Q & A with Bavarian Football Works

We asked Ryan Cowper from BFW a few questions about Bayern before our big match this weekend.

Q1) Thiago didn't have a great game this week. How has he been this season and is he a risk for Bayern to play vs BVB?

A) This season is Thiago's coming out party. Without him, Bayern Munich don't tick in quite the same way they normally do. While it's true, that Tuesday's to Hoffenheim was a bit of a dud loss it came on the heels of a masterclass dismantling of Augsburg last weekend. Thiago should definitely play and with Thomas Müller out injured, expect the Spaniard to be the focal control of the Bayern attack.

Q2) At what point does the "Renato Sanches is new, he still needs time" narrative become "Hey, it's been like 20 matches now, maybe he's not as good as we thought"

A) Probably when his age starts with a 2 instead of a 1. The Portugese midfielder hasn't had the greatest season at Bayern so far. He's been highly inconsistent but when he's on, Renato Sanches is a monster. At his best he's the physicality of Arturo Vidal with the silky moves of Joshua Kimmich and Thiago. He's the real deal complete package midfielder and it's easy to see why Bayern dropped €35M(potentially €80M) on him. At his worst, he's an ok midfielder with a penchance for switching off on defense or disappearing from matches when stymied for choices.

Q3) How has Thomas Muller done this season?

A) Rough would be the best way to describe it. It took Carlo Ancelotti nearly 8 months to figure out how to use Thomas Müller but the entire time it wasn't for lack of understanding. Carlo Ancelotti thinks incredibly highly of Müller and it's the reason he's logged 2400 minutes despite only scoring 8 goals -- most of which have come in the last month. The other reason is Müller has put up 15 assists already. Müller is showing just what makes him the quintessential team player that Joachim Löw finds a space for in the starting eleven for Germany.

Q4) Which BVB star are you buying this summer

A) Honestly, this is a really tough question. The sexy marketing answer is Christian Pulisic. The screw you answer is Felix Passlack. Though, it's Bayern so the most likely answer is Ousman Dembele.