Bayern to get off to solid CL start against Inter
Bayern Munich will once again be one of the big favourites to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy come the end of the season, but must first navigate a group containing two fellow heavyweights of European football - Barcelona and more immediately, Inter. The latter are the hosts for the opening game in the pool on Wednesday night at the Giuseppe Meazza, and will want to bounce back quickly from the derby defeat against AC Milan at the weekend. Read our preview here:
Denzel's long distance driving
Up against a 4-2-2-2, it's tempting to believe that the wing-back system employed by Simone Inzaghi won't be under heavy pressure out wide, but that is unlikely to be the case. With only striker Romelu Lukaku missing from the big beasts in the squad, the defensive unit cannot point to personnel for their issues thus far this season. Denzel Dumfries is up there with the best when it comes to aerial challenges, which is unusual for someone in his role. The Dutch international is however far better at driving forwards with purpose than closing down space when I Nerazzurri are out of possession. Elsewhere, Edin Džeko will battle with new face Joaquín Correa to play alongside Lautaro Martínez up top.
Jamal's not sloppy
Meanwhile in the Bundesliga, Julian Nagelsmann's perennial champions are not actually top of the early standings, despite the customary thumpings of other sides in the division. Union Berlin restricted FC Hollywood to a solitary strike in their draw on Saturday, but with only Bouna Sarr absent from the squad travelling to Italy, there will be plenty of competition to rectify that low number in midweek. Leon Goretzka will be available from the bench, whilst Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman will compete for the two attack-minded midfield spots behind Sadio Mané and Thomas Müller. Musiala already has three goals in the league and the 19 year old's work rate in tandem with roving in between the lines marks him out in an XI of stars as perhaps the biggest headache for most opposition defences.
Betting tip
Parimatch have odds of 2.90 for Bayern to sneak the win, with both teams scoring.
