"Munich is more like Cobham" - Didier Drogba claims Bayern Munich stadium is like their training facility ahead of Chelsea clash

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has aimed a sly dig at Bayern Munich ahead of the UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday, September 17. The former Ivory Coast striker has compared the Allianz Arena to Cobham, the Premier League side's training ground.

Bayern Munich host Chelsea on Wednesday in their first game of the European competition. The two sides meet for the first time since 2020, when the German side eased to a 4-1 win.

However, Drogba remembers the stadium for his heroics in 2012, when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in the final with the Ivory Coast star scoring a header in normal time and the crucial penalty in the shootout to seal the win. He mocked the Allianz Arena as their training ground and posted:

Chelsea have faced Bayern Munich three times at the Allianz Arena and have failed to win any of the matches in normal time. Their first meeting in 2005 ended in a 3-2 defeat, while the latest one saw them lose 4-1 in 2020. The current club captain, Reece James, recalled the defeat under Frank Lampard and said:

“You learn more when you don’t come out on top. I played against these in 2020 and they destroyed us. Days like that we learn a lot and nights like that will help me go into tomorrow’s game.”

The Englishman remains the only player from the squad that faced Bayern Munich in 2020 to remain at the club.

Reece James looking forward to Chelsea's game at Bayern Munich

Chelsea captain Reece James spoke to the media ahead of the game, recalling the 2012 triumph. He added that leading the team out at the stadium has always been something he dreamt of and said:

"It’s going to be a great night for me, something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little boy. To walk out as captain at such a historic stadium would be an amazing feeling. We want to compete at the highest level and compete for all the domestic trophies and the Champions League as well. I believe we have a super strong team and those will be our targets this season."

The Blues are back in the competition after a two-season absence, having played no European football in the 2023/24 season and winning the UEFA Conference League in the 2024/25 season. They are also the FIFA Club World Cup champions, a competition in which PSG knocked Bayern Munich out in the quarterfinals.

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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by Sripad