New-look Bayern out to make sure Spurs drubbing was no fluke
Bayern Munich face Olympiakos away today with key defender Niklas Suele sidelined as Niko Kovac’s side seek to prove their demolition of Tottenham was no fluke.
The summer overhaul of Bayern’s squad bore spectacular fruit a fortnight ago in a 7-2 thrashing of Spurs as winger Serge Gnabry scored four second-half goals.
“The 7-2 was a great match, a statement, but nothing more,” insisted Bayern head coach Kovac after last season’s finalists were routed.
Now Bayern must back up the Spurs trouncing in Athens on the back of below-par performances in the Bundesliga and the loss of Germany centre-back Suele.
Bayern suffered their first defeat this season 10 days ago by crashing 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim, then leaked a 91st-minute equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Augsburg to stay third in the Bundesliga.
The point at Augsburg carried a high price as torn knee ligaments means Suele should be sidelined for the next six months.
Mats Hummels has been sold back to former club Borussia Dortmund, but now his former centre-back partner Boateng can prove himself after Suele’s injury.
Having been heavily linked to Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus this year, Boateng could now partner Lucas Hernandez at Olympiakos, where Bayern chase a third straight win to stay top of Group B.
Kovac had been using Suele, 24, and Hernandez, 23, as centre-backs, backed up by France’s 2018 World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard, 23, who can play in the middle of defence or left-back.
Bayern have reached at least the semi-finals of the Champions League in seven of the previous ten seasons, but crashed out in the last 16 to eventual winners Liverpool in 2018/19.
However, the effect of bringing in new blood like Countinho was obvious at Tottenham, where the ruthless performance suggested “Bayern are one of the favourites this season,” said Sky pundit Didi Hamann.
Yet as the Hoffenheim and Augsburg performances showed, Kovac’s new-look Bayern is still raw as the club looks to avoid another knock-out phase exit, like in recent years, against such teams as Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“A lot needs to go wrong for the other teams and everything must be perfect for Bayern to shorten the gap on the international stage,” ex-Germany midfielder Stefan Effenberg told magazine Kicker.
“I see Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City and Juventus being ahead of Bayern.”