83% of the ball, six clear chances and no goal: Karius and FC Schalke 04's back five end FC Bayern München's 59-game scoring run.
The numbers
| FC Bayern München | FC Schalke 04 | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 83% | 17% |
| Shots | 15 | 4 |
| xG | 1.94 | 0.21 |
| Big chances | 6 | 0 |
| Touches in opp. box | 52 | 10 |
Result the chances deserved: FC Bayern München 80% / 17% / FC Schalke 04 3% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
FC Bayern München (4-2-3-1): Neuer, Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Davies, Kimmich, Pavlović, Karl, Brown, Luis Díaz, Saibari.
FC Schalke 04 (3-4-2-1): Karius, T. Becker, Katić, Kuruçay, Dina Ebimbe, El-Faouzi, Tanaka, Gosens, Ljubičić, Aouchiche, Sylla.
FC Schalke 04 subs: V. Becker & Ayhan (65', Gosens & Dina Ebimbe), Vozar & Wöber (74', Ljubičić & Kuruçay), Karaman (84', Aouchiche). Schalke coach: Miron Muslić.
Shapes: FotMob lists Schalke in a 3-4-2-1; FC Bayern's line-up page calls it a 5-4-1, which is how they defended. Bundesliga.com's ticker lists some Bayern positions differently; we follow FotMob and FC Bayern (Laimer at right-back, Brown at 10, Saibari up front).
Numbers: xG is FotMob's. Other models agree the chances were Bayern's but differ on size: Bundesliga.com 1.70–0.10, FC Bayern 2.10–0.21. Big chances: FC Bayern counts six clear-cut chances to none. Cards: Dina Ebimbe 31', Upamecano 35', Pavlović 72', Katić 73'. Kim Min-jae was not in the starting XI and did not come on.
Key moments, move by move
A 5-4-1 that dared FC Bayern München to cross, and blocked everything
- A rotated front four. Kompany left Kane, Olise and Musiala on the bench, with Saibari up front, Nathaniel Brown at 10 and Karl on the right (fcbinside). FC Bayern München had four shots in the first half (Bavarian Football Works), then brought on Kane at half-time and Olise and Musiala at 57'.
- FC Schalke 04 defended the box, not the ball. On paper a 3-4-2-1, without the ball a 5-4-1 that "closed down the spaces and looked for quick transitions" (FC Bayern). FC Bayern München had 83% possession, 914 passes and 52 touches in the box, but Katić blocked a Karl cross (52') and a Kane shot (63'), and Timo Becker blocked Díaz (68').
- The chances were there. FC Bayern counted six clear-cut chances to none. Díaz shot at Karius from close range (41') and failed to chip him (54'), Karius saved from Olise (59'), and he tipped Kane's 87th-minute drive over. Eleven corners produced two headers wide, from Tah and Upamecano.
- The press worked. FC Schalke 04 had 0.21 xG and four shots, and Neuer's only real save came from an Aouchiche free kick (36'). Kompany: "Our pressing was outstanding. We didn't give them anything."
Recreate it in FM26
FC Schalke 04 · Muslić's 5-4-1 that shut out FC Bayern München · 3-4-2-1Show cardHide card
Muslić's 5-4-1 that shut out FC Bayern München
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Karius | Goalkeeper | Line-Holding Keeper |
| RCB | T. Becker | Wide Centre-Back | Stopping Wide Centre-Back |
| CB | Katić | No-Nonsense Centre-Back | No-Nonsense Centre-Back |
| LCB | Kuruçay | Wide Centre-Back | Covering Wide Centre-Back |
| RWB | Dina Ebimbe | Wing-Back | Holding Wing-Back |
| RCM | El-Faouzi | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Screening Central Midfielder |
| LCM | Tanaka | Central Midfielder | Screening Central Midfielder |
| LWB | Gosens | Wing-Back | Holding Wing-Back |
| RAM | Ljubičić | Attacking Midfielder | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LAM | Aouchiche | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| ST | Sylla | Channel Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
- Passing DirectnessMore Direct
- Build-Up StrategyDirect
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementLow Block
- Defensive LineDeeper
- Defensive TransitionRegroup
- TacklingAggressive
- Cross EngagementContest
The idea: Five across the box and four in front of it, with the two attacking midfielders tracking back into a flat midfield line. You need centre-backs who block shots and win headers, and a quick runner up front for the rare breaks.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce a goalkeeper having the game of his life: Karius made the saves that kept it 0–0.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-4-2, Olise on at 46' not 57' (for Saibari), Musiala on at 46' not 57' (for Karl). Start Kane next to Saibari against the three centre-backs, then bring Olise and Musiala on at half-time. More bodies in the box and more quality around it. It improves the chances, but it can't guarantee beating Karius. It moves FC Bayern München's win chance from 80% to 84% (xG 1.94–0.21 becomes 2.29–0.26). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer FC Bayern München needed
Harry Kane
The first half, with Saibari as the number 9, brought four shots. Kane drops in to link play and also finishes in the box, and he had a shot blocked and a long-range drive tipped over after coming on. Against a 5-4-1 that was always going to sit deep, he should have started.
Raphinha
Díaz had the two clearest chances and missed both, and FC Bayern München have no natural backup on the left. Raphinha arrives at the far post from the left, finishes both close range and from distance, and takes set pieces: Bayern won 11 corners here and scored from none.
What the analysts said
“Our pressing was outstanding. We didn't give them anything and created our own chances.”Vincent Kompany (FC Bayern website)
“When you play against such a compact and aggressive team, then you have to take your chances.”Vincent Kompany (beIN Sports)
“We weren't efficient and didn't take our big chances. Loris deserved the man of the match as he made three really big saves.”Manuel Neuer (beIN Sports)
“We had three or four clear chances that we didn't take.”Jonathan Tah (FC Bayern website)
Not a crisis, but a lesson: against a back five, start the best finishers.
What's happening. Bayern drew 0–0 at Schalke with 83% of the ball. It ended a 59-game scoring run that went back to July 2025. Karius made the saves that mattered.
How it works. Schalke sat in a 5-4-1 and gave up the ball. That is exactly the game where you want Kane, Olise and Musiala for 90 minutes, not 45 or 33. The plan improved when Kane came on, and again when Olise and Musiala joined him. Against teams that pack the box, wide forwards have to score, not just cross.
What the shots say. Replaying every shot, Bayern win more than eight times in ten. They made two big chances, both missed by Díaz. The press held Schalke to four shots, so the defence was not the problem; a 0–0 from these chances happens now and then.