Bayern are starting the year with a lot of goals without Musiala and Neuer

Even without national soccer player Jamal Musiala, who was missing due to illness, FC Bayern Munich was hungry for goals again at the start of the new year. 17 days after the 5-1 win in the last game of 2024 against RB Leipzig, the German record champions easily won their only test match before the continuation of the Bundesliga season against Austrian Champions League participants FC Red Bull Salzburg 6-0 (3-0 ).

The 90 one-sided minutes were not a real endurance test five days before the league game at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Eric Dier (10th minute), Thomas Müller (24th), the twice successful Michael Olise (29th/48th), Joshua Kimmich (56th) and young player Jonathan Asp-Jensen (76th) scored for the league leaders. Coach Vincent Kompany used a total of 22 players in front of 26,107 spectators.

Don’t knock in the stadium

It wasn’t just offensive star Musiala who was missing from Bayern’s first team because of flu. Captain Manuel Neuer was not yet back in goal after breaking his rib. As at the end of the year, he was again represented by Daniel Peretz. Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and João Palhinha have not yet returned either.

“The break was short. But we were able to recover for a few days, that was important,” said Bayern’s sports director Christoph Freund: “Now we’re happy that it’s starting again.”

Jürgen Klopp, the new “Head of Global Soccer” in the Red Bull Group’s football empire, was not seen in the Salzburg Arena. The long-time successful German coach would otherwise have seen a Salzburg Bulls team that is also looking for its former class under the new coach Thomas Letsch, formerly at VfL Bochum.