The Bundesliga's two remaining perfect records will be pitted against one another on Friday, as Bayern Munich welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Allianz Arena.
The two sides have each won all three of their opening games in the German top flight, with the visitors currently occupying top spot thanks to a slightly superior goal difference.
Match preview
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After their dramatic triumph on the final day of the 2022-23 season, leapfrogging Borussia Dortmund to finish at the summit of the German top flight, Bayern Munich headed into the new campaign with the aim of winning a 12th consecutive Bundesliga title and a 34th in their history.
The latest defence, in their first full season under Thomas Tuchel's management, after a 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup, began away at Werder Bremen in mid-August, and the Bavarian side eventually came away with a 4-0 victory, despite only leading through Leroy Sane's goal until the final 20 minutes, as Harry Kane and Mathys Tel then got on the scoresheet alongside Sane's second in injury time.
Die Roten's next test came at home to Augsburg, and they went ahead on the half-hour mark through a Felix Uduokhai own goal, before a Kane brace all but secured the second straight three-point haul, with Dion Drena Beljo's late goal being the only blemish on a dominant display at the Allianz Arena.
Tuchel's men would certainly have to fight harder in the final game of the first stretch of the campaign prior to the international break, though, as they trailed by a goal to nil away at Borussia Monchengladbach until the hour mark following Ko Itakura's 30th-minute opener, only to draw level through Sane and come out on top thanks to Tel's decisive goal in the 87th minute.
Now on the back of a rest following their winning start, Bayern Munich will aim to mark their return to action with a victory over the current table-toppers on Friday to establish a lead at the summit of the division for the first time this term.
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Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, will be keen to crown their strong start with a major scalp at the Allianz Arena to gain a cushion of their own, having impressed thus far in Xabi Alonso's first full season at the helm after his appointment last October.
Die Werkself ended the 2022-23 Bundesliga term in sixth spot, and following an 8-0 thrashing of Teutonia Ottensen in the DFB-Pokal first round, their new league campaign began with a tough test against RB Leipzig, who they eventually beat 3-2 courtesy of goals from Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz, with Alonso's men standing strong to protect their lead in the final 20 minutes after Lois Openda reduced the deficit to one.
They would then travel to take on Borussia Monchengladbach and take all three points in more comfortable fashion, again netting three goals alongside a first clean sheet as Victor Boniface hit a brace together with another Tah goal.
Die Werkself would carry their perfect record into the international break in style with a 5-1 thrashing of newly-promoted Darmstadt at the beginning of September, as Boniface again hit a double with Exequiel Palacios, Jonas Hofmann and Adam Hlozek also getting on the scoresheet.
Desperate to build on their perfect record and establish themselves in the leading pack in this year's Bundesliga, Alonso will aim to get one over on the side he turned out for 117 times to make it four wins from four and build a lead at the top of the table.
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Team News
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Bayern Munich may come into Friday's contest with the same starting XI from their victory away at Borussia Monchengladbach prior to the break, with captain and first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer remaining sidelined by injury, as is new defender Raphael Guerreiro and attacker Jamal Musiala.
In Neuer's absence, Sven Ulreich will continue to deputise between the sticks, while summer arrival Kim Min-Jae could again join Matthijs De Ligt in the middle of a back four with Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich bound to continue their partnership in the engine room.
Although Mathys Tel has a claim to come in from the outset, after netting the winner off the bench against Gladbach, Harry Kane should again be preferred up front having already netted three Bundesliga goals since his club-record arrival from Tottenham Hotspur over the summer, while there is still competition for supporting roles in Musiala's absence with Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane all vying to feature.
Bayer Leverkusen remain without forward Patrik Schick due to an injury, with defender Piero Hincapie also confined to the treatment room, although winger Amine Adli does return to contention, having now served his suspension for a red card picked up on the final day of last season.
Adli, alongside the likes of Adam Hlozek and Nathan Tella, is vying to break into the front three from the start in Alonso's 3-4-3 setup, although they face fierce competition with Jonas Hofmann and Florian Wirtz having started the season impressively on the flanks, while Victor Boniface will again lead the line with four goals and two assists to his name in just three Bundesliga appearances since making a summer switch from Union SG.
Fellow summer arrival Granit Xhaka will again play a key role alongside Exequiel Palacios in the engine room, while Hincapie's continued absence means Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah and Edmond Tapsoba are bound to line up in an unchanged back three, with Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo tasked with offering further attacking support from wing-back roles.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulreich; Mazraoui, Kim, De Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Coman; Kane
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Boniface, Wirtz
We say: Bayern Munich 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen
With plenty of confidence from their own fine start, Bayer Leverkusen will hope to catch out the defending champions at the Allianz Arena after the international break, and they should certainly cause the Bavarians problems with their attacking quality.
We do, however, see Tuchel's men having just enough to outscore Die Werkself and take all three points from a tough test on home turf.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Sam Varley
