53 centimeters high, 5.5 kilograms heavy, refined with sterling silver, insurance value 30,000 euros. It's about the first trophy of the new football season.
From 8.30 p.m. (Sky and Sat.1) this Saturday in Leipzig, it will be Supercup time. Debutant RB Leipzig welcomes record winners FC Bayern - excitement is guaranteed in many ways.
Bavaria's post-Lewandowski era begins
It will be the first competitive game since Robert Lewandowski left. Advantage Leipzig? RB defense chief Willi Orban doesn't really believe that. He continues to think that Munich's attack department with its fast strikers is unpredictable. In addition, Bayern have signed a top-class offensive player in Sadio Mané. "Sadio has the best chance of playing from the start," said coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Leipzig's small trophy collection
Winning the DFB Cup paved the way for RB to reach the Supercup - as the 13th club in total, RB made it into the duel between the cup winners and the champions. The triumph in the DFB Cup strengthened the self-confidence of the Saxon Bundesliga club and nourished the hope of further titles. Nagelsmann described his former employer as a hungry and young club always trying to scratch the status of Bayern Munich. "We want to win everything there is to win," confirmed colleague Domenico Tedesco.
Bayern's interest in RB players
RB coach Tedesco trusts Konrad Laimer's professional attitude. He made that very clear. But the constellation is at least spicy: Laimer would like to switch to Bayern, they say. The Bavarians have already been rebuffed with two offers, it is also said. Time speaks for them, said Tedesco. Will there be an agreement on the day of the game? Who knows... The fact that Laimer wasn't the first top performer that Munich grabbed from Leipzig also caused resentment in the RB camp. A year ago, in addition to coach Nagelsmann, defensive giant Dayot Upamecano and offensive strategist Marcel Sabitzer moved from Saxony to Bavaria. Let's see how good a mood the club bosses meet on Supercup day.
Statement, positioning or just a prelude
The eyes of the rest of the Bundesliga competition will also be on this game. What impression do the well-known and expensively reinforced Bayern make? Or can Leipzig, as a long-term pursuer now established, take another step towards the record champions and sow the first doubts about the next Bayern title at the end of the season?
For some this is too early, others are hoping for the first signs of a more exciting championship fight. Nagelsmann wants to rob everyone of these hopes: "It's important that as a club that was at the top of the championship last year, you try to make a small statement and try to show your strength."
