Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that he’ll be deploying his usual, first-choice starting 11 when Bayern Munich step out at Old Trafford this evening.
Given that the Bundesliga giants have already booked their place in the last-16, fans were speculating over whether the manager would risk playing his regular starters and instead give them a rest for the final group-stage fixture.
However, Tuchel has insisted that this won’t be the case tonight. Bayern boast a 39-game unbeaten streak (in the group stage) prior to tonight’s showdown and they’ll be keen to round the remarkable feat to 40 by avoiding defeat.
Manchester United will be well aware of the threat top goalscorer Harry Kane poses should he start from the offset; he’s already found the back of the net 23 times in all competitions since his widely-covered transfer in the summer, and he’ll certainly want to make a statement on his return to English soil.
Tuchel’s pre-match message
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of kick-off, Tuchel said: “No one puts his feet up in Old Trafford! It’s one of the biggest stages in world football, it’s a very special atmosphere and I’m happy to have the privilege to be at the sideline of a Champions League match at Old Trafford. On these kind of occasions, you need to bring the best out of yourself and our team – nothing else matters.”
Asked whether Bayern’s 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend has sparked a desire to bounce back with a strong line-up, the German replied: “Yes and on the other side, if you play at Old Trafford there’s a sense of a very special football stage and a sense of a very special occasion. I’m very sure that none of the players would accept just rest for the sake of resting or for the situation in the table.
“These are the stages and these are the matches that you absolutely want to play so we play with our very best team; for those who we think deserve to start and the best fit and hopefully, [we will] end with a very strong team from the bench, because influence from the bench is very important. And anyway, we had a pause of nine days so there is no need to rest anybody.”
