Man United lineup vs Bayern Munich: Our top three – Manchester United are looking for a performance away to Bayern Munich in their opening UEFA Champions League game on Wednesday night, after losing 3-1 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion over the weekend, making it three defeats from their opening five matches.
Contents
Current Man United stats – Exposed out wide
United were given a schooling by Brighton and Roberto De Zerbi on Saturday, as the visitors raced into a 3-0 lead at Old Trafford before the hosts scored a consolation.
They recorded more possession and double the shots on target, with each goal coming from a cutback from out wide. Martin Odegaard scored a similar goal in Arsenal's 3-1 win over United prior, and this is clearly a problem for Erik ten Hag's side.
Deciding to go with a 4-4-2 diamond system for the first time this season meant a lack of cover out wide. New signing Sergio Reguilon was thrown into the deep end in the absence of first-choice left-back Luke Shaw, and Diogo Dalot started over the more defensively-reliable Aaron Wan-Bissaka (pictured below), who has tackled and intercepted more players than his right-back counterpart.
The result has put our top trio in the expected Man United team lineup vs Bayern Munich under more pressure than ever. Can they handle it?
Man United lineup vs Bayern Munich – Our top three
Rasmus Hojlund
Amidst all the doom and gloom at United, with damaging off-field news regarding Antony and Napoli-linked Jadon Sancho filtering onto the pitch, Hojlund has been a bright spark. The striker was denied an Old Trafford debut goal against Brighton after a VAR check, and Ten Hag's decision to substitute him off on 64 minutes was met with boos by the home crowd.
If combining a late cameo at Arsenal with his minutes against the Seagulls, six-foot-three Hojlund has already contested seven duels, making him a handful for any centre-back pairing, and Bayern's Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae have only kept one clean sheet in four starts together so far.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford only has one goal to his name this term, but that was a superbly-taken strike against Arsenal which showed a glimpse of what he is capable of.
The Englishman's 17 goals in the Premier League last season was crucial in the Red Devils qualifying for the Champions League in the first place – and he also boasts 12 strikes in the competition overall, making him a big threat on his day.
Bruno Fernandes
United will be looking to their captain for inspiration on Wednesday night, as everything they do on the pitch well usually comes through him.
No player in the squad averages more tackles (2.6), key passes (3.2) or long balls (five) per game than Fernandes, and he will need to set the tone if his team are to get a positive result and performance in the Allianz Arena.
The Final Word
It will be difficult for United to suddenly turn the screw and put in a performance capable of beating or even drawing against Bayern at the Allianz.
The hosts are unbeaten in the Bundesliga this campaign, and manager Thomas Tuchel knows all about his opponents from his time managing in the Premier League at Chelsea.
The Red Devils may build a slight sense of encouragement by the fact that Bayern could only draw 2-2 at home to Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend, but they will still be favourites here.
Harry Kane is obviously the player to watch, having been linked with a move to United this summer before moving to Germany, and the England talisman already boasts four goals this season.
