry, it's amazing for him and his family. It's a new challenge.

"Everyone at Tottenham wants to wish him the best – we always knew he was going to do well anyway because he's a world-class player. He'll score goals anywhere. Nothing changes in terms of goals.

"We just want to wish him the best because Harry as a footballer is special but he's a special guy and he deserves everything he gets."

 

Kane the final piece of Bayern's puzzle?

Bayern have claimed 11 Bundesliga titles in a row, but the trophy they really want to lift is the Champions League having not made it past the quarter-final stage since last winning European football's elite competition in the 2019-20 campaign.

Kane has hit the ground running at Bayern, giving fans hope that he can be the man to lead them back to European glory.

The England international has scored eight goals in his first six Bundesliga appearances, with only Erling Haaland scoring more in his first six games in the league, while he has surpassed some of Bayern's greatest strikers in terms of their starts at the club.

His seven goals in his first five Bundesliga games for the club is more than Bayern legends such as Miroslav Klose and Robert Lewandowski managed, while his 10 goal involvements during those games is also the most in a player's first five Bundesliga appearances.

Kane is second behind only Serhou Guirassy (10) for Bundesliga goals this season, finding the net every 66 minutes on average while converting 34.78 per cent of his shots.

His three assists indicate he has also been a key facilitator for Bayern, while he is tied for fourth in the Bundesliga in terms of big chances created (four).

It is still early days, but Kane's excellent start suggests he could be the one to help Bayern back to the very top of European football.

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