European giants Bayern Munich will square up against Auckland City in their opening Group C fixture of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup.

Auckland City, who are third in the New Zealand National League, will face 2024/25 Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich to kick-start their Club World Cup journey. Both teams will be eager to get off to a flying start with all three points in a group that also comprises Benfica and Boca Juniors.

Bayern Munich were a dominant force in the league last season. The Bavarian giants managed to reclaim the league title without much difficulty, and they were the best attacking as well as defensive team in the competition. While Vincent Kompany’s men had an exceptional record in the league, he will be eager to set the record straight in cup competitions.

Die Roten were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Inter Milan in the quarter-finals, while Bayer Leverkusen eliminated them from the DFB-Pokal in the round of 16. They are favourites to win Group C and should start by claiming all three points.

Auckland are third in their league with 25 points to their name. They are just four points behind league leaders, Birkenhead United. Both clubs will face each other towards the end of July which could be a potential title decider.

The team from New Zealand won the OFC Champions League for the fourth year in the running as they defeated Hekari United FC 2-0 in the final two months back. Auckland City are the best team in Oceania but they are going up against one of the best in the world, as a result, it certainly won’t be easy. But they will try to cause an upset.

The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Bayern Munich

While Bayern Munich will certainly look to win the competition as it has a significant financial reward, they are unlikely to field their strongest XI from the start. Vincent Kompany won’t risk anyone and will try to keep everyone fresh for the knockout stages.

Manuel Neuer, who is back from injury, should take charge in goal with Kompany sticking to the 4-2-3-1 formation. Dayot Upamecano could start on the bench with Jonathan Tah pairing up with Eric Dier at the heart of the defence.

Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro are expected to be the full-backs for the German giants. In the centre of the park, Joshua Kimmich could partner with Aleksandar Pavlovic. The duo will look to shield the backline and control the tempo of the game.

Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane are expected to feature on the flanks. Sane’s future is certainly up in the air as his contract runs out at the end of the month. There is interest in from clubs across Europe and there is also a possibility of extending his stay at Bayern.

Since Jamal Musiala is not yet fully fit, Thomas Muller could take up the number ten role, with Harry Kane leading the line for Bayern Munich against Auckland City on Sunday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Dier, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Kane

Auckland City

Auckland City do not have any fresh injury concerns heading into this fixture, and they are expected to go ahead with their strongest lineup in hopes of upsetting giants Bayern Munich.

They will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Conor Tracey will take charge in between the sticks. In the heart of the defence, Nikko Boxall will partner with Adam Mitchell. They will receive significant support from Adam Bell and Nathan Lobo, who will feature as full-backs.

In the centre of the park, Michael Den Heijer will start alongside Gerard Garriga and Mario Ilich. Ideally, they would like to control the tempo but that is unlikely to happen against Bayern Munich. The trio will have a lot of defending to do, and they will have to ensure Bayern midfielders do not dominate the ball too deep in their half.

As for the offensive unit, Dylan Manickum and Joe Lee will feature on the flanks providing much-needed width to their attacks. Meanwhile, Myer Bevan will lead the line for Auckland City against Bayern Munich this weekend.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Tracey; Bell, Boxall, Mitchell, Lobo; Garriga, Den Heijer, Ilich; Manickum, Bevan, Lee

Key Stats

• This is all set to be the first meeting between Bayern Munich and Auckland City.
• The Navy Blues have only kept one clean sheet in their last outing and they certainly have a massive challenge at their hands as they will go up against one of the best attacks in the world.
• This is all set to be Bayer Munich’s third appearance in the Club World Cup. They won the title back in 2013 as well as in 2020 when they represented Europe in the competition.
• Auckland have featured in 12 Club World Cup tournaments to date. They were present in the last two editions of the competition as well.
• Bayern have scored 16 goals in their last five outings and they will be eager to carry on in a similar fashion.

Player to Watch

Harry Kane

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Kane finally ended his wait for a major silverware during the 2024/25 season as Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title. The 31-year-old did play a massive part in their success as he contributed towards 36 goals in his 31 league outings.

In the league, he averages a goal every 92nd minute. Overall, he found the back of the net on 38 occasions and also bagged 13 assists in his 46 outings. Given the kind of form he has been in, Kane will certainly look to leave a mark on this fixture with a few strikes.

Prediction

Bayern Munich 4-0 Auckland City

Bayern Munich will head into this fixture as overwhelming favourites, and rightly so. The gulf in quality between the two sides is significant. The German giants should have little trouble dominating proceedings from the outset.

While Vincent Kompany might choose to rotate a few names to keep them fresh for the knockout stages, Bayern’s depth is such that even a slightly rotated XI would be more than capable of getting the job done convincingly.

Auckland City will look to stay compact, frustrate the Bavarians, and hit them on the break if given the chance, but sustaining that plan over 90 minutes against such relentless opposition will be a tall order. Given Bayern’s attacking form and their desire to make a statement early in the tournament, it’s hard to see anything other than a comfortable win for the Bundesliga champions.

Expect a commanding display from Vincent Kompany’s men as they get their Club World Cup campaign off to a flying start. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for the German club.