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“First of all, you know since last season, I always like to go game by game,’ the Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed on Tuesday, in another jaw-dropping development. “You cannot think about the final or semi-final if you can’t win games in the group stage.
“Tomorrow we have the first one against a fantastic team, one of the three or four favourites in this competition, but we are going to try to do our job in the best way.
“I think Bayern Munich is a team that showed last year that they are very close and they can compete to win this competition. This is my view. I see them together with three or four more clubs as one of the favourites for this competition.”
Jacob Steinberg
A trip to the Allianz Arena offers Chelsea fond memories of the greatest night in their history, a meeting with two what‑might‑have-beens and a swift reunion with a player desperate to prove they were wrong to let him go.
Perhaps Enzo Maresca will be feeling nervous if his team have to face Nicolas Jackson when they open their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. There are plenty of examples of loanees coming back to haunt their parent club in the tournament and Jackson will not be short of motivation if he features against Chelsea less than a month since he left on loan.
What’s the vibe on the old team news? Well, Cole Palmer is expected to slot into Chelsea’s starting lineup after a groin injury, which is nice for Blues fans and neutrals alike, because he is well good at playing football.
Bayern remain without long-term absentees Alphonso Davies (cruciate ligament), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal fracture) and Jamal Musiala (dislocated ankle and fractured fibula). Raphaël Guerreiro was injured in the 5-0 win against Hamburg on Saturday, and is ruled out, although Kompany said his stomach muscle injury is “not serious” and he might be back for Hoffenheim on Saturday. Also nice.
“We want to win the Champions League, everyone’s 100 per cent up for this competition,” revealed the Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany on Tuesday, in a quite astonishing development.
“We’ve developed momentum,” Kompany added. “We’ve fulfilled all the to-dos. We’re looking forward to a Champions League night at the Allianz Arena. That’s always special.”
Preamble
“It’s the greatest night in Chelsea’s history,” commentator Clive Tydesley memorably said as Didier Drogba belted the Champions League-winning penalty past Manuel Neuer in 2012. “These are the moments Chelsea will always cherish and never forget,” wrote Daniel Taylor. There has been plenty of water under the bridge since that magical night in Munich, but that remains indubitably true.
Chelsea won it again in 2021 under Thomas Tuchel, of course, while as far as these opponents are concerned, they were thrashed 7-1 on aggregate in a last-16 tie back in 2019/20. The six previous matches between the clubs have produced four goals each on average – the Blues edged through 7-6 on aggregate in a quarter-final in 2004/05 – so more of the same, please.
The most interesting sub-plot tonight is the possible involvement of the forward Nicolas Jackson, who forced through a loan move to Bavaria from Chelsea during the summer transfer window, and by the admission of the visiting players knows “exactly the way we approach games”.
The mighty Bayern have a perfect five wins out of five this season while Chelsea are not exactly in a bad moment, and are unbeaten in five after their summer Club World Cup glory. It’s chance for both to make a statement of some sort, and it might even be fun!
Kick-off: 8pm UK time.
