Bayern Munich vs. Dinamo Zagreb: UEFA Champions League team ...
Harry Kane and Thomas Müller kick off the new UEFA Champions League league phase and the road back to Munich as Bayern host Dinamo Zagreb. - © Sebastian Widmann
Harry Kane and Thomas Müller kick off the new UEFA Champions League league phase and the road back to Munich as Bayern host Dinamo Zagreb. - © Sebastian Widmann
Bayern Munich will kick-off their tilt at the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League title by hosting Dinamo Zagreb at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday (kick-off: 9.00pm CEST).
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Despite Bayern restoring their three-goal cushion, Zagreb continue to try and close the deficit, creating an exciting second-half.
Olise settles any nerves still lingering after Kane's goal, tapping home after Musiala rounded the 'keeper following another defence splitting pass.
After a chaotic start to the half, Kane puts his side back in the driving seat as he taps home after Kimmich's shot from distance is parried.
© Alex Grimm
Having offered so little in the first-half, the visitors are now putting Bayern under serious pressure.
Just five minutes into the second-half and Zagreb have already scored two! This time, a through ball cuts right through the Bayern defence and finds Ogiwara, who finishes calmly into the bottom corner.
Pierre-Gabriel's ball in is flicked on at the front post and finds Petković at the far post in who pokes home past Ulreich.
The second-half starts with changes for both sides. Captain Neuer is replaced as a result of an earlier collision, while Zagreb make a change in midfield.
Substitution
Substitution
The home side go in at the break with three goals to their name, reflecting their dominance over the visitors. Summer signing Michael Olise rounded of an impressive first-half with his first goal in the competition.
© IMAGO/Eduard Martin
After a one-two on the edge of the area, Pjaca gets a shot off but can't keep it down.
Zagreb will have to wait that bit longer for the half-time whistle.
The home side have been on top almost since the first whistle, with Zagreb unable to halt their continuous attacks.
The summer signing heads home from close range after a brilliant in-swinging cross from Kimmich.
© Alex Grimm
A cross from Gnabry finds Musiala once again, whose first time chested pass lands perfectly in the path of Guerreiro. The Portugal international then hits a sweet first-time half-volley into the top corner.
© IMAGO/Eduard Martin
Pierre-Gabriel breaks away and feeds Petković in the final third, but he loses the ball cheaply and Bayern regain possession.
Jamal Musiala has been his usual exciting self, constantly threatening the Zagreb backline.
© Sebastian Widmann
Olise whips in a corner from the right which is cleared. Guerreiro picks it up and shoots wide from distance.
After the confusion surrounding the ruling out of the earlier goal, Kane eventually puts his side ahead from the penalty spot, shooting high to the right of Nevistić.
© Sebastian Widmann
Bayern score through Gnabry, but the goal is chalked off for offside, and they are awarded a penalty instead for an earlier foul.
Musiala finds himself in behind the Zagreb defence again, but his cross is blocked and Zagreb clear.
The ball falls to Kane inadvertently who plays in Musiala in the area. He finishes with only the 'keeper to beat, but it's called for offside.
In typical Neuer fashion, the Bayern captain comes into midfield to clear a possible counter-attack for Zagreb and collides with Petković. Both are up and running again.
Musiala lets off a powerful drive from just outside the area, but it's straight down the 'keeper's throat.
Bayern's Champions League campaign is now underway.
Tonight's hosts have won their opening three Bundesliga games under new boss Vincent Kompany, with their most recent win seeing them score six away to the league's newcomers Holstein Kiel. Jamal Musiala scored after just 15 seconds in that game, and Bayern would love it if their Champions League campaign would get off to an equally fast start.
Bayern's opponents tonight have won four of their opening six league games, although they have failed to win their last two, drawing one and losing the other. Their only loss of the season came in their most recent game against Hajduk Split, who have former Bayern man Leon Dajaku in their ranks. Oh, and they're managed by Gennaro Gattuso.
