Bayern's Harry Kane and Leipzig's Loïs Openda boast a whopping 41 goals between them already in their first Bundesliga season. - © DFL

bundesliga

Harry Kane vs Loïs Openda: A battle between two of the Bundesliga's best

24.02.2024

Matchday 23 will pit Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane against RB Leipzig’s Loïs Openda. Both players made the move to the Bundesliga in the summer of 2023 and have made light work of the German top flight so far. Here, bundesliga.com takes a look at their stories so far.

Kane’s switch to the Allianz Arena from Tottenham Hotspur stole the headlines. Here was a player at the peak of his powers joining one of Europe’s biggest footballing institutions to add more firepower to an already frightening attack, and it is fair to say he hasn’t disappointed so far.

The 30-year-old scored on his league debut versus Werder Bremen and hasn’t looked back since. He became the quickest player to net 20 goals in a Bundesliga season, and has already notched three hat-tricks, including one against Borussia Dortmund in the first Klassiker of the campaign.

The England captain has often been billed as a complete player, and the stats back that up. He has scored the majority of strikes with his right foot, but has also found the back of the net with his left alongside several headers and emphatic penalties.

Watch: Every Harry Kane goal in the Bundesliga

Five of his efforts have broken the deadlock, which is a joint-league high, while he has finished off three counter-attacks, displaying his ability to break up the pitch with speed. Some finishes, like his shot from inside his own half against Darmstadt that somehow beat Marcel Schuhen, defy logic.

In just a few months, he has struck up a strong understanding with Leroy Sané, as the two have already combined for eight Bundesliga goals. All in all, Kane has racked up five assists, behind only Sané (11) and Thomas Müller (7) amongst his Bayern teammates.

Unsurprisingly, his 25 goals lead the way at the top of the Bundesliga’s goalscoring charts, seven clear of his closest rival Serhou Guirassy. After matching Robert Lewandowski’s record for the most strikes in the first half of a campaign (22), there has been talk of Kane surpassing the Pole’s 41-effort haul during the 2020/21 term, the most any player has manager in one season. With 12 games left, he needs 16 efforts, and another glut of goals could get him over the line.

Watch: Kane's incredibly strike versus Darmstadt

Last campaign’s Torjägerkönig was Christopher Nkunku, who netted 16 times for Leipzig before joining English Premier League side Chelsea. Belgium international Openda was signed as his replacement and had plenty of expectation on his shoulders as he looked to fill the void left by the 2021/22 Bundesliga Player of the Year.

The 23-year-old has not quite been able to match Kane’s pace, but he has given it a good go. Only Bayern’s No.9 and Guirassy have been more prolific, with Leipzig’s new centre-forward notching 16 times in 22 games thus far.

He, too, has popped at vital moments – just like Kane, five of his goals have given his side the first advantage in matches, while he has scored as many times against this season’s top four. The only such clash he failed to make his mark on was the 3-2 victory over Dortmund, when his composure in the final third was ultimately not required.

Xavi Simons, Dani Olmo and David Raum have all helped Openda prove his worth, but he has also provided for his teammates, making four assists so far in the Bundesliga.

Having scored five goals in the previous six league fixtures, you may almost expect him to do so once more versus Bayern, especially considering he scored one and created another in the 2-2 draw between these two teams earlier in the season.

Leipzig have proven to be a thorn in Bayern’s side in recent meetings, winning on Matchday 33 of last season and almost derailing their title bid before strolling to a 3-0 DFL Supercup victory in August. With Openda at his best, there is no reason why they can’t prevail once more.