Before the last competitive match of the year, planning for January is already underway in Munich and FC Bayern has already set out its winter schedule.
After the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on December 21, Vincent Kompany’s team will take a short winter break. Just 13 days later, the head coach will invite his players back to Säbener Straße: preparations for the second half of the season will officially begin on January 3, 2026.
A fixed date in the calendar follows directly on the next day: the traditional fan club visit is scheduled for 4 January, with players and managers traveling throughout Bavaria. Two days later, the only test before the start of the competitive season awaits: FCB will host RB Salzburg on 6 January at 3 p.m.
Munich have invested a lot this season and have recently looked increasingly exhausted. In three of the last four Bundesliga matches, the team initially fell behind, revealed unusual weaknesses in finishing and lacked freshness at times. RTL reporter Marc Gabel therefore sees an acute need for recovery: „As good as this first half of the season has gone for FC Bayern so far, it has to be said quite clearly that they are obviously running out of breath and feeling a bit tired.“
Kompany: „Phase pretty well over“
Vincent Kompany takes a different view of the situation. Asked about the physical condition of his players, he explained: „I think we’ve come through this phase pretty well, especially when you look at other teams and how many players they’re missing.“ He pointed to positive developments in the squad. Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies are available again, Jamal Musiala is about to make his comeback. „As soon as Jamal is back, we’ll have all the players available,“ said the 39-year-old.
Nevertheless, Kompany left no doubt about his ambition after the draw against Mainz: „Of course, today was disappointing. We always want to win at home, regardless of the opponent – we didn’t manage that today.“
FC Bayern’s new competitive season begins on 11 January with a home match against VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. There is still some time until then to take a deep breath – and to set new impulses.
