Bayern Munich will start their UEFA Champions League journey with a game against Manchester United on Thursday. The Bavarian giants will not have their manager Thomas Tuchel on the touchline when they take the field against the Premier League heavyweights at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The German manager will not be in Bayern Munich’s dugout due to a one-match touchline ban.
Tuchel was handed a suspension after he was sent off during Bayern Munich’s second-leg quarter-final fixture against Manchester City last season. The 50-year-old was shown a second yellow card by French referee Clement Turpin in the dying minutes of the game. Bayern Munich crashed out of last season’s Champions League that night having played out a 1-1 draw with eventual winners Manchester City. The Bundesliga champions had to concede a 4-1 defeat, on aggregate, to Manchester City.
Despite the ban, Tuchel will be allowed to be present in the stands and inside the dressing room tonight during his side’s fixture against Manchester United. Tuchel, who guided Chelsea to a Champions League triumph two years back, can also communicate with his team management throughout the Champions League fixture. In Tuchel’s absence, Bayern Munich first-team coaches Zsolt Low and former Chelsea coach Anthony Barry will reportedly direct the side from the dugout tonight. Low had previously worked under Tuchel at Chelsea.
The match against Manchester United will mark English striker Harry Kane’s first Champions League appearance in Bayern Munich jersey. Having arrived in Germany earlier this summer, Kane has already scored four goals in five appearances for Bayern Munich. The 11-time defending Bundesliga champions will heavily rely on the 30-year-old tonight in the Champions League. Ahead of the fixture, Tuchel described the former Tottenham Hotspur player as a “difference maker.”
“In time he will make players around him better and will learn how to make them shine. He will assist and not only score. He will be the difference and he’s already the difference. He is very important and that’s why we relied heavily on this transfer and I’m 100% convinced he will prove us right. There’s always a lot of noise around Man United. A lot of pundits in the UK are (ex players) from Manchester United. You’ve a legacy from (their former manager) Alex Ferguson which creates expectations. We can never be sure about Manchester United and we need to control the game. They can be very dangerous,” Tuchel was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Bayern Munich have been unbeaten so far this season. The German giants dropped their first point of the season last week when Bayer Leverkusen scripted a remarkable comeback to salvage a point in Munich.
