Bayern won as Thiago and Gotze disappoints

Bayern Munich extended their unbeaten record to 28 consecutive matches in the Bundesliga, beating Nurnberg 2-0 at the Allianz Arena. Goals from Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben helped them to claim all three points in the Bavarian derby, leaving them with a perfect nine points from three matches in the 2013-14 Bundesliga campaign keeping up with Dorutmund.

Guardiola continued his vision for a new Bayern Munich style by starting both new signings, Thiago Alcantara and Mario Gotze, in the central positions of his roaming front four, alongside Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, while Mario Mandzukic led the line.
The first half offered no more than another troublesome 45 minutes for Bayern and their fans as the central pairing of Thiago Alcantara and Mario Gotze struggled. In the former Dortmund playmaker's first Bundesliga start for his new side, both he and Thiago offered very little in terms of attacking options, as both not only failed to adapt to their own roles in the side, but also to the strong defense of their stubborn opponents.
There were moments of brilliance from the defending champions, unsurprisingly through the ever-reliable Franck Ribery as he skipped past Timothy Chandler on the left-hand wing and continuously sought the attention of Nurnberg's remaining back line. Arjen Robben was also of use throughout the first half, peppering the right wing with his direct runs.
Bayern surprisingly began the second half with the same starting eleven intact, yet with a different range of instructions as Ribery and Robben put a greater emphasis on crossing the ball for their towering striker in the box.
By the 60th minute, Nurnberg's box was in utter bombardment from the service offered to Mandzukic, as the striker duly complied and threatened to open the scoring if not for an excellent effort by Schafer to push the Croatian's header over the box.
Change finally came in the following 10 minutes as the two first-half culprits, Thiago and Gotze, were eventually replaced by Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos. The difference was immediate and in the 69th minute Franck Ribery broke the deadlock with a passionate header. With the home side finally getting their goal, all that was left for Nurnberg was to simply sit by and helplessly witness a wonderful goal from Arjen Robben deep in the later stages of the half as he skipped by three rushing defenders and slotted the ball past the stunned goalkeeper.

 A goal that will go down as an "Arjen Robben trademark," as the icing on the cake of this incredibly comfortable win for the Munich side in the 187th Bavarian derby.

Predicting Bavarian derby with Bayern playing against Nurnberg

Pep Guardiola's side will be hoping to get back to business this weekend when they face their old enemy, FC Nurnberg in a David vs Goliath fight.
In the 187th Bavarian derby between the two clubs, Bayern Munich will be hoping to continue their undefeated campaign in the Bundesliga thus far, as Nurnberg will be desperate for at least a point in this tasty encounter. Bayern have came through their two initial games unscathed, albeit against pedestrian opponents in Gladbach and then Frankfurt on Saturday, with six points intact as Pep and his squad continue to mould a new age for the German and European champions.
Nurnberg, on the other hand, have struggled in both of their initial fixtures. First, against fellow relegation battlers Hoffenheim in which two late second half goals were enough to rescue them a point, and then again against Hertha Berlin the following week in which Hiroshi Kiyotake's last minute free-kick again saved them from blushes.
No more than simply hanging on, for Michael Wiesinger's side at the moment.

Bayern player to watch:
Franck Ribery

Although Bayern's new season hasn't kicked off with the same tantalizing form that they ended the last one in, Franck Ribery has wasted no time with his quest to confirm his talent as equal to that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite only playing two games,Ribery has already clocked up an assist and five key passes between both games, with an average of nine successful dribbles in each game. According to stats websiteWhoScored.com the Frenchman has easily been one of Bayern's best players this season and, as such, Nurnberg's greatest threat.

Nurnberg player to watch:
Daniel Ginczek

The former Dortmund youth striker has done fantastically well for Der Club since joining in the summer, with a tally of one goal and assist in his first two games for the new side. In particular, it was Ginczek's goal in the initial game against Hoffenheimthat won his side the vital point, while it was his through ball in the second game against Hertha Berlin that set up Josip Drmic's opening goal against the visiting side. Young, talented and hungry, Ginczek is quickly proving himself invaluable to Nurnbeg.

Prediction
 Although Bayern haven't been at their best in the opening weeks of this season's Bundesliga campaign, and Nurnberg have proven rather industrious in their ability to come back from losing positions in the past two games, it seems unlikely that the game will result in anything but a comprehensive win for the champions. Nurnberg are simply too weak at the moment, and Bayern too strong.

Bayern 4-0 Nurnberg


When: Saturday, August 24, 2:30 p.m. GMT (8:30 a.m. ET)
Where: The Allianz Arena, Munich
 Watch: ESPN UK