Bundesliga

Jadon Sancho helped inspire Borussia Dortmund to a 2-0 over Bayern Munich on Saturday to secure the 2019 German Super Cup at the Westfalenstadion.

The first Klassiker matchup of the 2019-20 season went in Dortmund's favour after Sancho assisted Paco Alcacer and then settled the result with his own strike in the 69th minute.

Dortmund ended a run of three Super Cup victories for Bayern, with two of those victories coming against BVB and the other against Eintracht Frankfurt last season.

Goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Marwin Hitz took centre stage for much of the first period.

Marco Reus came close to a perfect start in the opening minutes on Saturday, only for Neuer to deny him at the last hurdle (U.S. only):

Bayern developed their usual advantage in momentum, but it was Dortmund who enjoyed the greater share of the clearer scoring chances in the early exchanges.

Neuer grabbed attention again not long after with a wild run out from his goal, though Alcacer's narrow miss proved it probably wasn't the right call to come out (videos for U.K. and U.S. readers only):

The remainder of the first half was a tense affair, but thankfully it didn't take long for Sancho to inject some life into the action.

Thiago Alcantara is rarely wasteful, but the Bayern star was at fault for the opening strike, gifting possession on halfway to allow Dortmund a break that would prove lethal.

Sancho tore towards the Bayern goal and dinked a brilliantly timed ball inside to Alcacer, who drove his effort low into Neuer's bottom-right corner (U.K. and U.S. only):

Alphonso Davies and Renato Sanches replaced Thomas Muller and David Alaba, respectively, for Bayern within minutes of one another.

Davies dazzled in a left wing-back role during the recent penalty shootout defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Audi Cup in Munich, but the Canadian was caught out of position for Dortmund's second.

Sancho capitalised and had a free run towards Neuer's net from the right flank, nutmegging the Germany No. 1 to cap off a sweet counter and double Dortmund's lead:

Soon after, Robert Lewandowski slid in on Dortmund stopper Hitz in the mouth of the goal, a challenge many felt was unnecessary in pre-season, even if this was Der Klassiker. 

German football writer Lars Pollmann said the striker was lucky to stay on the pitch:

Kimmich was also fortunate not to be sent off when retrieving a ball from touch that Sancho had reached first, raking his studs down the Englishman's shin. He received a yellow card for the offence.

Most appeared to disagree with the referee's decision:

Those challenges were symptomatic of Bayern's unrest after being dominated by their closest rivals, and Dortmund sent a massive statement of intent ahead of the new campaign.

Lucien Favre has the edge over Bayern counterpart Niko Kovac on the cusp of the 2019-20 season, with Sancho in particular looking ready to take the fight to Germany's reigning champions.

What's Next?

Both teams turn their attention to the first round of the DFB-Pokal, in which Dortmund will face Uerdingen on Friday before Bayern travel to face Energie Cottbus on Monday.

Hans-Joachim Watzke has said he's "very grateful" to Bayern Munich for their professionalism in allowing Mats Hummels to rejoin their rivals this summer. 

Hummels left the Westfalenstadion to join Bayern in 2016 but rejoined the Black and Yellows in June. Dortmund chief executive officer Watzke told DPA (h/t Goal's Daniel Lewis) he found it "extraordinary" Die Roten were willing to let their defender leave.

The 60-year-old said: "I am very grateful to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for having respected the player's will. I thought that was extraordinary. The way in which these negotiations ended was an indication to me how respectfully we are working together at the highest levels."

Hummels grew up in Bayern's academy but left to establish a first-team place at Dortmund in 2008—initially on loan—where he won a historic pair of Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012.

Now 30, the Germany international hasn't taken long to adjust back to playing in Dortmund colours, demonstrating some fine passing ability in pre-season:

Hummels also won the DFB-Pokal crown with Dortmund in 2012, as well as finishing a runner-up to Bayern in the 2013 UEFA Champions League final.

Manager Lucien Favre's side have had an active summer transfer window, signing forwards Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt, as well as recruiting Paco Alcacer permanently following his loan last term. Left-back Nico Schulz also arrived from Hoffenheim and has impressed in pre-season.

Bundesliga writer Alex Chaffer praised Dortmund's summer business and recently said the foundations are there for the club to launch another run at Bundesliga silverware:

Bayern signed two new centre-backs this summer as Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard arrived from Atletico Madrid and Stuttgart, respectively.

