Supercup: Julian Nagelsmann eyes first-ever title

If you want to win anything in Germany, at some point you have to beat Bayern. Having found that out the hard way, Nagelsmann has joined the record titleholders to get that particular hurdle out of the way. 

Ahead of his move from Hoffenheim to Leipzig in 2019, Nagelsmann made his future intentions very clear. When asked whether he saw himself as a future Bayern Munich coach, Nagelsmann told Bild: "It is a nice club. Of course I can imagine that some day I will be a coach there, but I can also do that with Liverpool or Barca. In six years at the latest, I want to hold something silver in my hand."  

Two trophyless seasons passed at Leipzig, who were beaten by Bayern in the title race and Dormtund the German Cup. Now Nagelsmann is about to contest his second final as a coach and first since becoming Bayern boss. The Supercup isn’t a major trophy, but it is one that can set the tone. 

"Claiming a first trophy with my first win would be great," Nagelsmann said following Bayern's winless preseason and Friday's 1-1 draw with Gladbach. "It’s an important match against a team that started very well in the Bundesliga. We’ll do anything to win."

Their Supercup opponents, Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, romped to an opening day 5-2 win over Frankfurt. With Erling Haaland firing on all cylinders,the Black and Yellows have already set the early marker in the Bundesliga title race and will look to double down on Tuesday. 

Lack of depth 

In the event of a loss for Bayern, the pressure would grow to beef up Bayern’s rather thin squad, something Nagelsmann refused to be drawn on during his pre-match press conference. 

The only big money signing was already agreed in January, with Nagelsmann’s former defensive lynchpin at Leipzig, Dayot Upamecano, joining in the summer as Bayern again go into the season with little to no cover for key positions. 

That has already been exposed by Benjamin Pavard's ankle injury, with Nagelsmann's lack of faith in Bouna Sarr benefiting academy graduate Josip Stanisic. "He’s a very reliable player, who makes few mistakes," said Nagelsmann. "He tries to lead the players around him and is very talkative on the pitch. He had a solid game [against Gladbach] and has a good chance to start."

Reflecting on the draw at Borussia-Park, Nagelsmann admitted that Bayern "still have a little to do. We lost the ball too often in buildup play. We had very little time to get our rhythm. It wasn’t the ideal match for us to get going physically, it was 0 to 100 straight away."

Judging by their first two matches under Marco Rose and Erling Haaland's goalscoring form, Borussia Dortmund won’t be a comfortable opponent in that regard either. But history is on Bayern’s side when it comes to this clash. 

Supercup duopoly 

Since the revamp of the Supercup in 2010, just three other teams have shared the stage with these two heavyweights: Schalke, Frankfurt, Wolfsburg. Bayern have won it six times to Dortmund's three, but the latter will enjoy home advantage, playing in front of a 25,000-strong crowd at the Signal Iduna Park. 

An emotional tribute will also be to the deceased Gerd Müller, whose single-season record Robert Lewandowski broke just last season. Müller still holds the record for most Bundesliga goals ever, with an astonishing 398 goals in 453 league appearances. 

There have never been fewer than two goals when these two sides have met in this early-season clash of heavyweights. So, expect a thrilling match, one that could have clear consequences for the coming weeks. Nagelsmann still has four years to fulfill his own title demands, but Bayern won't be waiting that long.