After a couple years away, we’re back at the big boys’ table, back in the big time, back in the Champions League. I mean, it ain’t no Club World Cup, but I suppose it’ll have to do.
Our last game in this competition was the second of back-to-back 2-0 defeats to Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the 2022-23 edition, the last that featured the old style group stage format. Like all other European competitions, including the Conference League that we won last year, the Champions League now features
an eight-match “league phase”, with the top quarter of the league advancing directly to the Round of 16, and the bottom quarter going out. The rest play an extra knockout round, as if the calendar wasn’t busy enough already. So there is some jeopardy in this initial phase, and we probably won’t finish with the best record like last season in the third European tier.
Of course, the new format also means that not every game is as impactful as before, and considering that this game, at least on paper, is probably the toughest we have in this league phase, it won’t be the end of the world if we don’t win. If anything, it’ll be a good litmus test following the Club World Cup. Was that just a fluke? Can we really compete with the best of the best, and do so consistently?
Time to find out.
Date / Time: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 20.00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am IST (next day)
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munchen, Germany
Referee: José María Sánchez (on pitch); Carlos del Cerro Grande (VAR)
Forecast: A gentle breeze of nostalgia
On TV: TNT Sports (UK); none (USA); Sony TEN 1 (India); SuperSport Premier League (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: discovery+ (UK); Paramount+ (USA); Sony LIV (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Bayern Munich team news: Head coach Vincent Kompany reckons Bayern need to win at least six of eight to assure a top-eight finish, and four of eight to not finish in the bottom-eight. They’re obviously targeting eight-of-eight, and then winning all the rest, too, all the way to the Cup. In four of the last five years, they’ve gone only as far as we did the last time, so that’s what Kompany’s going to be judged by — not by winning another Bundesliga title or five (which they did last year, at the usual canter).
The team’s largely the same as last year, with two key additions, defender Jonathan Tah (on a free of course because Bundesliga) and Luis Díaz from Liverpool for a cool €70m. Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané left the club this summer for riches and minutes elsewhere, while the legendary Thomas Müller retired to the MLS. And of course there’s the whole Nicolas Jackson situation: technically on loan, probably not really welcome back to Chelsea, but also not really guaranteed to join Bayern despite the “implication” “obligation”. Anyway, we’ll see how that all plays out in 8-9 months. Jackson is eligible to play against us, unlike loanees in the Premier League. If he does, maybe we can count this as two appearances towards the supposed 40 needed?
All that aside, the most impactful thing to happen this summer to Bayern was losing Jamal Musiala to a long-term injury during the Club World Cup. Alphonso Davies, Hiroki Itō, and Raphaël Guerreiro are also set to miss out.
View from the enemy: Bavarian Football Works
Chelsea team news: Deadline-day signing Facundo Buonanotte was surprisingly left off our European squad registration initially, despite an open spot, but that weirdness was rectified thanks to a new UEFA rule that allows teams to replace players with long-term injuries. Of course, the problem is that Dário Essugo is now out for many months, leaving Moisés Caicedo without a backup. And Essugo’s injury is only the tip of the iceberg, with Roméo Lavia and Benoît Badiashile (still) not traveling and Liam Delap and Levi Colwill out long-term.
Thankfully, Estêvão has gotten over his illness from the weekend, which saw Enzo Maresca try a few new looks in the lineup, without much promise. Cole Palmer was among the second half substitutes who helped turned that game around (before we gave it away late); it was his first appearance in nearly a month following a groin concern. But in that same game, João Pedro was forced into action due to shortages elsewhere, and he may be in need of a rest soon.
Previously: This will be our sixth meeting all-time: 1 win, 1 draw, 3 defeats is our record. The last time we played in this arena, back in 2020, we got spanked, 4-1. The time before that, we won the Champions League (that’s the draw, per UEFA accounting). We can’t do the latter now, so let’s not do the former either.
