Bayern Munich starts a week with big games. And great deeds of Harry Kane? The goalscorer will be in focus against Paris St. Germain and then against Dortmund and Leverkusen. He counters the discussion about his abilities.
It’s now a top game for FC Bayern, and that can be confidently emphasized when looking at the opponent. Paris St. Germain is a guest, almost of course top of the league again in France and with the Paris star ensemble, the discussion about Harry Kane and his hit rate in top games is also igniting again in Munich.
The assumption, once suggested by football expert Dietmar Hamann, is that Kane is more likely to score in insignificant games than in important games. To put it with Hamann: “He wasn’t brought in to score a hat trick against Darmstadt.” Kane, Hamann said at the beginning of October, owes proof that he is “worth the 100 million” that FC Bayern will receive in the summer of 2023 transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for him.
The annoying topic is catching up with the goalscorer again before FC Bayern’s upcoming top game week. Before the Champions League game this Tuesday evening (9 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker), the captain of the English national team clearly contradicts this. “It’s maybe a bit far-fetched when you see the goals last season in the big games, in Dortmund, in Stuttgart, all those games,” said the 31-year-old Kane.
“It’s a big week ahead of us,” says Kane
He’s currently feeling better than he has in a long time; just last Friday he scored a hat trick in a 3-0 win against FC Augsburg. “My numbers are the best of my career,” Kane said. This season he has scored 20 times in 17 competitive games for Bayern; also in the 1:4 in Barcelona and three times against VfB Stuttgart.
The upcoming block of top games against PSG and on Saturday in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund (6.30 p.m., also in the WELT sports ticker) and then in the DFB Cup against defending champion Bayer Leverkusen on December 3rd naturally offers Kane first-class opportunities to get in to achieve great things in big games.
“It’s a big week ahead of us now. And as the team’s striker, of course I have to help the team by scoring goals,” said Kane. However, he will not only measure his own performance by goals. “And if we get three wins without me scoring, then we’ll all be happy. And the coach will be happy too,” remarked the center forward about the upcoming top game hat-trick within eight days.
Kane’s stated goal is to finally win a team title in his second year at FC Bayern. He is still missing these in his so far unfinished career. “Since I’ve been at Bayern, my numbers as a goalscorer have gone up,” he said: “I hope it continues like this with the players around me.” His offensive colleagues in Munich are very good and would enable him to score a lot of goals . Kane wants to maintain this standard, or even “take it even higher”. Even in big games against big opponents.
The duel between Munich and PSG has long been a Champions League classic. The two series champions of their leagues will meet for the 14th time. The Munich team won seven times, PSG celebrated six victories. There has never been a draw.
From the point of view of Paris coach Luis Enrique, Bayern’s showdown will be characterized by a constant fight for the ball. And that’s why it will be an “interesting game,” believes the Spaniard. “The idea of football is similar to our approach, we both play with possession of the ball,” said the 54-year-old.
Paris and FC Bayern absolutely have to score points
“There is only one ball,” said the PSG coach. And whoever doesn’t have it will have to suffer. You will see two teams on the pitch that are geared towards action and who also “want to achieve a good result,” said Enrique. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany had made similar statements in his press conference shortly before. “They want possession, we want possession,” said the Belgian. His goal is to dominate the opponent with the ball. That’s why it definitely won’t be a boring game.
In addition, both teams absolutely have to score points given the situation in the table. Bayern are in 17th place with six points in the table led by Liverpool FC before the fifth of eight matchdays. PSG is in 25th position and – as of now – would have been eliminated. The top eight in the table move straight into the round of 16. The teams in places nine to 24 will play the eight other round of 16 in an additional knockout round.
The people of Munich would like to avoid this additional burden as much as possible. After the false start – 0:1 at Aston Villa and 1:4 at FC Barcelona – further victories are necessary. “We always talk about finishing in the top eight. Our aim is top 1,” said coach Vincent Kompany. The table is still difficult to read because the remaining programs of the clubs are so different. “With three wins you are in the qualification, with six wins you are in the top 8,” is his formula for success.
Patrick Krull is sports editor at WELT. In contrast to Hamann, he has no doubts about Kane’s qualities.
