Saibari given Bayern Munich starting role for Schalke 04 clash

Bayern Munich travel to Gelsenkirchen to face Schalke 04 in the second round of the Bundesliga on Saturday, with Morocco international Ismael Saibari named in the starting line-up.

The match will be covered live by Afrik-Foot from 18:30 GMT+2.

Saibari, one of Bayern’s headline summer signings, impressed on his debut and has now been selected from the start in the league for the first time. He also began Wednesday’s German Cup match, and his inclusion comes at the expense of Harry Kane, who starts the game on the substitutes’ bench.

The decision provides another significant moment in the early Bayern career of the Moroccan midfielder, who has quickly moved into contention under manager Vincent Kompany.

Bayern have made an emphatic start to the campaign and have already demonstrated their ambitions before the Bundesliga season has fully taken shape. They began by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup.

That success was followed by an even more convincing league performance, as Bayern defeated Stuttgart 5-1 in their opening Bundesliga fixture. Their strong run continued in the German Cup on Wednesday, when Kompany’s side recorded a 4-1 victory over Osnabruck.

Across their three competitive matches since the German Super Cup, Bayern have scored 11 goals.

Schalke 04 have had a more difficult beginning after returning to the Bundesliga. The promoted side opened their German Cup campaign with a 5-2 victory against Hallescher FC, but they were then beaten heavily by Augsburg in their first league match, losing 3-0.

Recent meetings between the clubs also point towards a demanding evening for Schalke. The latest encounter took place on 13 May 2023, when Bayern produced a resounding 6-0 win at the Allianz Arena. Earlier that season, Bayern had also won in Gelsenkirchen, prevailing 2-0.

The two fixtures before those victories went the same way. Bayern won 4-0 away from home in January 2021 and then claimed an 8-0 success in Munich in September 2020.

The overall record is even more strongly weighted in Bayern’s favour. In 119 official meetings between the teams, Bayern have won 68 times, while Schalke 04 have recorded 20 victories.

Saturday’s fixture therefore brings together a Bayern side carrying considerable attacking momentum and a Schalke team attempting to respond after a disappointing start to their return to the top flight. Much of the focus before kick-off will be on Saibari, whose surprise selection ahead of Kane gives the visitors’ line-up its main talking point.