Manchester United will look to put their recent woes aside when they open their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich tonight.
The Red Devils have been in turmoil on and off the pitch in recent weeks and a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton left them 13th in the Premier League table.
Erik ten Hag was hoping for a response from a rough international break, which started with a public feud with Jadon Sancho.
Ten Hag, who is also without fellow winger Antony after allegations of domestic abuse which he denies, then saw his side fall to successive defeats.
United have picked up just six points from their five Premier League games so far and could suffer more misery at the hands of former transfer target Harry Kane.
England captain Kane scored his fourth goal in as many Bundesliga games for Bayern in their 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen last time out.
And the former Tottenham striker will be desperate to continue his flying start in his first reunion with a Premier League outfit.
Bayern Munich vs Man United: talkSPORT coverage
This Champions League clash will take place on Wednesday, September 20.
Kick-off at the Allianz Arena is scheduled for 8pm UK time.
talkSPORT will have live coverage of the showdown in Germany, presented by Adrian Durham from the Emirates Stadium.
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Commentary will then come from Jim Proudfoot and former England defender Stuart Pearce.
talkSPORT.com will also be running a live blog to cover all the action as well.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
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Bayern Munich vs Man United: Team news
The hosts are sweating on the fitness of Joshua Kimmich, who was withdrawn against Leverkusen with an inflamed tendon.
Bayern will hope Kimmich passes a late fitness test as they are already without Manuel Neuer and Tarek Buchmann but Raphael Guerreiro and Kingsley Coman are both back in training.
The visitors have mounting injury problems of their own, with 12 first-team players out.
Raphael Varane, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire are close to returning but have not travelled to Munich.
Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo, Tom Heaton and new signing Sofyan Amrabat are all sidelined too.
United are still without Antony for the immediate future, while Sancho remains unavailable after crunch talks with Ten Hag.
Donny van de Beek is not registered for European games.
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Bayern Munich vs Man United: What has been said?
United should start Maguire and Casemiro needs to be dropped, according to talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Speaking after the defeat to Brighton, Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “Casemiro! Casemiro looked like he was 45 running around that midfield. He had to bring him off on the 65th minute for Hannibal, a young lad, because he was that bad.
“You know what else wound me up today? Let’s see the same energy for Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof.
“Martinez for the Gross goal, he has tried to make a block, he’s got fake-shot by Gross and scored in the back of the net.
“If that was Harry Maguire, you would not hear the end of it, ‘he’s terrible get him out the side’.
“Harry Maguire must be looking around that changing room now thinking, ‘how am I not getting a chance in this team?’
“Martinez could not even play from the back, giving the ball away, Lindelof as well. Harry Maguire deserves to be in that team.
“So let’s see the same energy, all you tweeters, whoever you are, let’s see the same energy for Martinez at the back, for Casemiro, who can’t get around the pitch, not just pick on Harry Maguire.”
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Bayern Munich vs Man United: Match facts
- Each of the previous 11 meetings between FC Bayern München and Manchester United have come in the UEFA Champions League – the German side have never lost at home to the Red Devils before (W3 D2).
- Manchester United have only lost more UEFA Champions League games against Barcelona (5) than they have against FC Bayern München (4), though one of their two wins against them was to lift the trophy in 1999.
- Only Real Madrid (304) have played more UEFA Champions League games than FC Bayern München (282). This is the German side’s 16th consecutive campaign in the competition.
- In the current format of the competition (since 2003-04), Bayern have progressed to the knockout rounds in all 19 of their appearances in the competition. They last fell at the first hurdle in 2002-03.
- Manchester United have been eliminated from the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in two of their six campaigns in the competition since Alex Ferguson retired (33%), having gone out at the first round group stage in just three of their 18 campaigns under the Scotsman (17%).
- Bayern are unbeaten in their last 34 UEFA Champions League group stage games (W31 D3), winning the last 13 in a row. Both are the longest such runs in the group stages in the history of the competition.
- FC Bayern München have scored in each of their last 40 home games in the UEFA Champions League group stages (W38 D1 L1) since a 2-0 loss to Bordeaux in November 2009.
- In his last campaign in the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 2021-22, Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag won all six of his group stage games by an aggregate score of 20-5.
- Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has been directly involved in seven goals in his last 10 appearances against Manchester United (four goals and three assists), although he’s not ended on the winning side in any of his last five games against them, losing four of those (D1).
- Based on the quality of shots on target faced, Manchester United’s André Onana prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the UEFA Champions League last season (+7.8 – 10 goals conceded from 17.8 xG on target faced, excluding own goals).
Bayern Munich vs Man United: Betting
Match Odds:
Bayern Munich: 9/20
Draw: 17/5
Man United: 9/2
See all Champions League Outright Odds here
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