Bayern Munich v Man Utd preview: Red Devils face tough start in Europe
Memories of the iconic 1999 final between these sides, which was dramatically won in stoppage-time by United, come flooding back ahead of their latest meeting, but Bayern have been the stronger of the two in recent times, knocking the Red Devils out of the competition in 2010 and 2014.
It’s the first time they’ve been drawn in the same group since 2001, and this is a stage Bayern usually excel in, as they’ve won each of their last 25 UCL home group stage matches.
That forms part of an overall 34-match unbeaten streak at this stage (W31, D3), a record Thomas Tuchel will be tasked with extending against an opposition they’ve never lost to on home soil (W3, D2).
There’d be no time like the present for Manchester United to correct that record, especially given the miserable start to the season they’ve suffered.
United have lost three of their first five Premier League matches for the first time in the competition’s history (W2), leading manager Erik ten Hag to admit his side are going through a “bad period”, highlighted by a 3-1 home defeat against Brighton at the weekend.
A trip to face one of Europe’s elite arrives at a poor time then, with the Red Devils leaking goals at an alarming rate, having conceded ten in their last four matches (W1, L3).
Their struggles on the road have continued into this campaign, losing both their away matches by a two-goal margin, a run that places them as huge underdogs to steal a march on Bayern in Group A.
Key battle: With Manuel Neuer still on the sidelines, Bayern veteran Thomas Müller is the only survivor of their last meeting with United, which was a 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena in which he scored the decisive winning goal.
Shepherding him will be a familiar foe in the form of Casemiro, who has lost just one of seven personal H2Hs against Bayern over the years (W5, D1).
Hot stat: Man Utd have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 UCL matches (W4, D3, L5).
