Bayern Munich vs Man Utd: 3 reasons why German Champions will humble Ten Hag's men

Bayern Munich vs Man Utd: 3 reasons why German Champions will humble Ten Hag's men

Faruq Ibrahim 04:43 - 19.09.2023

Pulse Sports reviews three factors that place Bayern Munich as overwhelming favourites in their Champions League clash against Manchester United.

Manchester United going against Bayern Munich has always attracted eyeballs as it is one of the grandest fixtures obtainable in Europe's elite competition.

The biggest of a series of colossal clashes being the famous 1999 Champions League final at Camp Nou, which the Red Devils won thanks to two late goals by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to complete an unprecedented treble.

They played twice prior in the group stages of the same campaign, with little to separate both teams, as they came off with one point in both encounters. 

Since then, however, the fixture has tilted in favour of the Bavarians, with the Munich-based team beating Manchester United on four separate occasions and only suffering one defeat; spoils were shared three times.

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This season’s UCL campaign pits these two colossi against each other, as they are both housed in a group, and evidence shows that Bayern Munich will continue their dominance against their English rivals.

Harry Kane celebrates the opener for Bayern Munich. (Photo Credit: Bayern/X)
Harry Kane celebrates the opener for Bayern Munich. (Photo Credit: Bayern/X)

Manchester United’s absentees

Playing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League requires any team to be at an optimal level, and this includes personnel.

Erik ten Hag is currently handicapped as he is without two of his wide forwards, Antony and Jadon Sancho. While the latter has been ordered by the club’s leadership to train with the subsidiary as punishment for an explosive tweet, the former is embroiled in legal issues.

He would also have to name a team without the injured Mason Mount, Rafael Varane, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, and Wan Bissaka. On that note, we segue into the next reason.

Manchester United’s defensive problems

As stated earlier, the Red Devils currently have four defenders out due to injury, three of whom are more or less expected to start if all things are equal.

This is against the backdrop of a poor defensive season so far, as they have conceded ten goals in five games, an average of two goals shipped in per game.

The worst of these abysmal showings at the back probably came in their match, the 3-1 defeat to Brighton, just before heading into a clash against possibly the most offensively ruthless team in the competition in recent years.

Onana conceded three goals as Brighton beat Manchester United at Old Trafford | Imago
Onana conceded three goals as Brighton beat Manchester United at Old Trafford | Imago

Bayern Munich’s unbeaten home record

The German champions have played the Manchester-based club on five occasions in Munich, and in each instance, they never tasted defeat.

Three of their four victories against the three-time UCL winners were home conquests. The two other times they met in Germany ended in a draw.

The current situation of the Red Devils and the historical success of the Bavarians stack the odds against Manchester United.

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