Bayern Munich will host Copenhagen having already qualified for the knockouts of the Champions League. For the next two matchdays, Thomas Tuchel’s team’s only concern is maintaining their honor.
Preview (Bayern Munich vs. Copenhagen)
Okan Buruk’s stingy backline hindered Bayern Munich for 80 minutes during their matchday four matchup. Galatasaray was poised to break the Bavarians’ flawless record in the Champions League group stages. But when the chips were down, Harry Kane delivered, as he so often does. He first nodded a free kick from Joshua Kimmich into the net and then finished off his brace. It means that Cedric Bakambu’s late goal would just be a fillip. The England captain’s efforts, along with favorable outcomes in other areas, have allowed the Bundesliga champions to cruise into the final 16 with a perfect 12 points. They are unstoppable.
Taking their foot off the gas would leave Bayern vulnerable to an error, as demonstrated by their dramatic DFB-Pokal exit to Saarbrucken; but, since that 2-1 loss to the lower league team, Tuchel’s team has successfully completed a four-game winning streak. The most recent of those victories came Friday night when Kane scored his 18th Bundesliga goal. The fiery striker became the first Englishman to reach that milestone in a German top-flight season. The hosts have won Bayern’s previous six home games.
The Danish champions have only ever competed in the Champions League knockout stages. They fell 2-0 on aggregate to Chelsea in the 2010–11 last 16. However, they are in control of their own fate going into a potentially crucial match against Galatasaray in two weeks. Though they opened the score against the Bavarian giants, Copenhagen lost 2-1 to Viborg this past weekend. They have since reached a minor plateau in the Superliga after overcoming Man United. On October 3, they lost to Bayern by the same score.
Team News
With nothing to play for on Wednesday, Tuchel will undoubtedly think about rotating some players. He still has some injury concerns, chief among them being Jamal Musiala. He is unlikely to return from a hamstring tear anytime soon. However, it is still unlikely that the Dutchman will be back before the New Year, with Gabriel Marusic (ACL) and Tarek Buchmann (hamstring) rounding out the infirmary. With a performance on Wednesday, Thomas Muller, the World Cup winner, would become the only man to have played in the Champions League for 150 games; only eighteen men had done so previously.
Regarding Copenhagen, William Clem will be out till the New Year owing to a fractured leg, and the defense combo of Birger Meling and David Khocholava are set to be sidelined for the remainder of 2023 due to their separate injuries. Due to a knee injury, Clem’s fellow teen Noah Sahsah may not play either, but fellow 2005 native Bardghji is expected to be called up to the starting lineup as there are rumors that Chelsea and Real Madrid are controlling the young player. Lerager and Dennis Vavro will miss the last group meeting with Galatasaray if they are cautioned today, but Neestrup shouldn’t err on the side of caution considering how important the two are to the squad.
Bayern Munich 3 – 0 Copenhagen
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