Vincent Kompany insists Leon Goretzka "will continue to be important" for Bayern Munich, despite his limited game time this season.

The Germany midfielder has fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of new signing Joao Palhinha, and played just 21 minutes this term.

Nine of those came on Tuesday, when he scored as a late substitute to complete his side's 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener.

Though the 29-year-old has found opportunities hard to come by, Kompany maintains he is an integral part of Bayern's squad.

"He's important for us and will continue to be," Kompany told DAZN. "The team loves him. I only have players who want to play and accept the competition for places. 

"At Bayern, it's always easy to talk about individual players. But I want to talk about the team. That’s important to me.

"He is very important in this team. He's doing well, but so are the others."

Goretzka has made over 200 appearances for Bayern since joining from Schalke in 2018, including 42 across all competitions last season.

The midfielder has also won five Bundesliga titles during his time with the Bavarian giants, as well as the Champions League in 2019-20.

Harry Kane insisted Bayern Munich have further room for improvement after scoring four goals in their record-breaking 9-2 Champions League rout of Dinamo Zagreb.

Kane netted four times – including three from the penalty spot – as records tumbled in the Bavarian giants' first European outing under new boss Vincent Kompany.

Tuesday's four-goal haul took Kane to 33 Champions League goals, surpassing Wayne Rooney (30) as the top-scoring Englishman in the history of the competition.

It was the 24th hat-trick of Kane's professional career for club and country, while he became the first player to ever score three penalties in a single European Cup/Champions League game.

Bayern, meanwhile, are the first team to ever score nine times in a Champions League match, with Real Madrid being the last side to do so in the old European Cup in 1990 (9-1 versus Wacker Innsbruck).

Kane, however, told DAZN there are areas in which Bayern must improve, having been joined on the scoresheet by Michael Olise (twice), Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka.

"It was an amazing game. The first half was really good, we took our chances," the England captain said.

"We didn't start the second half well and got caught from a couple of second balls. We'll have to learn from that. 

"Today we got away with that bad start in the second half, but against top opposition we could get punished for that.

"But the reaction afterwards was really good. It's great to score all these goals."

The only blot on Bayern's victory – which took them to the top of the Champions League's new 36-team league table – came as Manuel Neuer was substituted at half-time.

The goalkeeper had earlier appeared to be in discomfort after colliding with Zagreb striker Bruno Petkovic, but he played down concerns over his condition after the match.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone, Neuer said: "I collied there and I was a bit gone. 

"Then I hit a few balls and the pain stabbed me in the thigh. But it's nothing serious, a small matter."

Vincent Kompany wants open and honest communication in his dealings with players at Bayern Munich.

Kompany, who will take charge of his first Bundesliga game when Bayern take on Wolfsburg on Sunday, succeeded Thomas Tuchel after a disappointing third-place finish last season.

The former Burnley boss has already been praised by several squad members, including experienced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, for his communication skills.

"To state your opinion clearly doesn't mean that you say it in a personal way," Kompany told reporters.

"I think it's important to adapt how you communicate to the player that you're facing; everyone's different.

"You have different generations, different coaches, different ages, everything comes into play but in the end I think players appreciate if they get the message that you have in mind."

Leon Goretzka is one player who has been told that he faces a lot of competition in midfield this season, but he seems determined to stick around and fight for his place, and Kompany said such directness must be the club's policy.

"We as a club have the role to be honest with the players because then we're going to earn respect, even though sometimes it might not be positive news," Kompany said.

"All I can say is that I haven't had one single player who was not showing complete intensity, and they were all trying to really reach the maximum, and Leon was one of those players."

One player who has left the club is Matthijs de Ligt, who joined Manchester United, and Kompany was quick to deny media reports that he had told the player that he was his number one defender.

"I didn't say that because that would be completely stupid for me to say something like this," he said.

"It also wouldn't fit into what we are planning as a club with the squad, to have two players for every position and to have competition for places."

