European juggernauts Bayern Munich and Manchester United lock horns at the Allianz Arena for their opening Group A fixture in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Boasting nine European crowns between them, the two teams last met in a competitive fixture nine years ago when Bayern ran out 3-1 winners in a quarter-final second-leg tie, while they last faced each other in the group stage back in 2001.
After winning each of their opening three Bundesliga games of the new season, Bayern Munich’s 100% start came to an end when they were forced to settle for just a point in a thrilling 2-2 draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen last Friday.
Harry Kane’s 300th career club goal was cancelled out by Alex Grimaldo midway through the first half, before Leon Goretzka thought he has won it for the hosts with an 86th-minute strike, but Leverkusen snatched a point in dramatic fashion when Exequiel Palacios converted a penalty kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time following a VAR review.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel felt that his side ‘needed more bite’ across the pitch to get themselves over the line, and the former Chelsea boss will be chomping at the bit to put things right for Wednesday’s Group A opener with Man United, a team who the German boss has never beaten on home soil as a manager in four previous attempts.
Bayern themselves have never lost at home to the Red Devils, though, winning three and drawing two, and Tuchel’s men will be confident of progressing to the Champions League knockout rounds for the 16th successive year considering that they are strong favourites to secure top spot in Group A ahead of Man United, Galatasaray and Copenhagen.
The German giants have established themselves as group-stage experts in the Champions League over the years, as they boast a remarkable 34-game unbeaten run at this stage, the longest such run in the competition’s history, and they will be looking to secure a record-extending 14th successive group-stage home win on Wednesday.
Following a difficult week off the pitch, Man United boss Erik ten Hag was hoping to lift the atmosphere at Old Trafford with a positive result and performance from his players last weekend, but the Dutchman has instead been left with plenty to ponder after his side were booed off in a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Danny Welbeck haunted his former club with a first-half opener before Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro got their names on the scoresheet after the break to help a well-oiled Brighton machine cruise to victory against a disjoined Man United outfit, who have now lost three of their opening five league games for the first time in the Premier League era.
Languishing in 13th place and already sitting nine points behind league leaders and bitter rivals Manchester City, Ten Hag has insisted that Man United are not in crisis and has encouraged his squad to “stick to the plan” as they endeavour to turn their fortunes around.
Back-to-back away games are up next for the Red Devils, with a top-flight trip to Burnley on Saturday preceded by Wednesday’s challenging sojourn to Bavaria to face Bayern Munich, against whom they have won just one of their last eight meetings in the Champions League.
Man United have only lost more Champions League encounters against Barcelona (five) than they have against Bayern (four), although Red Devils supporters will certainly reminisce about the historic 1999 final triumph over the German club under former boss Sir Alex Ferguson; one of just two wins against the Bundesliga side in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich is doubtful with an inflamed tendon and will be assessed ahead of kickoff, while Manuel Neuer (calf), Kingsley Coman (muscle), Raphael Guerreiro (calf) and Tarek Buchmann (hamstring) all remain in the treatment room.
Tuchel briefly experimented with both Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui as defensive midfielders towards the end of the draw with Leverkusen following Kimmich’s second-half withdrawal, but the German’s potential absence on Wednesday will likely see Konrad Laimer start in centre-midfield alongside Goretzka.
Former Tottenham Hotspur talisman Kane has scored four goals in as many Bundesliga games so far this season, and the England captain is set to be joined in attack by Serge Gnabry and former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, while Jamal Musiala, who has recovered from injury, will battle with Thomas Muller for a start in the number 10 role.
As for Man United, they have been dealt a fresh injury blow as Aaron Wan-Bissaka is facing “several weeks” out after sustaining an unspecified injury against Brighton; Diogo Dalot is therefore set to start at right-back.
Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia (all muscle), Mason Mount (hamstring), Sofyan Amrabat (back), Tom Heaton (calf), Amad Diallo (knee) and Kobbie Mainoo (ankle) are also on the sidelines, but Ten Hag has revealed that at least one of those players could be fit to return on Wednesday.
However, the Red Devils will definitely be without Antony who will remain absent ‘until further notice’ amid allegations of assault made against him, while Jadon Sancho is also unavailable after being banished from first-team training following his social media outburst at Ten Hag.
After unsuccessfully deploying a 4-4-2 diamond formation in the loss to Brighton, Ten Hag could revert to a 4-2-3-1 setup against Bayern, with either Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho or Facundo Pellistri handed a start on the right flank.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Ulreich; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Laimer, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Dalot, Lindelof, Martinez, Reguilon; Casemiro, Eriksen; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
We say: Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United
Although Bayern experienced a minor wobble last weekend, the prospect of an under-pressure Man United side claiming a victory on Wednesday in their current predicament seems a tall order.
The Bavarians boast a frighting frontline, including a clinical goalscorer in Kane and several pacey attackers, who should have plenty of joy against a leaky Red Devils backline en route to picking up maximum points in their opening Group A fixture.
