Who to Watch Among Bayern Munich's Reserves and Youth Teams

Ahead of this weekend's international fixtures, Bayern Munich are more represented in the Germany youth national teams than they have been at any time in recent years. The German under-15 through under-21 teams include six representatives from the Bavarians, three of whom will play for the under-17s.

Youth development is a tricky task at Bayern considering the amount of star quality that burgeoning talents have to displace if they are to make themselves recognized in the first team. That may in part explain why for many years the national youth teams have been less reliant on Bayern than the senior side has been.

Looking through the Bayern reserves and youth teams, results this season have been generally positive. After a dire start to the season that included just two wins in eight games, Bayern's reserves have exploded into form.

They've won six games on the trot, five by 2-1 margins and the other by 2-0. They now stand fourth in the Regionalliga Bayern table, one point off second-place Wurzburger Kickers and six behind the same 1860 Munich side they beat earlier this campaign. After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the 3. Liga last season, Bayern's reserves could well be promoted at season's end.

The under-19 side stand third in the South-Southwest region, six points behind Hoffenheim and three behind Karlsruhe. The under-17s, however, are undefeated with 16 of 18 possible points in their region, which they lead ahead of joint-runners-up Karlsruhe and Frankfurt. It is in this age group that Bayern are most elite, which is a good sign for the future.

With Bayern's youth program on the rise, B/R has taken a look through some of the bigger Bayern talents (not already established in the first team) to watch in the coming years.

Sinan Kurt

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Bayern's biggest talent in the lower teams, Sinan Kurt has unfortunately been limited to just a few minutes of competitive football this season due to an injury. He roared back to form last weekend, however, scoring two goals in a 4-0 win for Bayern's under-19s against Stuttgart.

Born in Monchengladbach, he joined the Borussia youth setup as an 11-year-old and spent seven years at the club before Bayern convinced him to switch sides with a four-year contract. In his last year among the youth ranks of his hometown setup, he scored 16 goals in 24 appearances.

Kurt is part of a star-studded crop of 1996-born talents, including established Bundesliga professionals like Timo Werner, Julian Brandt, Levin Oztunali and Jonathan Tah; perhaps it is for this reason that until recently he has largely flown under the radar.

Kurt nevertheless has a great skill set to drawn upon and plenty of potential to tap. He has a lethal left foot and the technical ability to play not only at center-forward but also on the wing or as a supporting striker.

Although it would in any case be an extremely difficult task for him to break into the Bayern first team, his versatility could see him move into Pep Guardiola's side sooner than later.

Ivan Lucic

Like Kurt, Bayern managed to lure Ivan Lucic to the club in his youth with a prestigious contract. The 19-year-old joined Bayern's reserves over the summer after leaving Austrian side St. Florian, where he'd been on loan from SV Ried.

Lucic has played with Austria's youth national teams from under-16 to under-19 levels. He was the starting goalkeeper for his country at the Under-19 European Championship this summer; although they reached the semifinals, his side lost 4-0 to Germany. Lucic nevertheless caught the eye of Bayern scouts in the months prior and has a considerable range of skills to draw from.

Standing a towering 1.93 meters, the Croatian-Austrian goalkeeper has a big frame for stopping shots. He also has quite refined ball skills, as evidenced by the free-kick he scored in his final home match for St. Florian (see video).

Lucic has a long way to go if he is to break into the Bayern lineup, of course, but time is on his side. Pepe Reina and Tom Starke are both well into their 30s, and Lucic is nine years younger than Manuel Neuer. If he develops, the youngster just might have a future at FC Bayern.

Steeven Ribery

Anyone who shares Franck Ribery's blood is likely to have potential to be a professional footballer. Steeven, the Frenchman's 18-year-old brother, confirmed his move to Bayern just under a year ago with aspirations of repeating his elder sibling's success.

In his first season at Bayern, Steeven played the Bayern under-19s for most of the second half of the season, scoring four goals before being promoted to the reserves. His minutes have thus far been limited in the current campaign, with an injury keeping him out of action for several weeks.

Franck was a bit of a late bloomer, only showing star potential at Marseille after his 22nd birthday. He started to truly show his potential at the 2006 World Cup and joined Bayern in 2007, at the age of 24; since then, he's been a world superstar.

Steeven now has a better platform than his brother ever had before joining Bayern; he'll just need to take his chances. He has good footballing blood in his veins and the tutelage of his older brother to support him. We'll see in the coming years if he indeed has the drive and the class of his brother.

Lucas Scholl

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Seven years after Mehmet Scholl's retirement, there's a new "Scholli" in Munich: Lucas. Now 18 years of age, the attacking midfielder is close to the senior team.

Although now with the under-19s, Scholl trained with the Bayern first team in the summer and even made his professional debut (albeit in a noncompetitive setting) in July. Much like his father, Scholl can play on the wing or in a central role in attacking midfield. He has a soft touch and keen instincts on the ball, and he recently scored in a 3-1 loss to CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Youth League.

Like Steeven Ribery, Scholl has a top-class footballing pedigree. A player who spent 15 years at Bayern and won the Champions League, Mehmet is and will always be a legend at the Allianz Arena. Lukas, a Munich native, could well follow in his footsteps in the coming years.

Mario Crnicki

Arguably the biggest star of the Bayern under-17s is Mario Crnicki. The young attacker is listed as a midfielder but leads the South-Southwest region of the under-17 Bundesliga in goals with eight, none of which have come from the penalty spot.

Still just 16 years of age, Crnicki is still a very raw player whose talents will become more and more evident in the coming years. What is for sure, though, is that he already has a great eye for goal.

A Munich native, Crnicki represents Croatia on the international stage and has appeared for his country's under-15 and under-16 sides. He can be seen as the No. 10 player in red and white in the video to the left, representing Croatia's under-16s in a match against Kuwait in which he scored both his team's goals.