Are Bayern Munich Back Among The Champions League Contenders?

Are Bayern Munich Back Among The Champions League Contenders?
13:54, 20 Nov 2017

This week Bayern Munich face Anderlecht in the Champions League and unless anything truly remarkable happens they should pick up three points and continue on in their European campaign relatively unscathed.

After that game they host PSG in the final, rather meaningless fixture of Group B. The French champions humbled the Bavarian giants with a comprehensive 3-0 at the start of the competition, yet the team that will welcome them to Munich already looks vastly different from the one that was defeated in Paris. In fact, this squad looks like it could even challenge for this season’s Champions League title.

Indeed, while neutrals and rival fans may have enjoyed the brief interlude from success under Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern’s own faithful following will be back on track and dreaming of once again lifting the European Cup with Jupp Heynckes.

Since the veteran coach returned to his second home (he’s actually a Gladbach fan and legend first and foremost) Bayern have remarkably turned things around in a very short period of time.

In the eight games he’s resided over, the German champions have scored 20 goals, qualified for the Last 16 of the Champions League and DFB Pokal and put a huge dent in the title challenges of both RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund. Essentially, the treble-winning coach has picked up right where he left off.

Saturday’s 3-0 win over Augsburg was in many ways a routine, domestic win for Bayern but that in itself is something that had escaped the club for the past 18 months. Now they have their big hitters - Robert Lewandowski, Arturo Vidal, Arjen Robben & Co - all firing on all cylinders and once again hungry to take on the very best in Europe.

Interestingly, this turn in form has also coincided with the misfortune of Europe’s other major clubs and the very teams Bayern would have to wrestle this season’s trophy off of.

Manchester United, despite sitting top of their group, look at odds with Jose Mourinho’s constant bickering in the press. Real Madrid have already thrown away any chance of a title race in La Liga. Atletico Madrid might not even qualify for the knock-out rounds of the tournament. And Juventus have looked far from unstoppable.

At this moment in time, Man City, Barcelona and PSG look like the most credible contenders and that’s exactly the kind of company Bayern should look to join in the semifinals of this season’s competition. If they can beat them then they might find another, large trophy in their cabinet at the Allianz Arena.

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