Bayern Munich will be eager to return to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League when they host Sporting CP at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League will resume this week with Matchday 6. The action on Tuesday will start with two early fixtures, including Bayern Munich vs Sporting CP at the Allianz Arena.
The last few weeks have witnessed Bayern Munich slipping up after a flawless start to the 2025/26 season in the first three months. However, even in that period, the Bavarian giants have failed to win only two games, one of those being the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta’s charges outplaying them on Matchday 5. Since then, Vincent Kompany’s men have won three successive games, including the 5-0 drubbing of VfB Stuttgart.
On the other hand, Sporting CP’s resurgence after the brief slip-up in the post-Ruben Amorim era has continued this term. While the Portuguese champions are five points behind FC Porto in the Primeira Liga, they are in the top eight in the UEFA Champions League standings after losing only one game.
Bayern Munich and Sporting CP have previously clashed four times, with the latter yet to win a game in those games (D1 L3). The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
Vincent Kompany has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bayern Munich manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Sporting CP.
Luis Diaz will continue his UEFA Champions League suspension after being sent off in the game against Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Alphonso Davies (knee) and Jamal Musiala (calf) remain in the treatment room, although they are closing in on returning.
Manuel Neuer will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Sporting CP on Tuesday. The backline will feature Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, and Josip Stanisic.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in the double pivot. Lennart Karl will reprise the no. 10 role, with Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Harry Kane will lead the line for Bayern Munich against Sporting CP on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Karl, Gnabry; Kane
Sporting CP
Unlike his counterpart in the Bayern Munich dugout, Rui Borges has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Allianz Arena. The Sporting CP manager will be without three first-team players on Tuesday.
Zeno Debast and Daniel Braganca are long-term absentees due to their knee injuries. Additionally, Nuno Santos remains in the treatment room due to a knock. Meanwhile, Maximilliano Araujo, Pedro Goncalves, and Morten Hjulmand are one booking away from suspension.
Rui Silva is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Sporting CP lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The backline will feature Ivan Fresneda, Ousmane Diomande, Goncalo Inacio, and Maximiliano Araujo.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Joao Simoes and Morten Hjulmand in the double pivot. Francisco Trincao will reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Goncalves and Geny Catamo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Luis Suarez will spearhead the Sporting CP attack against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Simoes, Hjulmand; Catamo, Trincao, Goncalves; Suarez
Key Stats
- Tuesday’s match will be the fifth meeting between Bayern Munich and Sporting CP, all of which have come in the UEFA Champions League. The German giants are unbeaten in the previous four clashes, winning three (D1). The Portuguese bigwigs have conceded at least five goals in their last two UEFA Champions League games against Bayern Munich. Only one team has ever let in five or more goals in three consecutive meetings with an opponent in the competition (since 1992/93): Arsenal against Bayern Munich between 2015 and 2017 (three straight 5-1 defeats).
- Sporting CP have only won one of their previous 17 away matches against German clubs in Europe (D2 L14), with that lone victory coming at Eintracht Frankfurt in September 2022 (3-0). However, they managed to avoid defeat in the most recent tie, drawing 0-0 with Borussia Dortmund in February this year.
- Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last 36 home matches in the league/group phase of the UEFA Champions League (W34 D2) since a defeat to Manchester City in December 2013 (2-3). The Bavarian bigwigs have also scored in all but one of the 36 matches in this run, with FC Copenhagen (0-0 in November 2023) the only side to keep a clean sheet at the Allianz Arena.
- Bayern Munich have led for longer than any other team in the UEFA Champions League this season, both in terms of percentage of their match time (71%) and total time leading (345:49). However, they were not ahead at any point in their defeat to Arsenal last time out, with all of their time trailing in the competition this term coming in that match at the Emirates (36:13).
- Geovany Quenda has been directly involved in four goals in five UEFA Champions League games for Sporting CP this season (two goals, two assists), already the most by a Portuguese teenager in a single edition.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
While Luis Suarez, Francisco Trincao, and Michael Olise were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Harry Kane as the Player to Watch for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and Sporting CP at the Allianz Arena.
The English international has scored 24 goals in 30 Champions League appearances for Bayern Munich, the joint-most by any player in the competition since he joined the German club (also 24 for Kylian Mbappe).
However, Kane has failed to score in his last two games, and only twice before has he gone three outings without a goal for Bayern Munich in the competition (November 2023-February 2024 and November 2024-January 2025). Expect the veteran striker to be eager to get back to his best and end the mini goal drought.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 2-1 Sporting CP
Any talk of struggles for Bayern Munich would have quickly disappeared after they cruised to a 5-0 win over VfB Stuttgart this past weekend. Additionally, the Bavarian giants have won all nine games at the Allianz Arena in the 2025/26 season. However, Sporting CP will give the hosts a run for their money, taking advantage of their defensive vulnerabilities.
Rui Borges has forged a resolute group that can take the game to any opponent, and that will be evident on Tuesday. However, the inevitable feeling around Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena will lead to a victory, with Harry Kane delivering the goods. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Vincent Kompany and his charges.