Coach Niko Kovac said in July that Hummels left the club because he didn't want to compete for his place in the XI:

"Mats did a great job, especially in the second half of the season. Like [Bayern president] Uli Hoeness said, at the end of the season Mats came to us and asked what the status quo was for the new season. 

"Niklas Sule did a great job, he is a starter of the (Germany) national team and with Lucas we bought a player that we want to play centre-back. That doesn't mean anything. 

"Competition means the best player will play. In that case, Mats wanted to avoid that. We accept that and the result is that he plays for BVB now." 

Former Dortmund and Bayern team-mate Robert Lewandowski also bemoaned Hummels' decision, per DW Sports:

Hummels will find it easier securing his place in Favre's XI and looks likely to partner Omer Toprak in defence, with Dan-Axel Zagadou, Manuel Akanji and Leonardo Balerdi offering support.

Bayern Munich have denied reports that Manchester City's Leroy Sane has agreed to join them.

Both Kicker and Bild (h/t Goal's Ronan Murphy) reported on Thursday that the 23-year-old had agreed to move to the Allianz Arena, with only a fee needing to be decided between the two clubs:

However, Bayern took to Twitter to deny any agreement over the signing of Sane:

Sane, 23, joined City from Schalke for £37 million in 2016. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2017-18 after netting 10 goals and providing 15 assists in City's triumphant Premier League campaign.

On paper, the Germany international enjoyed another fine season in 2018-19, scoring 10 goals and assisting 10 in 31 league games.

However, 10 of those appearances came from the bench, and Pep Guardiola appeared to have lost faith in Sane for the biggest games.

Bayern manager Niko Kovac recently said he was "confident" Bayern would be able to sign Sane:

Even if City are prepared to let him go, though, they will likely demand a huge transfer fee.

Sane's contract with City runs to 2021, so the club are not under any huge pressure to sell him.

Bayern have a history of being remarkably frugal relative to Europe's other elite sides. 

Until recently, their record transfer fee was the £37 million they spent on Corentin Tolisso in June 2017.

That was eclipsed by the £68 million they paid to sign Lucas Hernandez earlier this year, and they may have to spend even more to snap up Sane.  

Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac has dismissed speculation linking the club with a move for Bayer Leverkusen forward Leon Bailey.

Talk has gathered pace in the previous week about Bayern possibly trying to sign the winger before the transfer window closes. However, following the Munich club's loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Audi Cup final on Wednesday, Kovac made it clear there was no interest, per Goal:

"I am not responsible for transfers, but I have to say something regarding this. I find it extraordinarily strange that you can blurt something out and nothing happens. You can just say something but it's not true.

"If you communicate something like this, there must be undeniable proof. Otherwise, you cannot spread it as news. I would ask you to check it. It's not true, it's not verified. It's false."

As the report relayed, Transfermarkt had said Bayern had agreed personal terms with the 21-year-old ahead of a possible switch.

The previous season was a struggle for Bailey, as he was only able to net five goals and grab one assist in 29 Bundesliga appearances. While he was a breakthrough star in 2017-18, it was midfielder Kai Havertz who emerged as Leverkusen's most important player in 2018-19.

Still, there's no doubt that Bailey has the talent to go a long way in the game. The Jamaica international posted the following clip of a tremendous goal he scored against Bayern earlier in the year:

Bailey can be devastating at his best. He has been most comfortable when deployed on the left flank, where he is able to maintain width and burst around the outside of opposition full-backs.

The winger is also adept at dipping infield, where he can drive at defences and take shots at goal.

Even in a season of struggles, he was able to offer creativity:

In the previous campaign, losses of form and being deployed in different positions prevented Bailey from performing to his best.

Bayern appear to be on the lookout for reinforcements in the wide positions following the departures of veterans Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben at the end of last season. The club have been open about their desire to sign Leroy Sane from Manchester City, with Kovac calling him a "dream player" in an interview with Sport Bild (h/t Goal's James Westwood). 

German football journalist Alex Chaffer commented on what has been an interesting summer for the Bundesliga champions:

Like Sane, Bailey is left-footed, direct and capable of producing in the final third. As such, the links to the Leverkusen man didn't appear outlandish.

However, with Kovac shutting the speculation down immediately, it will be fascinating to see who Bayern target in the final days of the transfer window as they look to add more attacking spark to the wide areas.  

Bayern Munich face Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the 2019 Audi Cup at the the German champions' Allianz Arena on Wednesday. 

