Fulltime Observations

• For the second time in a month, Union Berlin’s brutish style of play gave Bayern all sorts of frustration. Bayern’s attack never found any rhythm and there was a whistle or a de-cleated player every 30 seconds.
• Once Aleksandar Pavlović was removed due to injury, Bayern lost all control of this match. Leon Goretzka has never been that type of player but he certainly did not help matters either. Tom Bischof might have been a better option to insert a semblance of intentional possession in this match.
• Lennart Karl had another fatigued outing. There were a few moments of brilliance but his off-ball movement was limited compared to his more impressive performances.
• All five goals came from set pieces, including two own goals conceded by Union Berlin. Say what you will about the importance of domestic cups but they are not short on drama.
• This is the type of DFB-Pokal night that has tripped up Bayern since the sextuple in 2020. Instead, Bayern never trailed and will escape advance to the quarterfinals as the heavy favorite to win the domestic cup.

Bayern returns to Bundesliga action this weekend with a tough road match at sixth-place Stuttgart.

DFB-Pokal Scores (Round of 16)

• Hamburg 1-1 (2-4) Kiel
• Dortmund 0-1 Leverkusen
• Leipzig 3-1 Magdeburg
• Bochum 0-2 Stuttgart
• Freiburg 2-0 Darmstadt
• Gladbach 1-2 St. Pauli
• Hertha Berlin 6-1 Kaiserslautern

FT: Bayern wins!

90’: Six minutes of stoppage time.

88’: Substitution. Stanley N’Soki replaces Tom Rothe.

87’: Yellow card. Aljoscha Kemlein is booked for a foul.

86’: Substitution. Kim Min-jae and Hiroki Itō replace Michael Olise and Konrad Laimer.

83’: Substitutions. Tim Skarke and Livan Burcu replace Woo-Yeong Jeong and András Schäfer.

82’: Yellow card. Dayot Upamecano is booked for a phantom foul on Ilyas Ansah.

80’: Yellow card. Ilyas Ansah is booked for his foul on Jonathan Tah.

73’: Substitution. Serge Gnabry replaces Lennart Karl.

55’: Goal, Union Berlin. Bayern up 3-2. Leopold Querfeld beats Manuel Neuer again from the penalty spot.

55’: Yellow card. Vincent Kompany is booked for arguing the call on Harry Kane.

54’: Yellow card. Harry Kane is booked for his foul in the box.

49’: Substitution. Leon Goretzka replaces Aleksandar Pavlović. Pavlović heads straight to the locker room for medical treatment.

46’: No changes from either side.

Halftime Observations

• The first 10 minutes were very concerning for Bayern. Union Berlin’s high press was highly effective in forcing Bayern into dangerous spots. The (first) fluke own goal changed the flow of the game and sent all momentum over to Bayern, who quickly capitalized with a second goal.
• Michael Olise is usually more tentative and patient in the first half, but today he is consistently exploding past players and finding the pockets within Union Berlin’s defensive setup.
• From a sporting perspective, it’s pretty obvious that Manuel Neuer’s mustache was the culprit for Bayern’s disappointing November. That being said, what an insane VAR decision that was an inkling of the Cucarella decision in the 2024 EURO quarterfinal.
• If Union Berlin wants to stage a comeback, they need to shrink their defensive shell and explode quicker into transition scenarios. Bayern needs to continue to suffocate Union Berlin’s defense with dribbling attacks and finish the scenarios where they have a numbers advantage in the final third.
• Union Berlin should try to avoid any more own goals. Just a suggestion.

DFB-Pokal Scores (Round of 16)

Halftime Scores

• Hamburg 0-0 Kiel

Final Scores

• Dortmund 0-1 Leverkusen
• Leipzig 3-1 Magdeburg
• Bochum 0-2 Stuttgart
• Freiburg 2-0 Darmstadt
• Gladbach 1-2 St. Pauli
• Hertha Berlin 6-1 Kaiserslautern

45’: Bayern up 3-1 at the break.

45’+4: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 3-1. Michael Olise’s cross is flicked into the back of the net by Diogo Leite. Another cruel own goal against Union Berlin.

40’: Goal, Union Berlin. Bayern up 2-1. Jonathan Tah handball (confirmed by VAR) leads to penalty kick from Leopold Querfeld.

24’:GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 2-0. Joshua Kimmich’s corner kick finds Harry Kane for a perfect glancing header.

12’:GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 1-0. Aleksandar Pavlović shields the goalkeeper on Joshua Kimmich’s corner kick and the ball deflects off the thigh of Ilyas Ansah.

1’: LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Vincent Kompany’s trust in 17-year old attacker Lennart Karl extends for another match. Manuel Neuer returns to the DFB-Pokal after serving his red card suspension. This looks like Bayern’s champagne XI until Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies return from injury.

Last month, Union Berlin became the first team in Europe to take points from Bayern Munich this season. Stoppage time theatrics from Harry Kane produced a 2-2 draw to counter Danilho Doekhi’s brace. Union Berlin will get another crack at Bayern in this week’s Round of 16 DFB-Pokal match.

Historically, Union Berlin has never defeated Bayern in 13 Bundesliga matches. Bayern has not been eliminated in the Round of 16 since 2006 in a 4-2 upset at the hands of Alemannia Aachen.

Union Berlin defeated FC Gütersloh (5-0) and Arminia Bielefeld (2-1) to reach the Round of 16. Union Berlin currently sits midtable at 11th place in the Bundesliga.

Odds: Bayern (-345), Draw (+525), Union Berlin (+700)

Prediction: Bayern wins 2-1. Bayern’s sluggish starts will flash again as Union Berlin scores on a free kick in the 23rd minute, taking a lead into the halftime whistle. Harry Kane comes out of the locker room like a bat out of hell and scores two quick goals, both in the 67th minute, to silence the home crowd. Bayern hits the post a couple more times but dominates the rest of the way.

It’s Bayern time.

Match Info

Location: An der alten Försterei, Berlin, Germany

Date: Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025

Time: 8:45pm local time (2:45pm EST)

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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