Newly promoted Paderborn host giants Bayern Munich

Manuel Veth –

Paderborn vs Bayern Munich – Saturday, September 28, 14:30BST/15:30CEST – Benteler Arena, Paderborn, Germany

Paderborn vs Bayern Munich will take place at the Benteler Arena in Paderborn. (Photo by Thomas Starke/Bongarts/Getty Images)

It has been a four rollercoaster years for SC Paderborn 07. Relegated from the Bundesliga in 2015 the club was relegated from Bundesliga 2 the following season and then was relegated from Liga 3 in the year after that, only 1860 Munich’s financial problems saved the club from going down to the Regionalliga. What followed were two straight promotions and a return to the Bundesliga this summer.

Overall, it is a remarkable story. But do Paderborn have enough to survive in the Bundesliga this season? On paper, the club appears to be almost an accidental Bundesliga team but now promoted the club harbours ambitions to survive in the top flight even after just collecting one point out of the first five games.

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Internally, the club has calculated with 12 to 15 points after the Hinrunde. “That would mean we would still be in the race because the other clubs aren’t that far away yet,” sporting director Martin Przondziono said to kicker this week. “I think it will remain tight at our end of the table,” Przondziono added.

Paderborn’s hopes are based on the fact that the club has looked good in all games this season but also that traditionally teams coached by Steffen Baumgart perform better in the second half of the season. “We are not opposed to it happening now, however,” Przondziono said. But given that Bayern are the guests on Saturday it is unlikely that Paderborn will collect points in the fight against relegation.

For Bayern head coach Niko Kovač, the game against Paderborn could be an excellent opportunity to rotate some players ahead of the Champions League clash against Tottenham. “If things go well against Paderborn, we may be able to sub someone off earlier during the game,” Kovač said. “But before the game, I’m not thinking about that,” he added. 

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Although Bayern have already dropped points twice this season, Kovač feels optimistic about his club’s start. “The atmosphere, the chemistry within the team is great,” Kovač said. “We’ve had great new signings, and the guys who’ve been here for longer have received them fantastically. We laugh a lot but also work hard. We don’t want to repeat what happened this time last year,” Kovač said with an eye on the poor run during last fall’s Oktoberfest. 

On balance, however, a poor run of results like it was the case a year ago seems unlikely. Bayern’s upcoming opponent Paderborn, however, should not be too much of an obstacle for the Bavarian juggernauts, who will be looking to collect an easy three points in Paderborn on Saturday.

Paderborn vs Bayern Munich  – Players to look out for:

Cauly #10 – SC Paderborn 07

Cauly Oliveira Souza or simply just Cauly has been one of Paderborn’s most effective players this season. Signed from MSV Duisburg, the German-Brazilian is a typical Paderborn signing, in that the club signed him on relative low money with the hope to sell him on in the future. Thus far Cauly has not disappointed scoring two goals in his first five Bundesliga games.

Cauly Oliveira Souza of SC Paderborn 07 celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Bundesliga match between VfL Wolfsburg and SC Paderborn 07 at Volkswagen Arena on August 31, 2019 in Wolfsburg, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Ivan Perišić #14– Bayern Munich

Everyone has been talking about the emergence of Philippe Coutinho this season. The Brazilian has certainly strung up an effective partnership with Robert Lewandowski. But Bayern’s most effective new signing overall has been Croatian winger Ivan Perišić. The 30-year-old signed from Inter Milan on loan this summer has already scored two goals and two assists in his four games across all competitions this season. Furthermore, while Coutinho is still somewhat looking for his form Perišić has hit the ground running, a seamless transition made possible by his previous time in Germany with Dortmund and Wolfsburg.

Bayern Munich’s Croatian striker Ivan Perisic plays the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Bayern Munich vs 1. FC Cologne in Munich on September 21, 2019. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

Paderborn vs Bayern Munich  – Match Stats

• Paderborn have not won in eight games, that is the longest streak without a win in the Bundesliga.
• Bayern have been undefeated in 19 straight games, the longest run of its kind in the Bundesliga.
• Manuel Neuer has conceded all four of his goals this season in the first half, Paderborn, in the meantime, have scored five of their six goals in the first half this season.
• Paderborn’s Bundesliga record against Bayern at home: W0 D0 L1.

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: Paderborn vs Bayern Munich  – 1-4

Paderborn vs Bayern Munich  – Lineups

SC Paderborn 07:

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Huth – Dräger, Strohdiek, Hünemeier, Collins – Gjasula, Vasiliadis – Cauly, Antwi-Adjei – Zolinski, Michel

Head Coach: Steffen Baumgart

Bayern Munich:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Neuer – Kimmich, Pavard, Süle, Hernández – Thiago, Tolisso – Coman, Coutinho, Perišić – Lewandowski

Head Coach: Niko Kovač

Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and among others contributes to Forbes.com and Pro Soccer USA. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which is available HERE. Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently splits his time between Victoria, BC and Munich, Germany.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.