Of course, Stefan Leitl saw how Bayern recently dominated one of the largest clubs in the world.

How hopeless even FC Barcelona was against Munich.

The 44-year-old is not only the coach of the game association Greuther Fürth, which he saved from relegation to the third division and then led to the Bundesliga within two years.

Leitl is also a football fan, which is why the Fürth coaching apartment, in which he lives with assistant Andre Mijatovic, also runs the Champions League during the week.

Bayern's 3-0 win at Spanish top club FC Barcelona was another demonstration of power by the Munich team, which they followed up with a 7-0 win against VfL Bochum in the league.

So on Friday evening this FC Bayern comes to Fürth (8.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and at DAZN).

The newcomer started the new season very badly with only one point and 3:13 goals from five games, but those responsible in Fürth do not want to fall into shock.

Rather, they want to keep their ease, which they had also distinguished in the second division.

The role of the little one

After all, the game association was relegated before the first Bundesliga game even kicked off. For all the experts, the Fürth were the safe bottom of the table, the team where it was all about how many (or few) points they got in 34 games. This is not a new experience for Stefan Leitl. “We were also a relegation candidate for many in the second division,” he said a few weeks ago. This alleged relegation candidate actually left the second division in May - but upstairs, while former first division veterans such as Schalke 04, Werder Bremen or Hamburger SV meet one floor below.

The people of Fürth are happy to take on the role of the little one, who is underestimated by everyone.

Life as an underdog can also release forces that support you - possibly even until you remain in class.

So far, however, the “clover leaf” has not yet been able to prove that it is actually more than the safe candidate for relegation.

In the first two away games in Stuttgart and Mainz, Leitl's team had to concede eight goals, the most convincing performance against Arminia Bielefeld was only enough to score 1: 1 due to the poor exploitation of chances.

New hope

Still, they see the recent appearances as steps in the right direction.

This is also due to the players who came on the last day of the transfer window.

The Dutchman Nick Viergever has gained a lot of international experience with Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven and immediately accepted the role of defensive boss against Wolfsburg (0: 2) and in Berlin (1: 2).

"Just his presence gave the players around him security, which is why we were much more compact," says Leitl.

Above all, U-21 national player Maximilian Bauer benefited from his new neighbor and looked much more stable than in the previous games.

Just as helpful proved to be clearer Sebastian Griesbeck, who came from Union Berlin and conquered many balls with his physical style in defensive midfield.

In addition, the former Frankfurt Jetro Willems is to replace the national player David Raum, who has moved to Hoffenheim, who was the best template provider in the second division as a left-back in the promotion year.

The defense is therefore more secure, but the Fürth team have conceded at least two goals each time in ten games across the seasons.

Up until the Hertha game last week, they had also made it 0-1 eight times in a row.

Learning to lose

On the other side of the square, however, things are not going so well either. In the second division year, the Fürth team scored 69 goals, currently there are three - two of which were penalties that captain Branimir Hrgota used. The team has so far not been able to impose the offensive style of play with the “Fürth Flachpass”, based on the successful times in the 1920s, on their opponents, only against Bielefeld the Fürth team were similarly dominant.

That's why Leitl recently relied more on long balls, which the late attacker Cedric Itten should process.

A departure from the successful system?

Leitl contradicts vehemently - and remains positive, of course, he has no other choice.

"We have only lost a few games in the past few years," he says, "maybe we have to learn that again first."

Anything but another defeat against the rested and playful FC Bayern would be a sensation, an even bigger one than the promotion to the First Bundesliga was.

And which would only be surpassed by staying in class in May 2022.

"FC Bayern has done very well in recent years and is therefore rightly at the top in Germany," said Leitl.

“But we were also very successful.

We didn't get promotion for free and are now one of 18 clubs in the Bundesliga. ”The team from Fürth wants to tackle the game of the year“ courageously, cheekily, physically and with a lot of fun and joy ”and probably without much fear - against them Bayern lost even the big FC Barcelona.