What: Manchester United vs Bayern Munich – Champions League matchday 6
Where: Old Trafford
When: Tuesday, December 12th, kick-off 3 PM EST
The Champions League group stages officially conclude next week. Although Manchester United are already eliminated from progressing, they will be looking to finish their European on a high note against group leaders Bayern Munich. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 PM EST on Tuesday at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are at the bottom of the pod with a disappointing 1-1-3 record and settled for a 3-3 draw in their last UCL outing with Galatasaray after taking a two-goal lead. As for Bayern, they’re unbeaten in the competition but did take just one point away on matchday five against Danish giants Copenhagen in a scoreless stalemate. Keep reading for the Manchester United vs Bayern Munich picks.
Surprisingly, United has slightly better odds at +150. Bayern returns at +158, while a draw is priced at +283. These two sides locked horns on matchday one in late September, with the German champions running out 4-3 winners in a wild encounter.
Tough Season For United
In both England and Europe, the Red Devils are having a very poor campaign. In the Premier League, Erik ten Hag’s men are sixth in the table with a 9-0-6 record, scoring only 18 goals in 15 games while conceding the same number. Putting the ball in the back of the net if a major issue. A mid-week win over Chelsea was a positive, though.
When it comes to the Champions League, United was surely hoping they’d return to the competition and at the very least, advance to the Round of 16. But, that’s very much not the case. The side has a mere four points from five appearances, with their only victory coming off matchday two against Copenhagen before the same club shockingly beat them at Old Trafford only a couple of weeks later. Their problems in the UCL are almost the polar opposite of domestic play. The Red Devils have scored more than two goals per match but they’ve also conceded 14 in five outings. As you can see, there is a lot of inconsistency.
In the competition, Rasmus Hojlund is thriving in the final third with five goals, despite failing to open his account in the Premier League yet. Bruno Fernandes has also netted twice and tallied a pair of assists, too. Beating Bayern won’t be easy, but Man United showed on matchday one they can keep up with them. But with the Bundesliga holders already locked in first place, they could play more substitutes. That’s likely why the hosts have respectable odds to grab three points.
Could Bayern Win it All?
Alright, maybe Bayern didn’t have the most difficult group to begin with in the Champions League group stages. But, the 2019-20 winners truly look like they have a legitimate chance of winning the entire competition. The Bavarians are 4-1-0, notching wins over United, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray twice. Thomas Tuchel’s squad has scored 11 goals while conceding six times in their five games.
Harry Kane is firing on all cylinders across all competitions. The Englishman has four goals and two assists in the UCL while in the Bundesliga, he leads the top flight with a mind-boggling 18 goals in 12 appearances. Oh, and he’s also set up another five. Needless to say, Kane is the talisman Bayern needed to replace Robert Lewandowski after he left for Barcelona. Munich is in second in the German table, however, sitting three points back of high-flying Bayer Leverkusen. Nevertheless, Tuchel’s group has still yet to lose this term, compiling a 10-2-0 record in the Bundesliga.
By the looks of it, it’s hard to imagine Bayern not being in the quarterfinals at the very least in the Champions League. This club is a force to be reckoned with and Kane is clearly having no issues adapting to a new league. Matter of fact, he’s almost more lethal than he was with Tottenham. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a rest on Tuesday considering this match doesn’t mean a whole lot, though.
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich Picks
It’s difficult to have any faith in United. Plus, they’re not exactly great at the Theater of Dreams. That being said, I’m liking Bayern, even if Tuchel doesn’t roll out a full-strength starting XI.
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Quinn Allen is a journalist who specializes in writing sports betting previews. He holds a senior editor position at ClutchPoints. He has been contributing to Vegas Betting as a writer since 2022.