Bundesliga Set Piece State of Play: Kane Leads, Nobody Scores Free Kicks
Harry Kane has converted all 10 of his Bundesliga penalties this season, while direct free kicks across the entire league are producing essentially nothing.
Harry Kane has taken 10 Bundesliga penalties in 2025/26 and scored all 10. That is not a trend — that is a confirmed hierarchy at the most penalty-permissive club in the division, and it should be treated as close to a certainty until injury or suspension says otherwise.
Penalty Spot
Nadiem Amiri at Mainz has matched Kane's conversion rate across seven attempts, which is a meaningful sample for a mid-table side. Kevin Diks at Gladbach has four from four, but the squad list shows Kleindienst, Stöger and Tabaković all sit behind him in the hierarchy — four attempts remains a sample, not confirmation. Watch the next Gladbach penalty carefully before treating Diks as a locked-in asset.
RB Leipzig list Xavi and Openda as their takers. Neither appears in the penalty data with meaningful volume yet, which given Leipzig's schedule is mildly surprising. Worth flagging if that changes.
Free Kicks
Eleven direct free kicks for Joshua Kimmich, zero goals. Eleven for Michael Olise, zero goals. Eleven for Amiri, zero goals. Eleven for David Raum at Leipzig, zero goals — though Raum is primarily a delivery taker rather than a direct threat, which makes his 0/11 less alarming in isolation. The Bundesliga's historically lower direct free kick conversion rate is in full effect this season; nobody in the division has scored one from meaningful volume. Treat direct free kicks as delivery situations first, shooting opportunities second.
Corners
Raum leads the league at 70 corners taken, a volume that reflects Leipzig's system rather than any particular set piece efficiency. No corner taker in the data has converted directly, which is expected — corner conversion runs through headed attempts and second balls, not individual taker stats. The clubs worth watching for corner-derived goals are those winning aerial duels in the box: Bayern (Kimmich delivery, 32 taken) and Stuttgart (Stiller, 32) both generate consistent volume. Whether that volume is producing shots on target is the next question the data doesn't answer here.
Watch for: any Gladbach penalty in the next four matchdays — if Diks steps aside for Kleindienst or Stöger, the hierarchy is unsettled and the four-from-four record means nothing. Also watch Leipzig's penalty taker confirmation; Xavi and Openda are listed jointly, and split responsibilities at spot-kick time tend to resolve themselves badly.