Bayern Munich's sporting director Max Eberl says that Leon Goretzka will not be exiled if he stays at the club after the transfer window closes.

Under Thomas Tuchel last season, Goretzka started in 25 of his 30 Bundesliga appearances, winning 23 of his 41 tackles, only ranking sixth highest in the Bayern squad. 

The midfielder looks to have slipped down the pecking order since Vincent Kompany's arrival, playing a bit-part role during pre-season.

Goretzka, who has made 221 appearances since joining from Schalke in 2018, was left out of the squad for their 4-0 win over Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last Friday.

However, he did start Tuesday's 4-0 friendly win over Grasshopper Club Zurich, playing just over an hour as he filled a gap in defence after it was confirmed Josip Stanisic will miss the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Goretzka's future is no clearer heading into the start of the season, with only tentative links to Liverpool or Barcelona being reported.

The German is reportedly keen to fight for his place in Kompany's squad, and Eberl says that will be a possibility if he is still at the club at the end of the transfer window.

"At Bayern Munich, there's no second training group," he told Sky Sports Germany. "Leon is a great player and played well today. If he stays, he will be a full member of our squad."

While speaking to Abendzeitung, he said: "We never spoke badly about Leon. He has done great things for FC Bayern.

"Competitive situations are quite normal in football. Leon is a full member of the team. We only hinted that it could be difficult."

Bayern's final pre-season game ended in another dominant win, with Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller netting the goals.

They will begin their season against Wolfsburg on Sunday, and Eberl noted the importance of the extra preparation before they launch a title challenge.

"It was important that we had another test to get fit, to internalize the processes and new ideas," Eberl told Bayern's media channels.

"It's a positive result, we didn't concede a goal. We are satisfied

"We have a new coaching team that brings new energy into the dressing room. We showed decent performances in the preparation, and now we want to win every game."

The sporting director of the German national team, Rudi Voller, believes “it probably makes sense” for Leon Goretzka to leave Bayern Munich in the transfer window. 

Goretzka, who has made 221 appearances for Bayern since his move from Schalke in 2018, has played a bit-part role ahead of the new Bundesliga season. 

The 29-year-old was not included in Vincent Kompany's side for their 4-0 win over German second division side Ulm in the DFB Pokal last Friday. 

He was also left out of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad for Euro 2024 despite featuring in four of their 10 international fixtures leading up to the tournament. 

Goretzka started in 25 of his 30 Bundesliga appearances last season, winning 23 of his 41 tackles, only ranking the sixth highest in the Bayern squad. 

And with qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Voller believes it is best for the midfielder to end his time with the 33-time Bundesliga champions. 

“He logically still has the quality to be part of the 2026 World Cup. It probably makes sense for him to move if he still has these aspirations," Voller

“It makes sense to play somewhere else again. But in the end he has to decide for himself.”

Stefan Effenberg, who most recently acted as sporting director for KFC Uerdingen 05, echoed Voller's comments surrounding Goretzka's future at the club. 

"The players Bayern have brought in will take Bayern to a new level," said Effenberg on the current state of the Bayern squad. 

"It's also a fact that you still have a lot of players with whom you don't want to go into the new season. There is still a need to let go of one or the other.

"There are still many question marks at Bayern, they wanted to finish planning early. They didn't succeed. 

"You won't be nominated for the European Championship, you don't play a role in pre-season and you're not even in the squad against Ulm.

"You have to be sensible enough to say, 'Wait a minute, I don't want to go to the training ground every day and know that I'm not in the squad.' That wears you down."

Tottenham Hotspur's unbeaten start to pre-season came to an end as goals from Gabriel Vidovic and Leon Goretzka secured a 2-1 for Bayern Munich in Seoul. 

Pedro Porro pulled a goal back for Spurs with just over 20 minutes remaining, but they were unable to find a way past Vincent Kompany's side. 

