Manchester United enter matchday six of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage with their fate out of their hands after a miserable European campaign so far (W1, D1, L3). The Red Devils must beat already-qualified Bayern Munich, while also hoping that the Group A’s other game between Copenhagen and Galatasaray ends level if they’re to reach the knockout stages.
That looks a tall order given the “really inconsistent” form of Erik ten Hag’s men, who suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. That was their third home defeat by that same scoreline in five outings at Old Trafford, and as they’ve conceded 3+ goals in four of their five UCL group games, a dramatic improvement is needed if United are to reach the last 16.
Perhaps they can find some hope from Bayern Munich’s lousy display on Saturday that saw them fall to a thumping 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt. While the Bundesliga champions have already qualified for the knockout stages, their team selection on matchday five, and the need for a “serious reaction” according to boss Thomas Tuchel, means they’re unlikely to rest on their laurels in Manchester.
Bayern could also extend their incredible competition-record 39-match unbeaten run in the UCL group stages (W35, D4). They had won 17 successive group matches before a 0-0 draw with Copenhagen last time out, and another failure to win would mark their first two-match winless run in the groups in 14 years.
Players to watch: Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund is the UCL’s joint top scorer heading into matchday six with his five strikes, the first of which arrived in the reverse fixture. Bayern frontman Harry Kane scored and assisted in that 4-3 victory, but his ten personal H2H losses against United is his second-highest tally against any opposition throughout his career (W7, D3).
Hot stat: Man Utd are unbeaten in their last 11 home games against German opposition (W8, D3).
