Bayern, Benfica Seek Redemption

Both aiming to bounce back from chastening Champions League defeats on matchday three, Bayern Munich and Benfica lock horns at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening.

Vincent Kompany’s men were humbled 4-1 by Barcelona in their most recent European affair, while the Portuguese giants went down 3-1 at home to Feyenoord last time out.

The mastermind behind Bayern’s 8-2 obliteration of Barcelona during the 2019-20 Champions League, Hansi Flick found himself in the opposing dugout to his former sextuple-winning side on October 23, when the La Liga giants enjoyed a taste of belated revenge.

Former Leeds United winger Raphinha had his name up in lights with a terrific hat-trick against Vincent Kompany’s team, who had briefly cancelled out the Brazilian’s 54-second opener through a Harry Kane penalty before the Bavarian floodgates opened.

To rub salt into the Bayern wounds, Robert Lewandowski complemented Raphinha’s hattrick with a goal of his own against his erstwhile employers, helping to condemn the German giants to their second straight European loss after they came up short at Aston Villa.

The 9-2 annihilation of Dinamo Zagreb already feels a distant memory for Wednesday’s hosts, who sit in an unremarkable 23rd place in the 36-team Champions League table, but the response from Kompany’s side to that Barcelona beating has been nothing short of flawless.

Indeed, Bayern have scored 12 goals and conceded zero in three straight wins over VfL Bochum, Mainz 05 – in the DFB-Pokal – and Union Berlin, easing to a 3-0 success over the latter on Saturday to move three points clear of RB Leipzig at the top of the Bundesliga table.