Hargreaves: 'Bayern just needs to play in the right form to win against Man Utd'
"Bayern is definitely highly appreciated at home, especially after recruiting Harry Kane," Hargreaves said on the Bayern homepage. "But Man Utd is still a threat with quality attack. Marcus Rashford is very strong in counter-attack situations, Bruno Fernandes always has very sharp passes behind the defense, so Man Utd has a chance. But As long as Bayern has normal form, I expect them to win at home."
The draw puts Bayern and Man Utd in Group A of the Champions League, along with Copenhagen and Galatasaray - two opponents that are not too strong, but promise to be unpredictable. The last time Bayern met Man Utd in an official match was the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2014, when the "Gray Tigers" won 4-2, including a masterpiece volley from Arjen Robben.
But the most memorable match was the 1998-1999 Champions League final at Camp Nou, when Bayern led from the sixth minute but lost 1-2 thanks to goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in extra time. second half time.
In the rematch at Allianz Stadium today, Bayern will not have the direction of Thomas Tuchel. The German coach had to serve a penalty from last season, when he was banned from directing one match for being sent off in Bayern's 1-1 draw with Man City in the Champions League quarterfinals second leg in April.
However, Hargreaves still rates Bayern higher and expects the "Gray Tigers" to increase their winning streak in the opening round of the Champions League to 20 matches. "Winning the first match in the Champions League is obviously very important, especially at home," the 42-year-old former midfielder expressed. "And when you start with a match against the toughest opponent in the group, winning is even more important. The standard at Bayern is very high so they want to win every match. Last season, Bayern qualified for the group stage with a great result. opposite to".
Hargreaves joined the Bayern youth academy in 1997 and played for the first team from 2000 to 2007, scoring 10 goals in 218 matches, winning four Bundesliga, three German Cups, one German Super Cup and one Champions League. In the summer of 2007, the famous British player joined Man Utd for a fee of 21 million USD. Hargreaves' contribution was limited by injury, as he only had two goals in 39 matches in four seasons at Old Trafford, but still won one Premier League and one Champions League.
Hargreaves believes that Bayern is in better form when they are unbeaten in the Bundesliga with three wins and one draw, while Man Utd lost three through the first five rounds and is currently ranked 13th in the Premier League. But the famous British player predicts that the two old clubs will be present in the 1/8 round together, with Bayern at the top of the group, followed by Man Utd, Galatasaray and Copenhagen respectively.
