Bayern Munich have made it clear that their main goal this season is to win the Champions League after coming agonizingly close in recent years. Star striker Harry Kane has declared, 'it has to be our year' as Bayern start their latest tilt at a seventh European Cup at home against Norwegians Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
Bayern fell short against eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in a wild semi-final last campaign. PSG won a manic first leg 5-4 and then frustrated Bayern in a 1-1 draw in the second leg in Munich to advance to the final, where they beat Arsenal on penalties to win a second straight title.
Coach Vincent Kompany has made the Champions League the team's target, alongside Bayern's almost default domestic dominance. 'The goals with Bayern are always the highest: winning the Bundesliga, winning the Pokal (German Cup), winning the Champions League – and maybe even winning every game,' Kompany told the club magazine in August.
Bayern have twice made the Champions League semi-finals in Kane's three years at the club, but no further. Bayern were within touching distance of the final in 2023-24, but became the latest victims of a smash and grab from a title-bound Real Madrid. Kane was substituted with Bayern holding a one-goal lead with six minutes remaining in the second leg, only for the Spanish giants to score twice in the space of three minutes to turn the tie on its head.
'Yes, we're really close,' Kane told TNT Sports on Monday of Bayern's chances this season. 'I think last year was the finest of margins – to go out to a team who has won the Champions League back-to-back. There's no shame in that. We're coming into this season now saying that it needs to be our year. We need to find a way to get it done.'
Fortune with injuries could define Bayern's season. Bayern made two major additions in the summer, opting for depth and versatility in what will be a punishing campaign. In came Ismael Saibari, who can play anywhere across the forward line, along with Germany's Nathaniel Brown, who has been shifted between left-back and midfield this season.
Former midfielder and 2013 winner Bastian Schweinsteiger believes only a lack of squad depth in what will be another punishing season could derail Bayern's hopes of winning the trophy for the first time since 2020. 'We have to see. There are some suggestions they may still be one or two players short,' Schweinsteiger told AFP. 'The situation with Jamal Musiala is difficult, so it will be interesting how Bayern Munich manage it, because over the course of a season you need strong options from the bench.'
