Bayern Munich drawn in a tricky Champions League group
The Champions League is set to return next month as Bayern Munich looks to bounce back from last season’s disappointing exit against Villarreal in the quarter-finals. The Bavarian club is set to face a stern test in the group stages of the competition this year.
During the group stage draw in Istanbul on Thursday, Bayern was drawn into the most difficult group. The following teams will be playing home and away in the six games across the next three months:
- Barcelona
- Inter Milan
- Viktoria Plzen
Barcelona is set to be a more formidable opponent for Die Roten this season than it was last year. Bayern managed to clinch convincing wins against the Spanish giants. Barcelona was eventually eliminated in the group stage, which eventually brought an end to Ronald Koeman’s reign at the Catalan club.
The Spanish club has improved significantly under Xavi Hernandez in the last eight months. Barcelona has recruited top players this summer, including Robert Lewandowski from Die Roten. The Polish striker will be playing for the opposition at Allianz Arena for the first time since leaving the club earlier this summer after enjoying eight successful seasons at Bayern.
Inter Milan finished runners-up to AC Milan in Serie A last season. The Italian club has strengthened the squad by bringing Romelu Lukaku back to the club this summer. Inter has an astute tactician in Simone Inzaghi, so Die Roten will have to be at their best to make sure that they win home and away against Nerazzurri.
Viktoria Plzen is the underdog in this group, but they cannot be underestimated, especially at Doosan Arena. They qualified for the group stage of the Champions League by beating Qarabag in the qualifier. The atmosphere for all home games at Viktoria Plzen during the group stage will be electric due to the arrival of European heavyweights. On paper, two games against Plzen should yield six points for Die Roten, but strange things have happened in the Champions League.
Julian Nagelsmann had a bittersweet debut Champions League campaign with Bayern. The Bundesliga champions managed to win all of their group games last season, but they couldn’t break down Unai Emery’s Villarreal in the quarter-final. Nagelsmann will be hoping to get things right next season and bring the trophy back to Allianz Arena. The German coach will be adequately tested from the tactical point of view in the group games this season.
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Bayern has enjoyed a solid start to the new campaign. They are scoring goals for fun as they have won all three league games in a convincing manner. The Bavarian faithful will be hoping to see the team maintaining this form and taking the momentum in the tricky group games of the Champions League.