The Champions League draw under the new Swiss format will bring some interesting changes. For Bayern Munich, that includes risking its incredible 40-match unbeaten streak in the group stage. The biggest challenge will come at Camp Nou against Hansi Flick, Robert Lewandowski, and the rest of FC Barcelona.
One bright spot for Bayern will be a neutral site match against Shakhtar Donetsk. Bayern will avoid a true road match in Ukraine, but also the game will be played in Manuel Neuer’s hometown of Gelsenkirchen.
Manuel Neuer said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia): “The games against extremely good opponents will be very exciting. But we are going into the new league phase with confidence in order to qualify directly to round of 16. We want to show where we stand and win, especially in the games against the teams from pot one. Barcelona and PSG have started the season well. We will be seeing Hansi Flick and his coaching staff again, which we are looking forward to, especially away in Barcelona. With Shakhtar, we have a team that has been in the Champions League for years. The game will take place in Gelsenkirchen, which is of course a home game for me and very special. Benfica is a very strong team that has often shown in recent years that it is always capable of making it to the knockout phase. We have already gained experience against Zagreb too. Bratislava will certainly be very euphoric after qualifying. At Aston Villa, our English players are particularly pleased that we will be playing in England.”
Additionally, the match against Aston Villa will only be an hour away from Eric Dier’s hometown of Cheltenham.
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