The German domestic season starts on Saturday as Bayern Munich take on Wolfsburg in the curtain-raising DFL-Supercup at the Volkswagen Arena. On paper Pep Guardiola's side are comfortably stronger than their opponents, though they'll be having flashbacks about the 4-1 defeat they suffered on their last visit to this ground. A repeat is unlikely, but nothing's impossible.
Wolfsburg vs. Bayern Munich, 2015 DFL-Supercup: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The German domestic season kicks off with Saturday’s DFL-Supercup.
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However, a potential spanner in the works for Wolfsburg is that they could be without as many as six players, including some who played a vital role in their first team last season: Kevin De Bruyne, Luiz Gustavo and Ivan Perišić are among those likely to miss out. The upshot is that even with home advantage, Wolfsburg are going to struggle to keep Bayern at bay.
Key player -- Thiago Alcântara (Bayern Munich)
Heading into a season fully fit for the first time in a while, this could be a breakthrough campaign for Bayern's midfield playmaker Thiago. His dynamism was evident in his few performances at the end of last season, and it's now time he pushed on and showed why he's regarded as one of the most talented midfielders on the planet. It'll be up to Wolfsburg's defensive midfielders to try and stop him dictating from deep and breaking forward into dangerous positions.
Key matchup -- Thomas Müller vs. Ricardo Rodríguez
It’s nigh-on impossible to predict how Guardiola will line his team up from game to game, meaning pretty much any one of their attackers -- or none of them -- could start out on the right against Wolfsburg’s talented fullback Ricardo Rodríguez. The early favorite is the excellent Thomas Müller, whose brilliant movement would test the Swiss defender’s positioning to the max.
Wolfsburg injuries and suspensions
Out: Felipe (stroke). In doubt: Kevin De Bruyne (back), Luiz Gustavo (knee), Ivan Perišić (departure imminent), Bas Dos and Aaron Hunt (knocks).
Bayern Munich injuries and suspensions
Out: Jan Kirchhoff (Achilles tendon), Holger Badstuber (thigh), Franck Ribéry (ankle). In doubt: None.
Wolfsburg’s only certain absentee is defender Felipe, but he’ll likely be joined on the sidelines by a few familiar faces. De Bruyne has a back problem, Gustavo is still recovering from knee surgery and Perišić is on the verge of signing for Inter Milan. Bas Dos and Aaron Hunt will both have to recover from knocks to play.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, are without Jan Kirchhoff, Holger Badstuber and Franck Ribéry, who have all missed preseason with long-running injury problems.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. local, 2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany
TV: Fox Soccer Plus (U.S. -- English), Fox Deportes (U.S. -- Spanish), Sportsnet One/World (Canada), BT Sport Europe (U.K.), TeleClub Sport Live, Sky Bundesliga 1/HD, ZDF (Germany)
Online: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), BT Sport (U.K.), Sky Go (Germany)
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