Bayern Munich's trip to the WWK Arena on Saturday offers more than just another Bundesliga assignment. From a Bayern Munich perspective, FC Augsburg has several players worth watching closely, including a goalkeeper who has already been linked with the club, a pair of young defenders, and one familiar face in Arijon Ibrahimović.
The obvious place to start is Finn Dahmen. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has been one of Augsburg's most important players during the club's strong start to the season. Manuel Baum recently praised Dahmen's Bundesliga performances, and Bayern's own goalkeeping situation makes him particularly relevant. With the futures of Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich still to be determined, Dahmen is the type of Bundesliga-proven goalkeeper Bayern could examine if it eventually needs to reshape the position.
Chrislain Matsima is another intriguing player. The 24-year-old center-back has established himself as an important part of Augsburg's defense and combines physicality with the athleticism needed to defend in space. Bayern does not necessarily need another center-back immediately, but Matsima is worth monitoring as a potential Bundesliga-level option.
Then there is Hennes Behrens, a 21-year-old defender who has also impressed during Augsburg's excellent opening stretch. His development is particularly interesting given Bayern Munich's continued emphasis on identifying younger German talent before it becomes prohibitively expensive. Like Dahmen, Behrens was included in Germany's September call-up list.
In midfield, Fabian Rieder has already shown why Augsburg was willing to build around his creativity. The Swiss international scored in Augsburg's 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and provides another player Bayern's scouting department should track. His technical quality and ability to create chances make him one of the more dangerous players Augsburg can put on the field.
And, of course, there is Arijon Ibrahimović. The Bayern Munich loanee has already made an impact, scoring against Frankfurt and earning Man of the Match honors. For Bayern Munich, this is perhaps the most important individual evaluation of the afternoon. Ibrahimović is no longer simply a promising prospect—he needs to demonstrate that he can consistently influence Bundesliga matches.
One player Bayern fans will not get to evaluate is Noahkai Banks, who is sidelined with a right-knee lateral collateral ligament injury suffered while on Germany U-21 duty. Banks had played every minute of Augsburg's first four league matches and had emerged as one of the team's defensive standouts.
Augsburg has plenty of players worth watching, but Dahmen and Ibrahimović arguably carry the most direct Bayern interest. Saturday should provide another useful data point for both.
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