It took four minutes for Bayern to open the scoring as Guglielmo Vicario's poor pass to Djed Spence was picked off by Serge Gnabry, with Vidovic finishing from close range.

In a half that saw the Bundesliga side have 12 shots compared to Spurs' two, they were unable to increase their advantage until after the half-time interval. 

Mathys Tel picked out Goretzka inside the area, with the German seeing his first effort saved by Vicario, but was able to follow up the rebound to double their lead. 

Spurs would improve in the second half, with Porro's strike from distance evading the grasp of Manuel Neuer in the 66th minute offering hope of a comeback. 

However, Bayern would control the latter stages of proceedings, able to see out the win as Ange Postecoglou's side suffered their first defeat of pre-season. 

Data Debrief: Spurs 

Spurs' second half performance will be a positive for Postecoglou to take from the encounter, improving their expected goals (xG) total from 0.11 to 1.22 after the break. 

But in truth, Bayern dominated from start to finish, registering 22 shots, 20 of which came inside the area, with 11 of those on target. 

Tel was a particular bright spark for Kompany's side, having the most touches in the opposition box (nine) and the equal most passes in the final third (13). 

Julian Nagelsmann has named a 27-man provisional squad for hosts Germany ahead of Euro 2024.

The biggest surprise in the squad was the inclusion of a fourth goalkeeper, as Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nubel received his first senior call-up.

Mats Hummels is one of the big names left out despite helping Borussia Dortmund on their way to the Champions League final, while Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka is also absent once more. 

Julian Brandt, Niklas Sule and Karim Adeyemi miss out on a place in the tournament, while Serge Gnabry and Timo Werner are both out through injury.

After winning just one of his first four games in charge, Nagelsmann changed things in March and was rewarded with back-to-back victories.

Nico Schlotterbeck won 71 per cent of his tackles in the Bundesliga - the highest figure in Europe's big-five leagues this season (at least 70 tackles), and is back in the national squad for the first time since September.

Aleksandar Pavlovic missed the March friendlies due to injury but is a welcome recall - Bayern have an 83.3 per cent win ratio with Pavlovic in their team in the Bundesliga this season, but that drops to 53.3 per cent when he is not in the side.

Schlotterbeck, Niclas Fullkrug, Toni Kroos and Antonio Rudiger will all link up with the squad late due to their involvement in the Champions League final.

The final 26-man squad must be submitted on June 7, meaning at least one player will be dropped before the start of the tournament.

As the tournament hosts, Germany begin their Euro 2024 campaign in the opening game against Scotland on June 14.

Germany squad

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhruch (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Denis Undav (Stuttgart)

Harry Kane scored his 40th Bayern Munich goal of the season in a 5-1 Bundesliga thumping of Union Berlin.

After reaching the Champions League semi-finals in midweek, Bayern took a step towards securing second place in the league with an emphatic victory.

Leon Goretzka opened the scoring and Kane curled in a free-kick just before half-time to take his league-leading tally to 33.

Thomas Muller scored twice in the second half, either side of a goal from Mathys Tel, with Union limited to a late consolation effort from Yorbe Vertessen.

Fourth-placed RB Leipzig needed a late winner from Lois Openda to claim a 2-1 victory at Heidenheim.

Benjamin Sesko put the visitors ahead late in the first half but Nikola Dovedan levelled before Openda secured the points five minutes from time.

Robin Hack’s hat-trick was not enough to prevent Borussia Monchengladbach from falling to a 4-3 defeat at Hoffenheim.

Hack thought he had earned a point for the visitors when he scored twice late on after Hoffenheim had taken a 3-1 lead with goals from Wout Weghorst, Grischa Promel and Ozan Kabak.

But Anton Stach found the winner for the home side in the first minute of injury time.

Koln’s hopes of survival were dealt a major blow by a 2-0 loss to bottom side Darmstadt, who appear doomed to relegation, while Bochum remain in trouble after a 1-0 loss to Wolfsburg.

