Bayern Munich hope Harry Kane German Cup gamble pays off in Klassiker

It would be tempting, in the aftermath of Bayern Munich’s chastening 2-1 defeat by third-division Saarbrucken in the German Cup, to wonder how seriously Bayern take what they, perhaps, regard as minor silverware.

Big trophies come regularly to Bavaria – the club are pursuing a 12th league title on the trot – and the pattern since they scooped up six pieces of silverware in a historic 2020 suggests that when it comes to the local knockouts they unconsciously ease off.

Certainly Saarbrucken seemed to have the greater reserves of concentration and purpose at the end of both halves of Wednesday’s shock upset.

Having fallen behind to an early Thomas Muller goal, the underdogs bit back just before the interval. Their goalkeeper Tim Schreiber made outstanding saves.

Saarbrucken’s Marcel Gaus will never forget his night. Twelve months ago, he was an unemployed, 33-year-old journeyman winger. Six minutes into second-half injury time, his firm strike made him the slayer of Germany’s most famous sporting institution.

An “embarrassment” the newspaper Bild-Zeitung called it. Thomas Tuchel, the Bayern manager, had hardly been scornful of the cup in selecting his line-up and is fully aware of Bayern’s poor recent run in the competition.

Second-tier Holstein Kiel dumped them out via penalties in 2020/21; Bayern started as favourites when they were eliminated 5-0 by Borussia Monchengladbach the next season and, in last year’s quarter-final under Tuchel, when Freiburg beat them.

At Saarbrucken, he had Manuel Neuer in goal, Kim Min-jae and, until he pulled up with injury, Matthijs De Ligt at centre-back. Joshua Kimmich anchored midfield, with Muller ahead of him. Alphonso Davies and Leroy Sane gave the starting XI its high-class pace.

Abse