Bayern Munich will ease into Club World Cup with “B” squad for opening match

After winning the Champions League in both 2013 and 2020, Bayern Munich subsequently claimed the Club World Cup. Five years later, Bayern will join a host of 31 other clubs that descend upon North America to participate in FIFA’s cash grab tournament.

Bayern’s players who participated in last week’s Nations League finale will only arrive a day or two before Sunday’s match against Auckland City FC. Bayern’s strategy is gaining some clarity (via @iMiaSanMia).

Auckland City, Bayern’s first opponent at the Club World Cup, are comparable to a Regionalliga team in Germany. Many of their players are part-time footballers and had to take a vacation from their actual jobs to play at the Club World Cup. Bayern are expected to line up with a B team, more or less – especially since the international players will arrive in the US on Friday and will only have 1-2 training sessions. [Sky]

Compared to a fourth division German side, Bayern II should be able to dispense of Auckland City FC with ease. Once Bayern grabs a lead, the fans can start to relax. It was only a month ago that third division winner Arminia Bielefeld finished as the runner-up in the DFB-Pokal.

Looking for a breakdown on Bayern Munich’s visit to North America for the Club World Cup? Awesome, then check out our latest podcast, Bavarian Podcast Works — Special Edition: Bayern Munich at the Club World Cup. We’ll cover Bayern Munich’s traveling squad, its group opponents, the tourney favorites, matches to watch, and MORE! You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, Acast, most other leading podcast distributors, or below:

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