Everybody knows about Munich's best stocked trophy cabinet, but even by their own standards, last season, under coach Vincent Kompany, was a historic one for FC Bayern. They set a new scoring record within a Bundesliga season with 122 goals, surpassing the previous best mark, which had stood for over 50 years, by 21. The team's 35th league title was officially confirmed after only the 30th matchday, and their 89 points was the third highest total on record (behind the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons where they got 90 and 91 points, respectively). However, this was still was not enough for the treble. While Bayern won the DFB Pokal, tParis Saint-Germain emerged victorious from their thrilling semi-finals. 

17 of the 23 members of the FCB first-team squad participated in the World Cup this summer, with only the injured Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl, backup goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, and defenders Sacha Boey, and Tom Bischof, not taking part in the tournament. Though Jonas Urbig was not officially part of the German squad, he still traveled as a training goalkeeper to the DFB camp. 

That squad remains largely unchanged. In addition to the permanent signing of loan player Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, only two further new arrivals came in the shape of Nathanael Brown, from Eintracht Frankfurt, and PSV's Ismael Saibari. Going the other way, Leon Goretzka left Bavaria after eight years.

Bayern are the only current Bundesliga team against whom Union have never won. Bayern have won ten of the fifteen games, five have been drawn. The last player to score for Union in the Allianz Arena was Marcus Ingvartsen in the 1-1 draw in April 2021.

Union's coaching team will have to do without Oliver Burke, Marvin Friedrich, Andrej Ilić, Josip Juranović, and Stanley Nsoki on Friday.

“It's always special against Bayern, it is a match that is different from many others," said Union's head coach, Mauro Lustrinelli, during his press conference on Wednesday afternoon. "It will be important for us to perform as a cohesive team over the entire 90 minutes and to bring a consistent performance onto the pitch. Of course, many things have to come together, perhaps even everything. We will put everything in so that we can show our best side.” 

2,400 Unioner are traveling to Munich. The Union-Fahr-Zeughaus will be joining them on-site. Information about visiting the stadium can be found here (German)