FC Augsburg host Bayern Munich at the WWK Arena on 10 October 2026 in a Bundesliga matchday 5 clash with a Bavarian derby edge to it. Augsburg sit fourth with seven points from four games and are pushing hard for European qualification, whereas Bayern are second with ten points and a goal difference of plus twelve, chasing leaders Borussia Dortmund. This is only the second time Manuel Baum and Vincent Kompany have met on a touchline, with Baum winning it when his Augsburg side shocked Bayern 2-1 at the Allianz Arena in January 2026. Kompany has had a strong run since replacing Thomas Tuchel in May 2024 but that January defeat is the one data point Augsburg fans are clinging to.
Augsburg arrive having won two of their last four: a 4-1 away victory at Eintracht Frankfurt and a 3-2 home win over Werder Bremen, sandwiched around a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, before dropping three points in a 3-2 reverse at Werder Bremen. Bayern arrive on the back of a 7-0 dismantling of Union Berlin, having won three of their four games to open the season.
Baum is without Noahkai Banks (knee and lateral ligament), Steve Mounié (fitness) and Tim Breithaupt (injury). Losing Banks and Breithaupt hurts their defensive shape most and without Mounié there is no natural aerial outlet up front. Bayern travel without Jamal Musiala, recovering from a hamstring and thigh muscle injury, which forces Kompany to shuffle his midfield options, though the squad is deep enough to absorb it.
Augsburg set up in a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 using a compact back three and wing back width to control the midfield and transition quickly, producing eleven goals in four league outings. Michael Gregoritsch leads the attack, Fabian Rieder sits in central midfield and Marius Wolf provides width from the right wing back spot, while Alexis Claude-Maurice adds an attacking midfield option. Bayern's 4-2-3-1 revolves around Kimmich and Pavlovic controlling the game from deep, with Harry Kane leading the line and dropping short to link play, Michael Olise arriving late into the box from the right and Luis Diaz cutting in from the left.
Without Banks and Breithaupt, Augsburg's back three loses the two players who set its shape. Kane drops short to pull centre backs out of position, Kimmich plays line breaking passes into the space left behind and Olise and Diaz pull Augsburg's stand-in defenders wide to open channels for Kane to run into. Without Mounié there is also no one to hold play up against Bayern's centre backs, so Gregoritsch will be isolated for long stretches. Losing Musiala changes a stylistic option for Bayern rather than a structural one, with Olise and Diaz well placed to do the damage in his absence.
The individual battles worth tracking: Gregoritsch versus Bayern's centre backs is the obvious one, though he will struggle to get the service he needs with Rieder under sustained pressure from Kimmich. Olise versus Wolf on the right flank is the most consequential duel on the pitch. Wolf has been solid this season but Olise has been the better player by some distance and if Wolf gets dragged into chasing him rather than holding his position, that right channel opens up for Kane to exploit. How well Rieder tracks Kimmich will go a long way to determining whether Augsburg can compete in midfield or end up reacting to Bayern's positional rotations rather than winning the ball.
Bayern have won eight of the last ten meetings between these sides. The most recent was that 2-1 Augsburg win in January 2026, being the only Bundesliga defeat Bayern suffered that season. Augsburg have scored in most of their recent home games against Bayern, consistent with a side that counter attacks rather than defends deep. They will miss Banks and Breithaupt specifically at set pieces, since both were central to the organisational structure Baum relies on when defending them.
Bayern win 3-0. Without their three injured starters the defensive structure is patchwork and that matters enormously against an attack as varied as Bayern's. Augsburg beat them 2-1 at the Allianz Arena earlier in 2026 and Baum clearly has a plan for this fixture but that was with a full squad and this is not that situation.
The likeliest route to that scoreline: Bayern press hard from the first whistle, Kimmich and Pavlovic dominate the midfield and a Kane or Olise goal before half time opens the game up. Augsburg will get moments on the break, particularly through Wolf's runs but without Banks anchoring the back three their replacements will be under sustained pressure from Bayern's press for the full ninety minutes. Two more goals after the break, as Augsburg's stand-ins tire and the gaps grow.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