Neuer (c) - Kimmich, Kim, Upamecano, Davies - Pavlović, Guerreiro - Olise, Musiala, Gnabry - Kane
Ulreich, Schmitt, Goretzka, Sané, Kingsley Coman, Dier, Palhinha, Müller, Laimer, Tel
Nevistić - Ristovski, Théophile-Catherine, Mmaee, Pierre-Gabriel - Mišić, Rog - Pjaca, Baturina, Ogiwara - Petković (c)
Zagorac, Filipović, Torrente, Ademi, Bernauer, Stojković, Kačavenda, Hoxha, Kulenović, Córdoba, Mbuku, Špikić
1:06
Musiala, Kane, Neuer et al are going under the Champions League spotlight shortly ...
The visitors will be hoping to put last weekend's 1-0 league loss to rivals behind them this evening. Friday's reverse was the first defeat of the season for Sergej Jakirović's side.
The England captain has 50 goal involvements in just 35 Bundesliga games (40 goals, 10 assists), which - as you might expect - is a German top-flight record. The previous best? 44 games for a half-century of goal involvements by Erling Haaland at Dortmund.
© IMAGO/Christian Schroedter
"Anything other than three points for Bayern would be a huge surprise," Olić explained of Dinamo who said they shouldn't be underestimated in the Champions League this season. "Dinamo is a force, especially at home with its loud, passionate fans: it has already managed to beat Tottenham Hotspur or Atalanta Bergamo in Zagreb. The fans can drive the team to great victories.
"Before the draw, I was really hoping that Dinamo would face FC Bayern. Now it's the first game of the new Champions League season - of course I have to be there when my two former clubs meet. I love Dinamo, but my best time was at Bayern. I expect Dinamo to play well - the players will fight. But they will also know that Bayern are the huge favourites."
Former Croatia international, Ivica Olić, wore the colours of both clubs as a player. He grew up a fan of Dinamo got to represent his boyhood club before leaving in 2003. A move to Hamburg in 2007 was followed by joining Bayern in 2009, where he won the Bundesliga in his first season. He's been speaking to Bayern's club website this week...
© CHRISTOF STACHE
Bayern have won 20 of their last 25 home games in the competition and lost just one: a 2-3 reverse to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020/21 quarter-final first leg. The final will be at the Allianz Arena on 31 May, 2025 - will Bayern's home strength see them all the way through?
© gettyimages / Alexander Hassenstein
The UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League have all undergone a revamp for the 2024/25 season. There are more teams, more games and a new ‘Swiss’-style format. Check out the article on bundesliga.com to find out how it’s all going to work.
© imago images
Bayern's Champions League campaign gets underway with the visit of Dinamo (kick-off: 9pm CEST) this evening. It will give Kompany his first taste of the competition proper as a coach, having previously taken charge of three qualifying matches with Anderlecht. His team have been perfect in the league so far and will be looking to build on that momentum at the Allianz Arena.
© IMAGO
"They're a talented, technically good team. They're used to having the ball in the final third and looking for gaps. They're a team that's good at defending their box, allowing very little space. We want to force our game on them. Hopefully that brings success."
© Imago
Always among the favourites to win European football's top prize, Bayern have gone to the quarter-finals or further in the Champions League in 12 of their last 13 appearances in the competition.
© IMAGO/Oryk HAIST
3:55
Bayern's super striker Harry Kane - the Bundesliga's top scorer with 36 goals last season - will be looking to add to his 29 goals in 44 UEFA Champions League appearances.
The six-time European champions have won 20 of their last 25 home games in the Champions League, also drawing four in that run.
© IMAGO
Bayern hired Vincent Kompany as their new head coach in the summer and the recently appointed tactician will be overseeing his first Champions League game from the sidelines in what will be a tournament with a new league format this season. Kompany featured in 41 Champions League games as a player with Manchester City, Hamburg and Anderlecht.
© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON
This will be Bayern's 28th campaign in the UEFA Champions League and they only trail Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 29) in terms of tournament appearances.
