FC Bayern’s 4-1 mauling at the hands of VfL Wolfsburg had provided something of a shock to all fans of the club, and the “Englische Woche” fixture against Schalke 04 couldn’t come to soon – if just to get back on track as quickly as possible and get the horror of their first defeat of the season out of their system. While the performance in a chilly Allianz Arena had been a marked improvement on the disaster just three days earlier, things would again not quite go to plan. Continue reading FCB v FC Schalke 04 →

With three points in the locker after the hard-fought opening day win against VfL Wolfsburg, FC Bayern’s first Bundesliga road trip would take them to Gelsenkirchen and a meeting with perennial title rivals Schalke 04. The game would see the much-anticipated debut of Spanish international defensive midfielder and former Real Madrid stalwart Xabi Alonso, while at the same time the somewhat less heralded Sebastian Rode – signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer – would also make his first Bundesliga start. Continue reading FC Schalke 04 v FCB →