In the sixth edition of their pre-season tournament, Bayern have reached their fifth final and are looking to win it for a fourth time.

Two years ago, when Atletico Madrid triumphed, hosts Bayern came fourth after losing both their matches.

They ensured there would be no repeat of that on Tuesday when they thrashed Fenerbahce 6-1, while Spurs beat Real Madrid 1-0.

Date: Wednesday, July 31 

Time: 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET 

TV Info: ITV4 (UK)

Live Stream: ITV Hub, ESPN+

Match Odds (via Oddschecker): Bayern 10-13, Draw 16-5, Tottenham 41-13

For Bayern, the Audi Cup final is their last pre-season game before they face Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Spurs follow Wednesday's clash with a friendly against Inter Milan before kicking off their Premier League campaign against Aston Villa on August 10.

Thomas Muller made the key contribution for Bayern against Fenerbahce on Tuesday as he netted a hat-trick amid goals from Renato Sanches, Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman.

Harry Kane was the sole goalscorer in Spurs' clash with Real, with the Englishman showing a fine touch to produce a deft finish after Marcelo's mistake:

In pre-season, performances matter a lot more than results, and both managers will use Wednesday's fixture as an opportunity to trial various tactics and players in preparation for the new campaign.

But given the start of the 2019-20 season is so close, and the fact there is silverware on the line, there should be a greater competitive edge to the Audi Cup final.

Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs side have slowly established themselves among the European elite in the last few seasons, culminating in their UEFA Champions League final spot last term.

It is a group Bayern have been part of for a long time, so Wednesday's fixture can be legitimately labelled as a clash between two of Europe's heavyweights.

A victory in the Audi Cup final would provide either side with a momentum boost going into the new campaign.

There is set to be a huge amount of attacking talent on show, with Robert Lewandowski, Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen likely to join Muller and Kane in the action.

As such, this year's Audi Cup final should be an entertaining clash as Bayern look to win their home tournament for the first time since 2015.  

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac has apologised after being criticised by club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge for saying he was "confident" the German side would sign Manchester City's Leroy Sane. 

"I did not like what he said," Rummenigge told ZDF (h/t MailOnline's Will Griffee). "We have a good relationship with Manchester City and our former coach Pep Guardiola. Sane still has a contract there. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic quotes help us in that matter."

Per Goal's Guy Atkinson, Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic toed a similar line and said Rummenigge's comments came because the club advise against discussing players under contract elsewhere.

Kovac had told ZDF: "Our club management is very committed. It is not easy in this day and age, you see, otherwise it would already be sorted. But I am very confident. I assume we can get it [done]."

After being admonished by Rummenigge, Kovac spoke to ZDF again (h/t Atkinson):

"We [Bayern and him] talked about it. Maybe I was too offensive in that interview. I talked to Pep and apologised because of it. 

"I would like to apologise to the club, too. I will restrain myself in cases like this in the future."

Per Atkinson, Bayern have been linked with Sane throughout the summer, but the two sides are yet to agree a deal, with City valuing the winger at £90 million (€98 million).

Despite notching an impressive return of 16 goals and 18 assists in all competitions last season, the 23-year-old fell out of favour somewhat over the course of the campaign.

In the Premier League, he made just 21 starts, and only two came against fellow top-six opponents.

In the penultimate game of the campaign, Guardiola brought Sane off the bench against Leicester City, and sports journalist Peter Hall felt the coach's treatment was indicative of an issue he had with the German:

Sane also started the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals on the bench and did the same in both quarter-final legs of the UEFA Champions League with Tottenham Hotspur.

Given he would enjoy a much more prominent role at Bayern, who, like City, can offer virtually guaranteed silverware and Champions League football every season, Sane could be receptive to a move.

He's a valuable asset at the Etihad Stadium and still has two years remaining on his contract, though, so agreeing a deal with City for him won't necessarily be straightforward.

It is pretty easy to see why Leroy Sane has had his head turned by interest from Bayern Munich.

Just getting minutes on the pitch is going to be a battle for him at Premier League champions Manchester City. But a move to his homeland would change everything. The Bundesliga winners want him to be the marquee signing that launches them into a new campaign.

So far, it has been a strange summer in Munich. Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Mats Hummels and Rafinha have departed—and while Lucas Hernandez, Jann-Fiete Arp, and Benjamin Pavard have arrived, it does not seem quite sufficient to keep them clear of title rivals Borussia Dortmund, and even the players seem frustrated.

