They made hard work of it, but Bayern Munich beat Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 at the Allianz Arena thanks to a brace from Harry Kane in the second half after the visitors looked like they might just have enough to stifle the Bundesliga champions and come away from Munich with something. Bayern had already secured advancement to the knockout stages of the Champions League, but the win over Union Saint-Gilloise matched with results elsewhere across Europe means that they have guaranteed a finish in the top
eight of the table and will not have to go through the playoff phase like they did last season.
Finishing top of the table is still technically up for grabs for Bayern if they’re able to better Arsenal’s goal difference of +18, but they would also need them to lose to FC Kairat, who are dead last in the table with just one point earned. Nonetheless, it’s on to the knockout stages for Bayern without the prospect of the playoff round, which will just mean extra rest for Vincent Kompany’s side — something he knows will be crucial for the squad.
After the win over Union Saint-Gilloise, the Belgian manager was asked about the significance of avoiding the playoffs with direct qualification to the round of 16 in the Champions League, and he’s well aware that, while it might be a crucial achievement, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything in terms of winning the competition altogether. “This has often been a question. It’s good because it’s not easy to get top eight in this format. But I don’t think it will decide who will win the Champions League, as last season showed. We’ll use this time to get the players fit and have a full squad ready for the important moments,” Kompany stressed (via @iMiaSanMia).
The cushion Bayern has at the top of the Bundesliga table also gives Kompany more room to make rotations where he sees fit to try to ensure his players are as fresh as possible for the start of the round of 116 of the Champions League. He’s only just welcomed Jamal Musiala back to the squad after his lengthy injury layover and gave him the night off in the win over Saint-Gilloise by virtue of not using him off of the bench and it wasn’t long before his return that Alphonso Davies had made his own way back from a long injury absence — likewise Hiroki Ito.
