UNBEATABLE RUN: BAYERN MUNICH EXTENDS STREAK, EYES 52-YEAR BUNDESLIGA MILESTONE

Bayern Munich will equal a 52-year-old Bundesliga record by staying top for a 43rd consecutive round, regardless of their result against Freiburg. The streak matches their 1972-73 feat.

Unbeatable Run: Bayern Munich Extends Streak, Eyes 52-Year Bundesliga Milestone
Bayern Will Equal 1970s Record

Even in the unlikely event of a home defeat to Freiburg, Bayern Munich will tie a league record that has stood for 52 years due to their long-standing dominance in the Bundesliga.

Regardless of the outcome in Munich on Saturday, Vincent Kompany's squad will sit at the top of the Bundesliga, equaling the 1972 record established by Bayern from March 1972 to the end of the 1972–73 campaign, when legends like Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Gerd Müller, and Uli Hoeneß led the team to its second and third Bundesliga championships.

Kicker magazine reports that the record ended in the 1973–74 season's first round when the Udo Lattek-led Bayern team defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf with a "comfortable" 3-1 score, while Stuttgart triumphed with a 3-0 victory over Schalke. That season, Bayern went on to secure their third successive title.

This season, Union Berlin halted Bayern's impressive 16-game winning streak just before the international break. The Bavarian giants will be eager to start another winning stretch against Freiburg before heading to Arsenal on Wednesday for the Champions League. With ten matches played, Bayern currently holds a six-point lead over Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Freiburg has not managed to beat Bayern since May 2015, and they have never won a league match in Munich, where they have endured some heavy defeats. After losing their first two league games, Freiburg has only lost to Bayer Leverkusen since then.

On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund, currently in third place, will face fourth-placed Stuttgart, with Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi hoping to draw attention for his performance rather than for the possession of illegal weapons. Adeyemi stated that the item came into his possession after he ordered a "mystery box" online.

This Saturday will see struggling Wolfsburg host Leverkusen for the first time since parting ways with their sporting director and coach. Leverkusen aims for better results ahead of their away match against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Eintracht Frankfurt, another Champions League contender, will visit Cologne late Saturday.

In a 2-2 draw against Union, Luis Diaz, who has been impressive for Bayern, scored what could be termed the season's best goal from a difficult angle. Since joining Bayern from Liverpool, the Colombian forward has netted 11 goals and provided five assists in his first 17 outings for the team.

Hoffenheim's leading scorer, Fisnik Asllani, who has netted five goals, has participated in every game so far. Mainz will be wary of the threat he poses.

Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav, who recently returned from an injury, was not selected for Germany's World Cup qualifiers. After scoring two goals before the international break, he played against Dortmund in hopes of remaining on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann's radar for the upcoming World Cup.

Following the injury that kept wing defender Álex Grimaldo out of Spain's World Cup qualifying match against Turkey on Tuesday, Leverkusen is concerned about his fitness. Grimaldo had already been at his limits and missed Leverkusen's 3-0 defeat to Bayern. He has become a vital player for Leverkusen after many key players left during the summer.

After suffering a leg injury during the Club World Cup in July, Jamal Musiala returned to ball training with Bayern last week. The club plans for the 22-year-old forward to get some playing time in December and be fully fit by January when the league resumes after its 2 ½-week winter break.

BAYERN MUNICH RULE OUT MARCUS RASHFORD MOVE REGARDLESS OF ANTHONY GORDON OUTCOME

Marcus Rashford is not a target for Bayern Munich this summer, as the club focuses entirely on signing Gordon from Newcastle.

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Bayern Munich excluded Marcus Rashford from their summer plans - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich aren’t considering a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, no matter what happens with Anthony Gordon. That’s according to a German reporter who’s close to the story.

Right now, Rashford is wrapping up his loan at Barcelona. He’s set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season. Barcelona have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million (£26 million) in the summer. Both Rashford and Barcelona want him to stay, but here’s the catch: the club doesn’t want to pay the full €30 million.

Barcelona would rather keep Rashford on loan for another year or get him for a lower fee. Manchester United’s not having it. They want the full price, so Barcelona are starting to look at other players.

Rashford hasn’t made a secret of where he wants to be. Earlier in the season, he told Sport, one of the local Barcelona papers, about how much he wants to stay, saying, “Of course, what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s the ultimate goal.” He talked about the pressure and expectations at the club, saying they keep him motivated and that he feels like he’s in the perfect environment to grow and win trophies. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until next summer.

Last year, Bayern Munich actually showed some interest in Rashford before he went to Barcelona. But now, they’re focused on signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for the left wing. The problem is, Gordon’s interested, but Newcastle’s price is ridiculous, reportedly around £80 million (€92.6 million). That’s much higher than what Bayern’s willing to pay. They’re thinking closer to £60 million (€69.4 million), and maybe with add-ons or an instalment plan. If Newcastle won’t budge, it probably isn’t happening.

Christian Falk, a trusted journalist from Bild, says Bayern aren’t considering Rashford as a backup if they can’t land Gordon. Bayern’s got a short list of players for the left wing, and Rashford isn’t on it. Gordon’s their main focus, but even if that deal falls through, Rashford’s not the next in line.

So at this stage, Bayern and Rashford won’t be coming together this summer, even if Gordon stays at Newcastle. That’s just not in the plans.

BAYERN MUNICH IDENTIFY ARSENAL’S KAI HAVERTZ AS TOP TARGET FOR SUMMER WINDOW

From North London to Munich? Kai Havertz emerges as the leading candidate to join Bayern’s elite Premier League-built attack.

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Kai Havertz emerges as Bayern replacement for Jackson following Chelsea deal collapse - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich still have their eye on an Arsenal star, hoping to bring more Premier League experience up front, especially after plans with Chelsea fell apart.

Right now, Bayern are among the best teams in Europe. It really depends on how you rank PSG, but Bayern’s up there, no question. Vincent Kompany deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this level. Still, you can’t ignore their recruitment. They keep picking top-flight Premier League attackers, and it works.

With Luis Diaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, Bayern’s attack is lethal. Those three have already scored 100 goals this season. Defenders in the Bundesliga just can’t cope, and you can tell their time in England’s toughest league has paid off.

Bayern have another Premier League forward in the mix right now, but he’s not sticking around.

Chelsea deal off, Bayern looking at Arsenal.

On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano made it official that X: Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge this summer because Bayern aren’t activating his €65m buy option. Bayern’s director, Max Eberl, confirmed it, so that the backup spot behind Kane opens again when Jackson leaves.

James Benge reports that Kai Havertz’s name is coming up as a possible replacement. He said on the Inside Arsenal podcast that Bayern are definitely interested, “but nothing concrete yet.” Havertz could be the squad player who covers for Musiala and Kane.

Honestly, signing a German for Germany’s top club makes sense. Arsenal won’t just roll over, though, if Bayern come calling. Even after picking up Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Mikel Arteta still prefers Havertz up front. When Arsenal played Manchester City in their biggest game this season, Arteta benched Gyokeres and started Havertz.

Havertz has had injury issues this year. Heading into summer, he’ll still have two years left on his contract. If Bayern make a strong offer, Arsenal could think about selling.

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