With Bayern Munich trailing Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points with 10 games remaining in the Bundesliga, the Champions League could well be their and Harry Kane’s most likely route to silverware this season.
Given their league form and the fact Thomas Tuchel is a lame duck on his way out of the club this summer, winning their seventh European Cup does not feel particularly likely. But this is a knockout cup competition, and Bayern still boast an impressive level of individual quality.
First of all they need to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Lazio at the Allianz Arena tonight, a scoreline which would have been far more slippery in the days of the away goals rule. As it is, Bayern can attack with abandon and back their firepower to blow the Italian team off the pitch. Despite losing in Rome, Bayern remain strong favourites to reach the quarter-finals.
The prospect of a trophyless first season in Germany for Kane has caused a fair amount of mirth, even if he is enjoying an outstanding individual season. Kane has scored 31 goals in all competitions, the most of any player in Europe’s major leagues, ranking his debut season at Bayern as one of the great campaigns produced by an English player abroad. There would be a certain amount of symmetry were Kane to lift the European Cup at Wembley, and there is also the prospect of meeting Manchester City or Arsenal along the way.
Maurizio Sarri has Lazio playing his distinctive style of football, but in truth they are having a distinctly average Serie A season in ninth. That is more or less where they expected goals data said they should be, so really Bayern should be sweeping them aside. There is just enough uncertainty around Bayern to make that a doubt, however.
Full team news on the way soon.