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This Wednesday sees a big-time group stage clash in the UEFA Champions League, as Bayern Munich play host to Tottenham Hotspur at the Allianz Arena. The last time these two met, Bayern smashed Spurs 2-7 in their own ground, so Tottenham will be gunning for revenge this time around.
Tottenham will, of course, come into the match as underdogs – particularly as boss Jose Mourinho has promised to use it to blood youngsters due to the game’s dead-rubber nature with both teams already heading into the knockout stages – but if both sides were at full strength, it’d be unlikely we’d see such a one-sided game as we did back in October.
Here we look at a combined starting XI from Bayern and Tottenham – playing in 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
If Tottenham’s first-choice keeper Hugo Lloris was fit, this would probably be a closer choice to make, but even then Bayern’s Manuel Neuer would have to be considered the #1 in this team. The original sweeper-keeper, Neuer remains one of the world’s best between the sticks, while both Lloris and Paulo Gazzaniga remain vulnerable to gaffes.
Neuer has thus far kept 7 clean sheets this season, conceding an average of 1.29 goals per 90 minutes, and while Gazzaniga has kept 2 clean sheets in the Champions League, he’s only managed one in Premier League action.
Fullbacks: Benjamin Pavard and Alphonso Davies
Both of this side’s full-backs come from Bayern’s squad; France’s right-back Pavard already has 2 goals and 4 assists in all competitions this season and is a far more consistent performer than Tottenham’s Serge Aurier, who is capable of brilliance one week and then sheer incompetence the next.
Bayern’s young Canadian left-back Alphonso Davies meanwhile may have less experience than either Ben Davies or Danny Rose of Tottenham, but he has both men beaten in statistics, averaging more successful tackles, interceptions and blocks per game – and he’s also delivered more goals and assists as well as putting together a superior passing success rate.
Centre Backs: Toby Alderweireld and David Alaba
Spurs’ Belgian centre-back Toby Alderweireld has come under criticism at times this season for his lack of pace and issues with positional awareness, but in recent matches under Jose Mourinho, he’s looked back to his imperious best. The veteran is one of the best in the world at playing long, accurate balls from the back – and most recently he set up two goals for Dele Alli in Spurs’ 3-2 win over Bournemouth.
David Alaba meanwhile has been considered one of the strongest defenders in the world for years now, and he remains an important cog in the Bayern Munich machine. The Austrian defender has registered a pass success rate of over 90% in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, and has scored one goal in league action too.
Midfield: Joshua Kimmich, Thiago Alcantara, Dele Alli
Our trio of midfielders is comprised of two Bayern stalwarts and one Tottenham man who has recently come back to his best form. This was a tough call to make due to both sides having plenty of strong midfielders to choose from.
In the holding midfield spot is Germany’s Joshua Kimmich, who is a superior choice to Tottenham’s Eric Dier due to his better tackling statistics, as well as his skill at passing the ball, averaging 77.9 passes per game compared to Dier’s 48.2.
In terms of a passing-focused pivot, Bayern’s Spanish metronome Thiago Alcantara gets the odd just ahead of Tottenham’s Harry Winks. Both men are fantastic at what they do, but despite both men registering a high pass success rate of 90.8%, Thiago scores higher in terms of dribbling (2.5 per game to 0.7), key passes (0.8 per game to 0.6) and average passes per game (63.3 to 54.5).
Sitting just behind the forward line we have Spurs’ Dele Alli, who seems like a rejuvenated player under new boss Jose Mourinho. Alli is now being deployed in his favoured role – making late runs into the box to link with his central striker, and since Mourinho’s arrival, he’s registered 4 goals and 3 assists, once again becoming one of Spurs’ key men.
Wide Forwards: Serge Gnabry and Heung-Min Son
Attacking from the wide areas in this side will be Bayern’s German dynamo Serge Gnabry and Tottenham’s Korean superstar Heung-Min Son.
Gnabry has proven himself to be an immensely talented attacker since his move to Bayern in 2018, finishing 2018/19 as the Bavarian side’s second-top goalscorer with 10 goals in 30 matches, and he’s started 2019/20 in irresistible form. In 16 matches in the Bundesliga and Champions League, Gnabry has scored 8 goals and made 5 assists, including four goals against Spurs in their October clash.
Son meanwhile has recently been named the AFC Asian International Player of the Year, and despite Tottenham’s struggles for form at times, he’s been largely fantastic, providing 8 assists and 10 goals in all competitions, including a stunning Goal of the Season contender this weekend against Burnley. On top form, the Korean is absolutely lethal.
Centre Forward: Robert Lewandowski
This was perhaps the hardest call of all to make, as both Tottenham and Bayern can call upon one of the greatest strikers in the world; Harry Kane leads the line for Spurs while Robert Lewandowski is the man that Bayern look to for their goals.
Unfortunately for England captain Kane, Lewandowski has been in absolutely irresistible form thus far this season. Kane hasn’t done badly by any means; he’s scored 9 goals in the Premier League and 6 goals in the Champions League across 20 appearances, averaging 0.75 goals per game, and he’s also chipped in with two assists as well.
Lewandowski on the other hand? He’s somehow delivered 10 goals in 5 Champions League matches and has an insane 16 goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances in 2019/20 – meaning he’s averaging more than a goal per game at this point.
Both men are practically unstoppable at their best, but Lewandowski has been slightly better this season and so the Polish hitman gets the nod for this team.