Girona’s 4-1 victory over relegation-threatened Cadiz in LaLiga ensured they will be playing European football next season.

Early goals from Eric Garcia and Ivan Martin set the tone, with Artem Dovbyk and Portu making sure of the points in the second half.

Real Betis boosted their hopes of joining Girona with a 2-1 victory away at Valencia.

Ayoze Perez scored twice for the visitors – who sit eighth, two points behind Real Sociedad – either side of a Pepelu penalty.

Celta Vigo went behind at home to Las Palmas but responded brilliantly to claim a 4-1 victory that lifts them six points clear of the bottom three.

Juanma Herzog opened the scoring but Iago Aspas netted twice for Celta along with one each from Williot Swedberg and Anastasios Douvikas.

Rayo Vallecano also eased their relegation fears, Pep Chavarria and Isi Palazon scoring in the final 10 minutes in a 2-1 win over Osasuna.

In Serie A, struggling Empoli stunned defending champions Napoli 1-0, Alberto Cerri scoring the only goal in the fourth minute.

The big match at the bottom had a dramatic finish as Diego Coppola struck in injury time to earn Verona a 1-0 win over Udinese.

Rennes kept alive their hopes of sneaking into the European places in Ligue 1 by beating lowly Nantes 3-0 but they remain four points behind Lens, who defeated bottom side Clermont 1-0 thanks to an early penalty from Florian Sotoca.

Record-breaking Harry Kane scored his fourth hat-trick of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich hammered Mainz 8-1.

Kane’s move to Bayern looks set to coincide with the first time in 12 years they will not win the title, but he is breaking all sorts of individual records.

Another treble saw him take his tally to 30 league goals for the season, with Robert Lewandowski’s seasonal record of 41 under severe threat with nine games to go.

Four hat-tricks is a record in a debut Bundesliga season and reaching 30 means he is just the second-ever player to reach that tally in his debut season, with Uwe Seeler also doing it in the league’s inaugural season in 1963-64.

Leon Goretzka (two), Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, who Kane assisted with an outrageous crossfield pass, and Serge Gnabry also scored as Bayern cut the gap to seven points on leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand.

Kane’s goals have not been able to keep Bayern on the coat-tails of Leverkusen, who had opened up a huge lead at the top of the table.

But the England captain cannot stop scoring and he needed just 13 minutes to open his account when he converted from Musiala’s pass.

Six minutes later Goretzka made it two as he bundled home a rebound after Kane’s header glanced the post.

Kane looked primed to have a chance to add another from 12 yards after they were awarded a penalty for handball, but VAR overturned the decision – and then Mainz got themselves back into the game when Nadiem Amiri rifled home from 25 yards.

But Bayern were in no mood to drop more points and put their visitors to the sword.

Former Tottenham striker Kane made it 3-1 in first-half injury time with a brilliant finish, superbly controlling Goretzka’s cross and firing home.

Muller got in on the act two minutes after the restart as he tapped home Musiala’s cross before the 21-year-old got on the scoresheet himself just after the hour.

He had Kane to thank, though, for delivering a brilliant arching ball that sent him clear and he did the rest.

Gnabry joined in the fun five minutes later with a mesmerising finish, flicking home Goretzka’s cross with his back to goal.

Kane added another match ball to his collection when he got on the end of Eric Dier’s header at the far post to create history.

Goretzka completed a good afternoon’s work in added time as he headed home Joshua Kimmich’s cross.

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.

Jamal Musiala is one of the best talents Germany has ever produced, according to team-mate Leon Goretzka.

Musiala has burst onto the scene for his club side Bayern Munich as well as his national team, leading the former with 11 goals in this season's Bundesliga and impressing at the World Cup in Qatar despite Germany's shock early exit.

Goretzka plays alongside Musiala for both club and country, and he ranks the 20-year-old as one of the finest players his national side have ever produced.