In these teams' only two meetings in UEFA competition thus far, Bayern came out on top twice in the 2015/16 group stages. The Bavarian giants scored a combined seven times to Dinamo's zero in the home and away encounters, with Bundesliga legend Robert Lewandowski netting five of those.
© imago sportfotodienst
Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of Bayern Munich's opening UEFA Champions League game of the 2024/25 league phase at home to Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia.
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Bayern reached the semi-finals of last season's competition, and were a matter of minutes away from the showpiece at Wembley before Real Madrid completed a dramatic turnaround. With Vincent Kompany at the helm, they have the prospect of a final at their very own Allianz Arena to inspire them to go one step further this time around. They come into this campaign opener on the back of four domestic victories, which means Kompany remains unbeaten since his appointment and boasts a striker in Harry Kane who's scored five in his last two outings for club and country. That includes a hat-trick on Saturday in the 6-1 demolition of Holstein Kiel, where Kompany was able to rest some players in the second half. An injury in training to Sacha Boey may force Joshua Kimmich back to right-back - although Konrad Laimer is another alternative - but the Bavarians are well stocked in midfield with João Palhinha, Aleksandar Pavlović, Leon Goretzka and Jamal Musiala providing options. There are also options as to who flanks Kane, with Michael Olise impressing since his summer arrival, Serge Gnabry looking in good form, plus Kingsley Coman and the ever-green Thomas Müller - one of two surviving members of the team that played in the 2012 Champions League final in Munich, alongside Manuel Neuer.
It will be a tough ask for Zagreb to beat Bayern on their own turf, but they will have plenty of confidence themselves following a strong start to their league campaign. Although they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Hajduk Split at the weekend, they have won four and drawn the other of their opening six league games, while they recorded a dominant 5-0 aggregate victory over Qarabağ in the play-off qualification to reach this stage. Dinamo boss Sergej Jakirović will be without Sadegh Moharrami and Mauro Perković for this clash, while Filip Brekalo is a doubt due to a knee injury. However, the Blues will be able to call on star players such as Sandro Kulenović and Croatia international Bruno Petković - who seven goals in eight games this term - along with midfielder Martin Baturina, who is seen by some as the successor to Luka Modrić. Some of the more attentive Bayern fans might be familiar with winger Marko Pjaca, who spent six months on loan with Schalke in 2018.
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's thrashing of Kiel
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Match stats
Bayern are bidding to win their seventh Champions League title, and first since 2019/20. Kane has scored 29 Champions League goals, including a single-season best of eight in 2023/24. One more will equal the record for most tournament goals by an English player, currently held by Wayne Rooney. Müller has made 151 Champions League appearances (all for Bayern). If he plays, the 35-year-old will set a new competition record for most games for one club, overtaking Barcelona legend Xavi. Bayern have won their last 20 opening Champions League games, dating back to a a 3-2 loss to Deportivo La Coruña in 2002/03. Germany's record champions beat Zagreb 5-0 at home and 2-0 away in the 2015/16 groups, with Müller, Neuer and Joshua Kimmich all featuring in some capacity. Among teams to have played at least 50 Champions League games, Bayern are second only to Real Madrid for highest win percentage (59.5 compared to 60 percent). Zagreb rank lowest (13 percent).Watch: All 150 of Thomas Müller's Bundesliga goals
Probable line-ups
Bayern: Neuer (c) - Kimmich, Upamecano, Kim, Guerreiro - Palhinha, Pavlović - Olise, Musiala, Gnabry - KaneOut: Boey (knee), Buchmann (muscular), Ito (metatarsal), Peretz (thigh), Stanišić (knee)Doubtful: Ibrahimović (hamstring)Coach: Vincent Kompany
Dinamo: Nevistić - Bernauer, Théophile-Catherine, Mmaee, Pierre-Gabriel - Pjaca, Mišić, Sučić, Baturina - Kulenović, Petković (c)Out: Moharrami (knee), Perković (knee)Doubtful: Brekalo (knee)Coach: Sergej Jakirović
