32 goals and counting - Harry Kane and Leroy Sané are Europe's most potent attacking duo
On Saturday Bayern Munich will unquestionably face their toughest task of the Bundesliga season, as they make the trip to the BayArena to face Xabi Alonso’s high-flying Bayer Leverkusen side. Although the final destination of this season’s league title is unlikely to be fully decided over the course of the match, the result could make or break Thomas Tuchel’s side’s hopes of catching their rivals and reclaiming control at the top of the table.
While the Munich giants have a number of world class players to call upon, there’s little doubt that Tuchel will be hoping to win the game through the potent attacking skill of two players in particular: Harry Kane and Leroy Sané. Who have not only proved to be an excellent forward pair for Bayern this season, but are now arguably the most formidable offensive team in all of European football. And could prove to be the perfect weapon for cutting Leverkusen down to size.
When we take a look across Europe’s top five leagues, we find that the Bayern pair are currently the most devastating attacking duo of the season with no less than 32 goals between them in the German top-flight this season. This puts them above Stuttgart forwards Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav (30 goals) in second, and Inter forwards Lautaro Martínez and Hakan Çalhanoğlu in third (28 goals). But what makes the Bayern duo so impressive is that they undoubtedly bring out the best in each other and that can be seen from the manner in which they set each other up for goals.
For example, so far this season Sané has assisted no less than five of Kane’s goals across all competitions. And, as if to return the favour, Kane has assisted four of Sané’s goals in all competitions. Which certainly hints at a partnership that works so well because both players are in sync with one another on the pitch. “Yes, a lot,” notes former Chelsea and Bayern striker Claudio Pizarro, when asked by Transfermarkt if his partnership with Sané has helped Kane adapt to German football quicker than expected.
“Not just Sané, but the other players that play on the wings too. Kane needs players like that and Leroy [Sané] is doing a great job. He’s very difficult to stop one-on-one, so he’s doing a pretty good job of doing that. And he’s scoring goals as well. Which is something that didn’t happen a lot before. But he’s now scoring goals and getting in the right chances to pass to Kane, which allows him the chance to score as well. Which is very important for them and the team.”
And it's clearly working wonder for both players. Not only are Kane and Sané both topping the charts with Bayern this season, but they're also outperforming their own performances in previous seasons and at former clubs. For example, despite leaving the Premier League with a remarkable record in front of goal, Kane is currently averaging 1.48 goals or assists per 90 minutes in this season's Bundesliga. Not only is that almost twice his return for Tottenham Hotspur last season in the English top-flight (0.87) but it's also a 72% increase on his overall Premier League record of 0.86 goals or assists per 90 after 320 games in the competition.
Equally, Sané is also hitting new heights in Munich this season. So far in this current campaign the German international is averaging 0.98 goals or assists per 90 in the Bundesliga, which is a 46% increase on his return for the German giants last season. And is narrowly higher than Sané's previous best of 0.97 goals or assists per 90, which he clicked in 2018/19 while playing for Manchester City. Which only underlines how much Kane has improved his game, alongside his contribution to the England striker's goals and assists for this season.
- Date of birth/Age:
- Jul 28, 1993 (30)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Bayern Munich
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2027
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- €110.00m
- Date of birth/Age:
- Jan 11, 1996 (28)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Bayern Munich
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2025
- Position:
- Right Winger
- Market Value:
- €70.00m
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 29.08.1973 (50)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Bayern Munich
- Current Position:
- Manager
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2025
- In charge since:
- Mar 24, 2023
- Total Market Value:
- €930.95m
- Competition:
- Bundesliga
- Position:
- 3.
- Manager:
- Thomas Tuchel
- Squad size:
- 28
- Latest Transfer:
- Bryan Zaragoza