Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League; Bayern in the mix with FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG for Manchester City star Erling Haaland?; Bayer Leverkusen chasing Arda Güler; and MORE!

Bayern Munich took the road trip up to Gelsenkirchen and faced a game Shakhtar Donetsk side that was not like some recent contests for the Bavarians.

Shakhtar Donetsk — to its credit — brought energy and a willingness to actually play in the Champions League. While Bayern Munich walked away with a 5-1 victory, it was refreshing to see an opponent try to go punch-for-punch with the German Rekordmeister.

Enough of the chit-chat, let’s get to it — here are some quick hitters on the match:

• As always, let’s begin with a look at the starting XI:

• I almost nailed this, but I had Sacha Boey in place of Konrad Laimer and Aleksandar Pavlović in for Leon Goretzka. Laimer has had a solid season and Boey is still just coming back from an injury, while Goretzka has been good in filling in for Pavlović. It is interesting nonetheless, that Kompany went with those two. It almost feels like it is a “last start” to show appreciation to Laimer and Goretzka before Boey and Josip Stanišić fully take over the right-back position for the second half of the season, while Pavlović is expected to resume a regular starting role in the central midfield. Otherwise, injuries dictated all of the other spots for Kompany’s selections.
• As expected, Bayern Munich was a handful early for Shakhtar Donetsk. but it would be some sloppy defending and careless play that led to the “home” team taking a very early 1-0 lead. Laimer was sucked way out of position, which allowed Oleksandr Zubkov to thread a diagonal pass to Kevin (it feels weird to just call him “Kevin”, but here we are), who had a nice finish vs. Daniel Peretz in the 5th minute.
• Laimer, though, would make up for it as Thomas Müller’s pass to Michael Olise was broken up, but the ball was left for Laimer, who had a very nice finish of his own in the 11th minute. What a crazy start!
• It should also be noted that Goretzka’s hustle-play to win the ball in Bayern Munich’s end to start that attack.
• Georgiy Sudakov won a 1v1 battle with Jamal Musiala in the 29th minute. In a matchup of two, highly-coveted attacking midfielders, Sudakov made a really nice stop on Musiala. For as nice as that moment was for Sudakov, but he had an all-time boner in the 44th minute. Kevin — again — took advantage of Laimer’s poor positioning and slid the Ukrainian phenom a pass right in from of the net, but he somehow sent his shot wide.
• Like we have seen so many times this season, Bayern Munich was thoroughly dominant, but just not able to score as much as it probably should have in the first half. You have to give Shakhtar Donetsk credit, though, as it was much more willing to engage than many of Bayern Munich’s opponents.
• All of the possession was bound to have an ill-effect on Shakhtar Donetsk, though. The Shakhtar players were on their heels for extended periods of time and looked like they were beginning to lose some steam.
• In added time after the 45th minute, Bayern Munich was able to extend its lead with Thomas Müller’s 55th career Champions League goal. Leroy Sané started the play with a great defensive effort to win a ball during Shakhtar Donetsk’s build up before sliding a pass to Musiala, who unselfishly found Müller, who made a terrific run into space for a relatively easy finish. Sané’s run to the outside gave just the right amount of distraction/hesitance to Shakhtar Donetsk’s defenders for the play to happen.
• Shakhtar came out with a purpose in the second half and went for it. Only a spectacular defensive play right in front of the net from Müller (!?) prevented the game from being tied at 2-2 in the 48th minute.

• A very soft penalty call in the 68th minute led to a 69th minute goal from Michael Olise. Alaa Ghram’s momentum in trying to stop a shot from Sacha Boey carried him into the Bayern Munich defender after Boey’s shot was released. It was…very questionable.
• It is interesting to see that Olise is the second penalty-taker behind injured striker Harry Kane.
• In the 87th minute, Musiala finally got a well-deserved goal (after having one disallowed earlier).
• Olise had another goal in extra time to give the game its final margin. It was a spectacular individual effort from Olise and some outright clownish defending from Shakhtar Donetsk.
• Overall, Bayern Munich had a really solid game in every aspect. While not perfect, it was a very positive step in the right direction, which hopefully set the tone for the Bavarians to close out the first half of the season in a strong way.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s big 5-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League? Great, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

We are going to will #Project 2026 into existence.

According to a report out of Spain, Bayern Munich is, indeed, one of the clubs poised for a “future bid” on Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. The Bavarians will be reportedly be up against FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid in competition for the Norwegian star:

Erling Haaland wants a release clause of just €100m (£82.8m) in any new contract he signs with Man City. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid are all plotting future bids for the striker.

With Harry Kane’s contract set to end in 2027, the summer of 2026 would be ideal to help facilitate Kane’s return to England with a sale, while also bringing aboard Haaland.

Who’s with me? #Project2026.

The Bundesliga is approaching the end of its Hinrunde stage, and the table is shaping up nicely for Bayern Munich supporters, but worryingly for VfL Bochum supporters.

Matchday 13 provided plenty of goals, late drama, and no 0-0 draws! In other words, the Bundesliga at its finest.

