Manchester United are having an awful season. Every time they play a top side, they falter, and you can only pick a handful of games where they have played genuinely well this year. Despite all that, they have picked up victories despite losing too many matches for a club of their stature. Their league record reads nine wins and seven losses with no draws, which is bizarre.
Their Champions League form is even more peculiar, though, as they should have qualified by now. United were two goals to the good against Copenhagen before Marcus Rashford was controversially sent off. Even with this deficit, this Manchester United team should have faired better and there aren’t many excuses for losing the game 4-3. Galatasaray away was much harder, but they found themselves 2-0 and 3-1, up at two points, only to throw another lead away and draw the game.
On the other hand, Bayern are in complete contrast to Manchester United and are having a much better season. When initially writing this preview, we were going to mention that they were unbeaten in the Bundesliga, but on the weekend, they shockingly lost 5-1 away to Frankfurt, which would have shaken a team that has become accustomed to winning this season.
We can’t honestly back Manchester United to do anything with complete confidence because, quite frankly, they must be up there with the most inconsistent teams in world football. After a morale-boosting win against Chelsea midweek, fans thought they might be going into this one with more belief. However, after a shocking 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth, it feels like they have gone straight back to square one despite picking up quite a few good results during the previous month.
Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich Tips
Bayern are the superior team, but we can’t escape one very evident fact. They have already qualified. This means they might not want their star players, such as Musiala and Kane, to risk injury or fatigue before the weekend. On the flip side, plenty of Manchester United players might see this as an outstanding opportunity to get back into the fans’ good books.
One such player is Marcus Rashford, who has recently seen fans turn on him, with some believing he is not putting the effort in. However, a match-winning goal on the weekend could change this around. He isn’t the only Manchester United player who needs a bit of good grace, but he certainly needs something to change his season.
MARCUS RASHFORD TO SCORE FIRST > 9.2 @ OrbitX
Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich Match Analysis
Many expect Manchester United to perform well when facing the German champions at Old Trafford on Tuesday, as United has a history of turning up when they are at their worst. The Red Devil’s struggles are imminent in both domestic competitions and the Champions League, but that does not mean there is no optimism. Thomas Tuchel might rest essential players in this game to bounce back in the Bundesliga, as they struggled in their last league game.
Bayern have already qualified for the next round and are guaranteed to top Group A, but they do not have a history of taking things lightly. Time and time again, we have seen Bayern Munich ruthlessly destroy their opponents, and they will certainly show no mercy against Manchester United. Given Manchester United’s defensive vulnerabilities and Bayern Munich’s open football, we can expect plenty of goals. Despite the small glimmer of hope, it would be implausible to predict a win for United and we expect the game to finish 3-2 in Bayern Munich’s favor.
BAYERN MUNICH TO WIN 3-2 > 24.471 @ BLACK
Manchester United vs. Bayern Predictions
The form of both teams is crucial to consider when trying to predict the outcome of any game. There could be a perception that Manchester United have been doing well because they recently picked up a hattrick of Premier League awards for performances last month. People following football would also think Bayern are underwhelming as they have one win in their previous three games, but both scenarios do not tell the whole story. The truth is, Manchester United’s recent results have had a far more negative impact on them than Bayern, and they are currently not showing any promising signs.
With an away game pending against Liverpool this coming weekend, Ten Hag is under a lot of pressure, and he might already want to start focusing more on the Premier League. Manchester United also needs Group A’s second match to end in a draw if they are to win against Bayern, and both of these outcomes are a long shot. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, would like to make up for their 5-1 defeat by showing everyone what they are capable of, and with that mindset, they can comfortably get an away win in England. Ultimately we expect Bayern to come off victorious at the end of the game and go into the Round of 16 with a dominant showing in their group stages.
BAYERN MUNICH TO WIN > 2.505 @ BLACK
Manchester United Team News
Manchester United will be without some important squad members heading into their crucial Champions League tie. Defenders Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia have both been out for a while now, which has impacted Manchester United’s stability, and they will likely not feature till 2024. Casemiro is also out with a thigh injury, and although there is news of him returning to training recently, he is not fit enough to feature in the Bayern Munich match.
Manchester United fans would wish for some positive news at this point, but it only gets worse as Christian Eriksen, Amad Diallo, Mason Mount, and Victor Lindelof are also out with injuries. There is also no positive update on the Jadon Sancho situation either, but Marcus Rashford will now be eligible to play in Europe again after serving his ban, which is a positive for United. There is also hope for players like Wan-Bissaka, Rasmus Hojlund, and even Raphael Varane to start the game, especially after Manchester United’s poor performance against Bournemouth.
Bayern Munich Team News
Bayern Munich had a difficult week themselves, not only because they lost 5-1 to Frankfurt but also because they lost their key player, Serge Gnabry, to an injury. Gnabry was only on the pitch for five minutes before picking up a major strain; from the looks of it, he will be on the sidelines for a considerable period. Gnabry joins Matthijs de Ligt, Bouna Sarr, and Tarek Buchmann on Bayern’s injury list, and these players will likely be missed on Tuesday.
Manchester United can not breathe too easily with Bayern Munich’s injury, as the Bavarians have plenty of players who can provide decent cover for any position on the field. Jamal Musiala is the favorite to step up in this situation, and we could also see a surprise performance from Thomas Muller.
