Bundesliga dominance has become the norm for Bayern Munich who lifted their 11th successive title last season, with Thomas Tuchel leading the Bavarian giants over the finish line on the final day of the 2022-23 campaign just two months into his reign as manager after replacing Julian Nagelsmann in the dugout.
Tuchel is now preparing for his first full season in charge and is tasked with building a Bayern squad capable of maintaining their German top-flight supremacy along with challenging for glory in the Champions League.
Bayern were comprehensively beaten 4-1 on aggregate by eventual winners Man City in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, with a disappointing 3-0 first-leg loss at the Etihad Stadium – a result which sparked a dressing room bust-up between Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane – followed by a 1-1 second-leg draw at the Allianz Arena.
The Germans will be seeking revenge against a Citizens side whom they have failed to beat in their last four meetings across all tournaments, including two friendly losses, and they head into Wednesday’s contest having already made a notable start to their pre-season campaign this summer.
Indeed, Bayern opened their account with a thumping 27-0 victory away against ninth-tier outfit Rottach-Egern last Tuesday, with Jamal Musiala, Marcel Sabitzer and Mathys Tel scoring five goals each.
After taking on Man City, Bayern are scheduled to face Kawasaki in Tokyo on Saturday and Liverpool in Singapore four days later, before concluding their pre-season preparations back in Germany against Monaco on August 7, five days before the DFL-Supercup against RB Leipzig.
The Citizens made a somewhat sluggish start to proceedings and found themselves two goals down inside the opening 37 minutes, but two quickfire strikes from John Stones and Julian Alvarez restored parity before the break.
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Erling Haaland then followed up his exceptional 52-goal debut campaign in 2022-23 with a second-half brace against the Japanese outfit, while Champions League hero Rodri was also on the scoresheet to help City make a winning start in Asia.
Pep Guardiola has taken positives from the “good challenge” against Yokohama F Marinos, but the Catalan boss has insisted that there are “many things” that his side can improve on ahead of the new season.
Man City are now preparing for a return to the National Stadium in Tokyo for their clash against Bayern, with Guardiola planning for his 13th meeting against Tuchel and hoping to claim his eighth win against the German.
