Bayern Munich touched down on the beautiful coast of Paphos, not for vacation but for business. The club travels to Cyprus for the first time since 1990, when Die Roten faced off against APOEL Nicosia in the First Round of the European Cup.
A long-distance away day is predicted to carry a lot of difficulty for Vincent Kompany and the players. Bayern Munich will be the favourite for the match with a flawless record so far in the season. However, the host will try their very best in the club's first UEFA Champions League home game.
Pafos looked pretty impressive in their debut against Olympiacos, salvaging a goalless draw despite going down to ten men early in the first half. Their head coach, Juan Carlos Carcedo, is very experienced, having worked as Unai Emery's assistant manager for over five years.
Bayern fans can expect a one-sided possession-heavy game. However, it will not be easy to penetrate a stern backline of Pafos. Vincent Kompany will be tested once again on his ability to craft a tactic against a passive backline. Of course, Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, and Michael Olise will be relied on to make something out of nothing. Apart from them, here are three players who can make an impact for Bayern in these situations.
Konrad Laimer
The Austrian international is having a stellar season for Bayern so far. Even when playing left-back with Josip Stanisic down injured, he has done more than anyone could imagine. Laimer even scored a goal last weekend against Werder Bremen with a sensational run and finish. Those types of box-crashing runs from the left-back position are exactly what Bayern needs to break down a well-structured defence.
Laimer's runs help interrupt the focus of the defenders away from other attackers. They force the defence to send a man to follow, subsequently creating enough space for Harry Kane inside the box or a midfielder in the half space at the edge of the penalty area.
If the defenders do not pay attention to those runs, Laimer can punish them with a well-placed shot inside the box off an underlapping pass.