With the most expected return, this are the lineups for Bayern Munich vs Darmstadt

The 2023/24 Bundesliga season has got off to a hotly contested start. Unlike in previous years, when Bayern Munich dominated the tournament and were champions with a big lead, this time there are several clubs that are proving to live up to expectations. Xabi Alonso's surprising Bayer Leverkusen lead the standings with 22 points, but they will only play Freiburg on Sunday, so other teams will have a chance to overtake them by at least a few hours.

Stuttgart, second with 21 points, will face Hoffenheim this Saturday. And simultaneously Bayern Munich, third with 20 points, will play against Darmstadt at Allianz Arena. There, Thomas Tuchel's team will try to get a victory that will allow them to climb positions in the standings.

They have had little time to rest, as last Tuesday they traveled to Istanbul to face Galatasaray and won 3-1. That allows them to lead Champions League Group A and be close to securing their place in the round of 16. That is why the coach will not speculate this Saturday and will put his best players on the field. The main novelty will be the return of Manuel Neuer, who has not played since 2022 due to a serious injury.

Bayern Munich's starting lineup will be: Manuel Neuer; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs De Ligt, Kim Min-Jae, Alphonso Davies; Konrad Laimer, Joshua Kimmich; Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané; Harry Kane.

They need to improve

Darmstadt have had a poor start to the season. In their first nine games they barely managed two wins (against Werder Bremen and Augsburg), drew once and lost five. As a result, they are in 12th place in the standings, just two points behind the relegation zone. Coach Torsten Lieberknetch chose this starting lineup: Marcel Schuhen; Christoph Klarer, Klaus Gjasula, Matej Maglica; Matthias Bader, Tobias Kempe, Fabian Schnellhardt, Fabian Numberger, Marvin Mehlem, Luca Pfeiffer, Tim Skarke.