"Jamal might be one of the biggest talents Germany has ever had because he's already able to constantly deliver good performances," Goretzka told UEFA.com.

"He doesn't have many ups and downs. The fact that he's already in our starting XI every week shows that. He helps us achieve our goals.

"He's extremely good on the ball, in narrow spaces, and he creates a lot of danger. He has outstanding qualities. If he keeps working like that and stays fit, the sky is the limit for him."

Goretzka, 28, feels it is up to him and his fellow senior players to help young prospects reach their potential, saying: "It's my task to help younger players and to serve as an example. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were the players who helped me when I came to Bayern.

"So I see it as my task. I won't tell [Musiala] how to dribble or what to do every day, because he knows best what to do, but I want to help him on the pitch, give him that strength or be there for him when he has a question, and help him in situations he doesn't know about yet, like all the media things that can be expected of him in the future. All of us in the team want to help him."

Bayern face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and having been a key member of the team that won Europe's top club prize in the 2019-2020 season, Goretzka is hoping his side can lift the famous trophy again this campaign.

The German champions came through a tough group that included Inter and Barcelona, winning all six of their games to cruise through to the round of 16 where they then comfortably saw off Paris Saint-Germain, who they beat in the 2019-2020 final, 3-0 on aggregate.

"It's [Champions League] certainly the Everest of club football," Goretzka said. "If you look at the results so far, we have been very dominant this season.

"I think a lot of people in Germany gasped when they first saw our group. It was called the group of death with Inter, Barcelona and Bayern. It was clear one of those three big clubs would have to exit the competition at the group stage but we were sure it wasn't going to be us. In the end, we came through the group stage very confidently."

Bayern will be without striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the first leg against City, with the striker not travelling to Manchester because of a knee problem that ruled him out of the 1-0 Bundesliga victory at Freiburg on Saturday.

Bayern Munich will always be favourites to beat Borussia Dortmund, with Leon Goretzka suggesting no team can face Die Roten at Allianz Arena and have the upper hand.

The two teams meet in their first game back from the international break in what could be the most decisive encounter of the Bundesliga title race this season.

Dortmund hold a one-point lead over their rivals, who dismissed coach Julian Nagelsmann and replaced him with former Black and Yellow boss Thomas Tuchel last week.

Speaking ahead of the crunch clash though, Goretzka insisted the visitors' advantage in the league table means nothing when they go to Allianz Arena, given the hosts' pedigree.

"We are ready," he told SportBILD. "We want the 11th championship in a row. To quote Kylian Mbappe, we are always favourites.

"When we play at home, there isn't a team we don't go into the game against as favourites. I think [the pressure] is great.

"I really enjoy these games. As a player, you don't want to be part of the team that can break this series [and miss out on another title win]."

Nagelsmann's departure, despite guiding Bayern to the title last term and the Champions League quarter-finals this year, is a gamble for the Bavarian giants.

But in Tuchel, they have a former Champions League-winning coach from his time at Chelsea, and Goretzka hopes he can help retain their Bundesliga crown.

"We all know and appreciate his successes," he added. "[We] have great respect for his achievements and experience."

Hansi Flick rued a timid Germany performance as Belgium "took full advantage" to seize an unassailable early lead in Tuesday's 3-2 friendly triumph in Cologne.

Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku fired Domenico Tedesco's new-look Belgium into a 2-0 lead inside nine minutes at RheinEnergieStadion.

A Niclas Fullkrug penalty, his sixth goal in as many international appearances, brought Flick's side back into it before Kevin De Bruyne – who created Belgium's first two goals – put the game out of reach.

Serge Gnabry managed a late consolation but Flick acknowledged there was no way back after Tedesco's visitors punished a woeful start to earn Belgium's first win against Germany since 1954.

"We were too cautious, too passive and weren't able to put our opponents under pressure, and Belgium took full advantage," Flick said on RTL.

"Our passion brought us back into contention, but it wasn't quite enough to get a result."

