German champions Bayern Munich are not eager to label themselves as favorites or underdogs for their Champions League title chances this season. However, they are entering their league-phase opener against England’s Chelsea on Wednesday with a lot of confidence, striker Harry Kane mentioned on Tuesday.
Former longtime Bayern president and board member Uli Hoeness did not highly rate their chances in Europe this season, stating they were entering the Champions League “like (mid-table German club) Hoffenheim.” The six-time European champions had a successful dress rehearsal on Saturday, with Kane scoring twice as they dismantled promoted Hamburg SV 5-0 in the league, achieving three wins from three league games this season.
However, a reduced squad and failure to sign several transfer targets have left Bayern fans questioning whether their team is competitive enough for Europe’s elite club competition. “A club like Bayern always expects to win every competition. I wouldn’t say we’re underdogs, even though we’re playing against the best teams in Europe,” Kane told a press conference when asked about Hoeness’ comment. “Now begins a long journey, hopefully until May. I don’t want to look too far ahead about winning. We want to be as high as possible in the league phase table. It all starts tomorrow,” he said.
“We back ourselves to beat any team at the Allianz Arena. We’re feeling very good right now. If we want to beat Chelsea, we have to perform at our peak. It will be a tough and great game. Chelsea did very well at the Club World Cup and right now in the Premier League.”
Bayern have not had much success in Europe since last winning the title in 2020, getting past the quarterfinals only once in the last five seasons.
Coach Vincent Kompany said it made little sense to talk about title chances at this stage.
“Let’s see what happens. From our side, everyone is 100% looking forward to this. We want to win the Champions League. That always has to be the goal. I don’t think any Bayern player has a lower goal,” Kompany said.
“Tomorrow is the first game and that is the only task. The dream remains but the task tomorrow is the most important one. We want to get into the top eight. Win six games and then you advance. Tomorrow we have to try to win that first game.”
