Wounded ManU face daunting trip to Bayern

Munich, Sept. 20: Manchester United might have to summon the spirit of 1999 when it opens its Champions League campaign at old rival Bayern Munich.

United has started the Premier League with three losses in its opening five games and was booed by its own fans after the latest defeat against Brighton on Saturday.

Off-field issues involving Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Antony have provided unwanted distractions for United manager Erik ten Hag, who insisted after losing to Brighton that the team is not in crisis. Wednesday's trip to Munich could deal Ten Hag's players another blow — unless he manages to galvanize the team to atone for its poor start.

United defeated Bayern in improbable circumstances before. Injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær earned United the 1999 Champions League title with a 2-1 win over Bayern in the final.

Bayern, the 11-time defending champion in the Bundesliga, is unbeaten so far this season, though it dropped its first points Saturday when Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to draw 2-2 in Munich.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel is suspended following his sending off in the team's loss to Manchester City in the quarterfinals last season. Tuchel will be forced to watch the game from the stands and it's likely Zsolt Löw and Anthony Barry will direct the team in his place. United will be without right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was injured after making a short appearance toward the end of Saturday's loss to Brighton.

Bayern broke their transfer record to lure Kane from Tottenham in the summer, paying 100 million euros ($108 million) for the 30-year-old England captain.

With Bundesliga titles and German Cups finding their way to Munich more often than not, Kane's move to Bayern has clearly boosted his chances of capturing that elusive first trophy.

But only by winning the Champions League will his decision to leave England be seen as an unqualified success. The England captain said as much when unveiled in Munich, explaining "I want to play for the Champions League title, that's why I came to Bayern."

Kane said on Monday he was looking forward to "something special" in his first Champions League match for Bayern -- and first against Premier League opposition since arriving in Munich.

The striker told Germany's Sports Illustrated that he "wants to get the supporters behind us as early as possible and approach the game with a lot of intensity."

Arsenal's Rice ready 

Mikel Arteta expects Declan Rice to play a pivotal role in Arsenal's return to the Champions League as the England midfielder prepares to make his debut in the tournament against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.

The Gunners are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2016/17, giving Rice his first taste of Europe's elite club competition after his close-season move from West Ham. Arteta splashed out £100 million ($124 million) on the midfielder precisely for occasions such as PSV's visit to the Emirates Stadium in Arsenal's opening Group B fixture.

The 24-year-old has made a confident start to life with Arsenal, scoring his first goal for the club in dramatic fashion against Manchester United on September 3.

Arteta believes Rice's astute reading of the game and unflappable demeanour strengthens his team, praising him after the win against United.

"How he breaks up play, how he glues the team together in many moments when it was stretched a little bit," he said. "He was really dominant and then produced a magic moment to win the game."

Having played his entire career with West Ham until this season, he has never experienced the thrill of lining up while the Champions League anthem booms out before kick-off. But he will finally be able to tick that off his bucket list on Wednesday. "I'm so excited for that. I've said for many years now that I've wanted to play in the Champions League," Rice said. "I've wanted to push myself at the biggest level. This opportunity at Arsenal has arisen. It's a great club."

Bellingham ready

Jude Bellingham scored for Real Madrid on his debut, and in four of the five matches which have followed, in a superb start to life in the Spanish capital for the former Birmingham boy.

The England midfielder has five goals in five games in La Liga, taking the Spanish top flight by storm after his 103 million euro ($110 million) move from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

Real Madrid boast a 100 percent record from their opening raft of domestic games, but their season begins in earnest with the start of the Champions League this week.

Bellingham, 20, is set to make his 'second' debut for Los Blancos against Union Berlin on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu, in the competition they value above all others.

Madrid have started reducing minutes for their veteran players in midfield -- Luka Modric and Toni Kroos -- while allowing Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde more opportunities.

"Good players with personality suffer a bit less than the others," said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, when asked how Bellingham had clicked so quickly.

"There's no other reason. A player with personality, above all, more than quality, means that an important shirt like Real Madrid's doesn't weigh so much."