While a late fightback offered Flick reason for hope, Germany must improve and make use of their international friendlies, given they have automatically qualified for Euro 2024 as a host nation.

Their cause was not helped by Leon Goretzka limping off with an ankle injury in the first half, raising fears the midfielder will not feature in Bayern Munich's crucial Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund.

Just a point separates Bundesliga leaders Dortmund and Bayern ahead of Saturday's Klassiker at Allianz Arena, with Thomas Tuchel set to take charge of the reigning champions for the first time.

The former Chelsea coach's appointment came after the dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann last week, but Tuchel may be boosted by the injury update Goretzka provided after the match.

Bayern star Goretzka, who appeared in an upbeat mood, told reporters: "I've twisted my ankle. It shouldn't last until Saturday."

Leon Goretzka limped off injured for Germany in Tuesday's clash with Belgium, making him a doubt for Bayern Munich's crunch Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern trail Dortmund by just one point at the Bundesliga summit but may have to do without Goretzka for Saturday's crucial Klassiker after the midfielder suffered an apparent ankle injury.

The Germany international initially went down and required treatment in the 29th minute before failing to continue as Hansi Flick sent on Felix Nmecha three minutes later at RheinEnergieStadion.

That was in a double substitution, the second part of which was not enforced as Emre Can replaced Florian Wirtz with Germany trailing 2-0 after early goals from Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku in Cologne.

A potentially title-deciding meeting with Dortmund will also mark Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge of Bayern, who brought in the former Chelsea coach after dismissing Julian Nagelsmann last week.

The Bundesliga champions will hope Goretzka soon returns to fitness, with the two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City also on the horizon.

Julian Nagelsmann and Leon Goretzka urged Bayern Munich to become more ruthless after escaping with a 2-1 victory in Saturday's match at lowly Stuttgart.

Bayern held a convincing two-goal lead at Mercedes-Benz Arena with a little over an hour played after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting added to Matthijs de Ligt's first-half opener.

The visitors took their foot off the gas at that point, and it almost backfired as Juan Jose Perea pulled one back late on and Tanguy Coulibaly headed inches wide in added time.

Despite finishing with an expected goals (xG) return of 2.30 compared to 0.67 for Stuttgart, Nagelsmann conceded Bayern almost blew it.

"After going 2-0 up, we had several counter-attacks we didn't finish well," he told Sky Sport. "We had the game under control, but if you concede late on, things gets tight again.

"We have to finish our chances better and go for the third goal, then we'd kill it off."

Goretzka, who accumulated a game-high xG of 0.54 without scoring, agreed with his manager's assessment.

"We made a few mistakes after going 2-0 up," he said. "The opponent didn't believe they could get something out of the game after going 2-0 down.

"We have to act accordingly, but we didn't manage to do that in the last 15 minutes."

Thomas Muller, whose assist for Choupo-Moting's strike was his 300th direct goal involvement in the Bundesliga, looked to take positives from his side's sluggish finish.

"We're happy. We won and we're top of the table again," Muller said. "When FC Bayern is up there, I always have a good feeling.

"The fact that the game got tight at the end is maybe a good test for the Champions League game against PSG."

Bayern lead that last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 heading into Wednesday's second leg at the Allianz Arena thanks to Kingsley Coman's goal in the reverse fixture.

Asked if he intends to stick with the same line-up that started against Stuttgart, Nagelsmann gave little away.

"I have to analyse and see how PSG are doing, then I'll decide," he said.

Bayern have now won four of their past five league matches and are above Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table by virtue of a superior goal difference.

The 10-in-a-row champions have won 13 away game on the spin against Stuttgart, who are one of four sides on 19 points at the bottom of the division.

"It was an important win for us," said Choupo-Moting, who signed a new contract on Friday. "Of course we didn't play our best game, and we can improve a few things.

"The opponent didn't give up and made it difficult. After their goal, you could feel the atmosphere in the stadium and that they were hoping for a point."