In this episode of the Bundesliga Rundown, Marcus discusses:

• The fun fact that the Bundesliga Rundown is now on BlueSky! Go follow if you have an account!
• Why he believes VfL Wolfsburg’s Ralph Hasenhüttl is one of the best coaches the 2024/25 Bundesliga has to offer.
• The worrying signs surrounding Union Berlin.
• The worst team in Bundesliga history.
• …and much more!

Bayer Leverkusen could suffer a massive loss this summer if Florian Wirtz leaves for Bayern Munich (or some other club).

To offset at least some of the loss, Die Werkself could be looking very closely at Real Madrid attacker Arda Güler:

⚫️ Leverkusen are keeping a close eye on Arda #Güler!

Bayer had already shown interest in the 19 y/o top talent before his move from Fenerbahçe to Real Madrid.

At this stage Real Madrid have no intention to let him go this winter. However, if an opportunity arises next summer and Güler seeks regular top-level playing time, Leverkusen would be ready to step in.

⚠️There is contact with the player’s family and representatives, but none with Real Madrid at the moment.

Liverpool FC’s ongoing saga with Mo Salah is progressing as the club sent its star player a contract extension proposal:

Mohamed Salah has received an opening contract offer from Liverpool, according to The Athletic. That means that all three of the club’s big stars who are due to become free agents next summer — Salah, club captain Virgil van Dijk and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold — all have new deals on the table. Talks are continuing with each of the trio, who could all sign pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs from Jan. 1. Salah has been regularly linked with interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, while Alexander-Arnold is a target for Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich is down to its final three games before the Winterpause and some might consider the team to be a little bit wobbly at this point — albeit with a pretty sturdy Jamal Musiala-infused crutch to keep them upright (shout out, Toni Kroos).

As things head into the homestretch before the break, let hit on some of the big topics of the day. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:

• Some final takeaways on Bayern Munich’s win over Heidenheim.
• Retiring Franz Beckenbauer’s number is pretty cool, but I have a strong, anti-retiring numbers stance. I’m conflicted…help me!
• Bayern Munich is riddled with injuries now that Alphonso Davies and Kingsley Coman have joined the walking wounded. What can Vincent Kompany do to survive the next three games?
• Getting Florian Wirtz might actually be a necessity…let us make our case why.
• Herbert Hainer’s curious omission of Leroy Sané.

One player whose future is uncertain with Bayern Munich is midfielder Konrad Laimer. The versatile Austrian has been a consummate team player during his time in Bavaria, but could be one of the odd-men out of the midfield mix for next season:

Yes, Manchester United were recently impressed by the performances of Konrad #Laimer, as revealed in our Transfer Update show last week.

However, there is currently no contact with his management and no other discussions taking place at this time. The #MUFC focus remain on other transfer targets for now …

… and Laimer wants to stay at FC Bayern. Contract until 2027. Important player.

@SkySportDE

Manchester United and Newcastle United could be interested in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha:

Manchester United and Newcastle United have been among the clubs monitoring Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, who could be available for €40-45m.

The 24-year-old is not the biggest name in European football, but he’s really started to impress at Dortmund, playing a key role for the club last season as they reached the final of the Champions League.

Nmecha was previously on the books at Manchester City as a youngster, though he made only two senior appearances for the club before moving on.

Since then, Nmecha has gone from strength to strength, and he recently became a full Germany international despite also representing England at youth level.

Bayern Munich hosted Heidenheim in a Bundesliga match in which the home side was heavily favored.

The oddsmakers were mostly on-point as Bayern Munich pulled out a 4-2 victory, but it was not always easy.

Let’s talk about how it all went down and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:

• A look at the starting XI and why Vincent Kompany made so many changes.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• Bayern Munich’s lack of creativity against a low block continues to lead to boring games.
• Dayot Upamecano’s dark side reappeared with a big-time mistake that led to a goal.
• Jamal Musiala is the ultimate game changer for Kompany and is making Toni Kroos look even more smart.
• Did we learn anything about Paul Wanner in this match?
• It is starting to look and feel like the end for Thomas Müller.
• Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.

Naby Keita has had quite the career journey since leaving RB Leipzig for Liverpool FC. Now…he’s headed to Hungary:

Former Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola says that he will not manage another club after Manchester City.

However, he is not opposed to taking over a national team:

Bayern Munich is winding down the Hinrunde and things are surprisingly busy both on and off the field.

While Vincent Kompany has some work to do to get the team back on track, the front office could be setting the table for a squad overhaul for next summer. Let’s not waste any more time and get right down to discussing all of it on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg says that there has been a lot of progress in talks between Bayern Munich and Alphonso Davies. Could it possible that — after ALL of the Real Madrid talk — the Canadian stays in Bavaria?
• Hoffenheim’s Tom Bischof has been linked to Bayern Munich and is available on a free transfer in the summer of 2025. Should Bayern Munich strike while the iron is hot for the precocious 19-year-old?
• Let’s check in on how we are feeling about the Bayern Munich wingers.
• A brief Entertainment Rundown.