Manchester United will be without 12 first-team players when they take the field against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in the Champions League. Big names like defenders Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire and midfielder Mason Mount will not be in action in Manchester United’s Champions League opener at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Meanwhile, English striker Harry Kane will make his Champions League debut for Bayern Munich against a familiar opposition.
Who are the favourites?
Apart from the injury issues, Manchester United’s current form will be a huge point of concern for manager Erik ten Hag. Manchester United are currently struggling at the 13th spot in the Premier League standings. Moreover, the Red Devils have conceded three defeats in the first five matches of a Premier League campaign for the first time since 1989-90.
Led by goal machine Harry Kane, Bayern Munich’s attacking unit will aim to make full use of Manchester United’s defensive vulnerabilities. In their last four games, Manchester United have conceded 10 goals.
Bayern Munich are undoubtedly one of the top contenders to win the Champions League this time. The Bavarian giants are unbeaten in their last 19 opening Champions League ties at home. Bayern Munich will head into tonight’s game as the favourites to win the fixture but their striker Harry Kane pointed out that underestimating the English club can prove to be quite dangerous.
“They’ve been going through a tough spell recently but sometimes that can make a team dangerous because they want to respond. We’re at home and want to control the game but we need to be careful of their threat. I don’t think about form because every game can be different. There can be big response from teams going through a difficult spell,” Kane told the reporters yesterday.
Head-to-head records
Bayern Munich and Manchester United have so far faced each other 11 times across all competitions. The defending Bundesliga champions hold an advantage, having bagged four wins against Manchester United till now. Manchester United, on the other hand, have managed to win in two matches against Bayern.
Form guide
Bayern Munich will enter the Champions League having been unbeaten in their last four games. They were last defeated by RB Leipzig in the Super Cup final in August. In their last fixture, Thomas Tuchel’s men played out a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga.
Manchester United did not have an impressive start to their Premier League campaign this season. Manchester United, in their Premier League opener, claimed a 1-0 win against Wolves. But since then, they have only been able to pick up one win in their next four games. In their last game, Manchester United had to face 1-3 defeat at the hands of Brighton at Old Trafford.
First XI prediction
In the absence of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, Sweden’s Victor Lindelof and Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez are expected to play as centre-backs for Manchester United tonight. With Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes handling midfield duties, Rasmus Hojlund is expected to be deployed as a forward against Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel, on the other hand, does not have too many injury issues to deal with. Apart from injured Manuel Neuer and Raphael Guerreiro, Tuchel has a full squad at his disposal.
