MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s revamped line-up faces an early test in their Champions League opener at home against Club World Cup winners Chelsea on Wednesday.
A rematch of the 2012 final at the same venue, won on penalties by the English club, Bayern have little time to settle after a summer of upheaval, particularly up front.
Forwards Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Thomas Mueller and Mathys Tel all left in the summer. Only two replacements have been brought in: Luis Diaz, from Liverpool, and Nicolas Jackson, from Chelsea on loan.
With Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies out with long-term injuries, the lack of summer activity earned Bayern some rare criticism from talisman Harry Kane.
Not known for controversial statements, the 32-year-old Kane called Bayern’s squad “thin,” adding “maybe one of the smallest I’ve had in my career.”
With four goals and two assists in his opening five games, Diaz has hit the ground running in Germany.
But Chelsea, crowned Cup World Cup winners after a dominant display against Paris Saint-Germain just two months ago, are likely to pose a sterner test.
Like Chelsea, Bayern are expected to make it out of the league phase but have their sights set on qualifying directly and avoiding another two-legged knockout tie.
Last year, Bayern finished 12th and struggled to get past Celtic, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
Kane admitted on Saturday the extra burden cut their momentum later in the season.
“It’s important to be in the top eight because that extra game can make a big difference.
“Last year, playing that Celtic game home and away in our busiest period, it made a big difference, and we ended up losing a few players after that period in March.
“It’s important to start well.”
Just over 13 years since Chelsea upset Bayern in their own backyard, both sides have since won another Champions League title.
Mueller’s summer departure leaves Bayern captain Manuel Neuer as the only player from either team set to take part on Wednesday.
- Jackson’s ‘hard role to play’ -
Jackson came off the bench in his Bayern debut on Saturday and is unlikely to start against his parent club on Wednesday.
But moments after Jackson’s debut, the England captain said the Senegal striker was more than just a “back-up.”
“I think a lot of people assume that, but he’s someone who can play across the whole front four, and I think there’ll be many times we’ll play together.
“I don’t see him as a back-up — I see him as an attacking player who can help us.”
With Kane, Diaz, Michael Olize and Serge Gnabry impressing for Bayern this season, Jackson will have limited opportunities at first — a difficult task for a player often criticized for missing crucial chances.
It is a role familiar to former Bayern striker Claudio Pizarro, who became a super-sub behind Mario Gomez, Mario Mandzukic and later Robert Lewandowski during a near 15-year association with the club.
Pizarro, who also had a stint at Chelsea, told AFP in Berlin on Saturday: “In my situation during my time at Bayern, I knew my job.
“I have to come in, score my goals, be ready to do my thing when I have the chance.
“It’s a hard role to play. I hope (Jackson) will adapt like Luis (Diaz).”
A six-time German champion, Pizarro said Jackson’s arrival could unleash healthy competition like that which drove Bayern to the treble in 2013, a year after the painful loss to Chelsea.
Pizarro revealed how the rivalry between his former teammates Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on each wing pushed Bayern to greater heights.
“One wanted to be the best, the other as well: Franck and Arjen. They were great for us, but they always wanted to be better than the other.
“It was a good fight.”
