Champions League
Conference League
Premier League
Published on Sep, 17 2024
Bayern Munich will launch their 17th consecutive UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday with their league phase opener at home to Dinamo Zagreb at Allianz Arena. The six-time European kings are no longer defending Bundesliga titleholders, but will be keen to start what they hope will be a deep run against the champions of Croatia.
Bayern have never failed to reach the last 16 of the UCL in their 17 straight appearances. The Germans are unbeaten in 40 group games having won 36, of which 17 were consecutive until a home draw with Copenhagen last season. The Bavarians edged out Lazio and Arsenal before coming up against eventual winners Real which ended Thomas Tuchel's hopes of a second Champions League success. Vincent Kompany is now in charge and is currently enjoying a run of four wins in a row across all competitions.
Dinamo and Bayern met in 2015 with the Germans winning both times thanks to a dominant Robert Lewandowski and the Croatian outfit will make their third appearance in eight years. With 25 domestic league titles and 13 domestic doubles, Dinamo ae looking to be competitive and already saw off Qarabag in the qualifiers. A home loss to Hajduk Split last week also ended a 23-game unbeaten league run which means that Sergej Jakirovic's side no longer lead the way in the HNL standings.
League phase schedule
Bayern: Dinamo Zagreb (home), Aston Villa (away), Barcelona (away), Benfica (home), Paris Saint-Germain (home), Shakhtar Donetsk (away), Feyenoord (away) and Slovan Bratislava (home).
Dinamo: Bayern Munich (away), Monaco (home), Red Bull Salzburg (away), Slovan Bratislava (away), Borussia Dortmund (home), Celtic (home), Arsenal (away) and Milan (home).
Bayern: Leroy Sane has returned to the squad so Kompany should have more or less a full squad to pick from. Josip Stanisic, Tarek Buchmann and summer signing Hiroki Ito are missing with Sane, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Mathys Tel and Michael Olise all competing to start in attack. Jamal Musiala should continue to support Harry Kane with Coman and Gnabry possibly either side.
Possible Bayern XI: Neuer; Kimmich, Kim, Upamecano, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Palhinha; Coman, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane.
Dinamo: Jakirovic could ring the changes again with Sandro Kulenovic possibly coming in after Friday's loss to Hajduk Split with five league goals so far this season. Bruno Petkovic should also start with Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina a bit further back in midfield.
Possible Dinamo XI: Nevisitic; Ristovski, Theophile-Catherine, Mmaee, Pierre-Gabriel; Ademi, Sucic; Cordoba, Baturina, Pjaca; Petkovic.
Although Dinamo can occasional pose problems, Bayern should get off to a straightforward start here with a win by a couple of goals. Pick: Bayern 2, Dinamo 0.
Editors Top Picks