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Joshua Kimmich and Robert Lewandowski have both publicly stated that they would like to see new faces, with the Poland international striker telling reporters: "Without transfers, it will be difficult to compete for the big titles. To play and stay at a top level, you need a reinforced team."

Hernandez cost €80 million (£73 million) and Pavard €35 million, so it is not as though Bayern's top brass have been shy to dip into their pockets. But it's the attacking options that seem short, especially when fans have read for so long about apparent interest in exciting talent such as Gareth Bale, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Wilfried Zaha and Sane.

Dortmund have brought in Hummels, Julian Brandt, Thorgan Hazard and Nico Schulz for the new season. Bayern fans would love reassurance that their own team are going to better that.

Philipp Kessler is a reporter for German newspaper Bild and told B/R of his concerns over their transfer business so far this summer. 

"It is not satisfactory," he said. "Although they already signed two world champions in Lucas Hernández and Benjamin Pavard, the megatransfer for the offence has not yet come through. The current team is good enough to win national titles—but at European level, Bayern needs new stars in my opinion. There are still a few weeks left in this transfer window..."

Bayern intend to add new faces, and Sane is the priority. Sources told us that senior figures at the club have been asked to remain quiet over a potential deal for Sane, yet coach Niko Kovac could not help himself this week when he told ZDF (h/t TalkSport) he was "confident" of a deal.

Sane is open to it, too. At the end of last season he was frustrated—Pep Guardiola seemed to have little faith in him in the big games. But there is still a will from City to extend his current contract beyond 2021..

Last week, Pep Guardiola said, per BBC: "He has to make a decision. If he wants to go, he can do that, but we would be sad." For Bayern, though, that decision could mean everything.

The German club continue to look at other, cheaper, wing options and have also been negotiating with Espanyol over a potential €40 million transfer for central midfielder Marc Roca.

This is an important time for executive board chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who has stressed the importance of winning the Champions League before he steps aside in 2021.

Part of his remit is to use his extensive contacts in the game to help deliver a stellar signing—and that's what everyone is now waiting for. 

Abel Meszaros is an analyst at Sport 1 and an expert on German football for Bundesliga Fanatic. He claims that while there have been some positives for Bayern since the end of last season, everything hinges on a big signing.

"Getting the Pavard and Lucas deals done early was a positive, as was making decisions early on players Kovac did not plan on using like Hummels and James Rodriguez," he said. 

"It's Sane or bust at this point. With him, they are the clear favourites to defend the title. Without him? I'd think Dortmund, who have crushed this summer's market already, are probably just about favourites."

The future of Bayern is intriguing—and not just in terms of personnel.

Kovac has been indicating during pre-season that he prefers to use a 4-3-3 system—although there is an expectation that in big games he may still revert to the club's tried and tested 4-2-3-1.

Meszaros added: "The 4-3-3 would see Thiago as the lone [No.] 6 and is the go-to formation—with Leon Goretzka and Tolisso as the [No.] 8s. The front three right now is Lewy [Lewandowski], Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.

"The fun question is whether Kovac, who liked using three centre-backs previously, will do so in Bayern because now they have the players to do so."

Bayern have postponed their traditional team photograph. It's likely they are going to wait until their new squad is complete.

But the German transfer window closes on September 2, and if they do not get Sane on board, you have to question how this team will compete with Europe's very best next season.

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac is confident the club will complete the signing of Manchester City winger Leroy Sane this summer.

Per MailOnline's Will Griffee, Bayern are said to be readying a £90 million bid for the German.

Kovac told ZDF (h/t Griffee): "I am confident, I think we can get him."

Sane returned 16 goals and 18 assists in 47 appearances for Manchester City last season.

He has offered a reminder of his end product in pre-season:

After he scored a second time in that match, a 6-1 friendly win over Hong Kong outfit Kitchee, City boss Pep Guardiola expressed his desire for the 23-year-old to remain at the Etihad Stadium:

As Sane's numbers demonstrated last season, he can be a match-winning asset for the Sky Blues, and he adds a great deal to their depth in forward areas.

However, in City's last 14 Premier League games, he started just five times, and on the same number of occasions, he did not even make it off the bench.

He didn't start either the FA Cup or Carabao Cup finals, and in the UEFA Champions League, he played a total of just seven minutes against Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals.

