The key battles and narratives ahead of Bayern Munich's showdown with Benfica
By Tom Vinall
On Wednesday night, Bayern Munich will take to the field for their fourth Champions League game of the season, as they showdown with Portuguese giants Benfica at the Allianz Arena. Whilst Vincent Kompany is downplaying the importance of the game, it does feel like a must win, after the last two defeats.
Let’s take a look at the key battles and interesting narratives ahead of the game.
Alphonso Davies vs Angel Di Maria
Despite being 36-years old, and having nothing left to prove in football, Angel Di Maria is still a regular and important player in this Benfica side. We have seen some good battles with him and Alphonso Davies over the years when Bayern have played PSG, and this is set to be no different.
Whilst of course Davies has speed over Di Maria, the veteran’s dribbling, creativity, and football intelligence are all top tier, and Davies will have to be on the top of his game to be quiet. Fortunately, he comes into this game in quite good form.
Raphael Guerreiro/Konrad Laimer vs Kerem Aktürkoğlu
Kerem Aktürkoğlu joined Benfica from Galatasaray this summer, and has been a constant threat on the left-wing. The 26-year old has scored five goals and provided a further three assists in five league games, as well as scoring three goals in three Champions League games.
Furthermore, Aktürkoğlu loves to run in behind, and with Raphael Guerreiro’s pace, or lack there of, this could be a game for Konrad Laimer to start at right-back, in an attempt to try and stifle his threat, on and off the ball.