Football journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke discussed Sane's situation on BBC Radio 5 Live:

At Bayern, he'd be a key player expected to replace legendary wing duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, who both departed the club at the end of last season.

He'd be an excellent long-term choice to fulfil that role, and it would not be a surprise if the significance of the part he'd play did tempt him into leaving.  

Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has said he's pain-free ahead of the new season and feels "really good" after injury brought an early end to his 2018-19 campaign.

Neuer, 33, missed Bayern's last five league matches of the season due to a calf injury but appears to have regained full fitness after starting in each of their three pre-season matches so far this summer.

Speaking to the official Bundesliga website (h/t Goal's Matt Dorman), he said: "I feel really good right now. I'm not in any pain and can take part in everything we're doing. I'm really looking forward to the new season."

The veteran missed 11 games last season, but he was sidelined for 54 matches in the 2017-18 campaign, per Transfermarkt, when he played just four games.

Neuer's last competitive appearance for Die Roten came in the DFB-Pokal final in May when they defeated RB Leipzig 3-0.

The former Schalke star offered a reminder of how great an impact he can have on a result when playing at his best:

Bayern have made numerous changes to their back line this summer, signing versatile centre-backs Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard from Atletico Madrid and Stuttgart, respectively.

Mats Hummels has rejoined Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, and Neuer called for new leaders to step up: "We've got a lot of players who are established and know each other well, but also some guys who will have bigger roles to play because of the departures. They have to prove they can take on leadership roles."

Sven Ulreich has served as Neuer's deputy when required in recent seasons, but there's little doubting the latter is a noticeable step up.

There have been suggestions Neuer should transition out as Germany's first-choice goalkeeper, with Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen tipped as the favourite to succeed him.

Spanish sportswriter Simon Harrison put the younger Ter Stegen, 27, ahead of his countryman in the pecking order:

German football writer Manuel Veth went so far as to label Ter Stegen the best stopper on the planet:

Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben's departures will also affect the balance of leadership in Bayern's dressing room, placing more pressure on Neuer to have a consistent, incident-free season during the transition.

Neuer has played 135 minutes in pre-season and is yet to concede a goal. Die Roten return to the Allianz Arena to face Fenerbahce in the Audi Cup on Tuesday, with the final or third-place play-off against either Tottenham Hotspur or Real Madrid the following day marking their last pre-season fixture.   

Bayern Munich defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the 2019 International Champions Cup on Tuesday at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.  

Leon Goretzka scored the only goal, giving Bayern the lead in the third minute of first-half injury time.

Joshua Kimmich did the hard work to set up Bayern's winner. Kimmich instinctively read Goretzka's run into the 18-yard box and put just enough weight on the pass to hit the midfielder in stride.

Goretzka calmly side-footed his finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the far post.

Sven Ulreich, who replaced Manuel Neuer to open the second half, stepped up to preserve Bayern's lead in the 65th minute. A poor pass from Niklas Sule allowed Patrick Cutrone to run clear through on goal. Cutrone had ample time and space to line up his shot, but Ulreich got a leg to his low shot.

Jann-Fiete Arp secured his transfer to Bayern from Hamburg in February but didn't officially join the reigning German champions until this summer. The 19-year-old was quickly inserted into the first team for the preseason, appearing in each of Bayern's first two matches of the International Champions Cup.

Arp's wait for his first goal at his new club will continue. Although he slammed the ball into the back of the net in the 82nd minute, the referee correctly waved off the goal due to a handball by Arp immediately preceding the tally.

David Alaba also watched as his goal was quickly wiped away after he was offside in the 90th minute while trying to collect Thiago Alcantara's through ball.

In general, the match suffered from the fact Bayern and Milan are at contrasting points of their respective preseasons. The former is winding things down for the most part, while the latter is just getting started—with a new manager, Marco Giampaolo, to boot.

As a result, Bayern didn't go above and beyond in search of a second goal, and Milan was content to settle for a defeat.

The result itself will be less frustrating for Giampaolo than the fact Theo Hernandez appeared to injure his ankle. Hernandez looked dangerous for stretches running down the left flank but was stretchered off in the 45th minute.

The Bavarians play Fenerbahce on July 30 in their first match of the Audi Cup. After that, they'll take on Borussia Dortmund in the German Supercup on Aug. 3, which is the traditional curtain-raiser for the German domestic season.

Milan play twice more in the International Champions Cup. They meet Benfica on Sunday and close out the event against Manchester United on Aug. 3.