Harry Kane must rise above Bayern Munich's injury crisis and rediscover goal-scoring touch to keep Champions League dream alive

Kane hasn't scored in his last two games for Bayern, and we all know what the means: Kane is in crisis!

In fairness, he did have an off night against Inter and there's no getting away from the fact that he should have broken the deadlock when put in on goal by Michael Olise midway through the first half.

By Kane's standards, it was a shocking miss, with the No.9 striking the outside of the post with a shot that every single person inside the stadium - and watching at home on TV - fully expected him to bury.

Even Kane couldn't quite believe it as he dropped to his knees and put his hands over his face.

Saturday's Bundesliga draw with Borussia Dortmund didn't go that much better for Kane either. If anything, he performed worse in Der Klassiker than the had against Inter.

The 31-year-old had six shots on goals in both games without scoring but didn't even managed to great a single chance for a team-mate against BVB, prompting predictable press criticism.

BILD gave him four out of 10 for his efforts on Saturday, describing him in their ratings as "ineffective in front of goal", while ex-Bayern striker Nils Petersen brought up the 'C' word during his appearance on Sky Germany.

"He's having a bit of a crisis of form," the former Freiburg forward declared. "Because he hasn't been scoring in the last few weeks, he is thinking about things for a second longer and saying, 'Oh, I hope it goes in now.' Just that thought is difficult.

"He had some wonderful chances [against Dortmund] and also against Inter, so, with the quality that he has, a goal will come. But he just doesn't have it at the moment. Kane is simply having a bad spell."

Every striker goes through dry patches, of course, and Kane's are shorter than most.

After all, we're talking about a player who's still managed to score five times in his last eight games in all competitions, including three goals in the Champions League last-16 rout of Bayer Leverkusen that saw him become the first Englishman to hit double figures in a single European Cup campaign.

Kane's also scored 34 goals in total this season. Only Robert Lewandowski has managed more - and the Barcelona striker has been involved in five more games than his successor at Bayern.

Of course, goals carry more weight at this stage of the season, particularly in the Champions League, and that's why last week's miss at the Allianz Arena came under such scrutiny.

Furthermore, Bayern are suffering from an injury crisis right now, so the last thing they need is their talisman in 'crisis' too.

The defence has been hit hard by the loss of legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, left-back Alphonso Davies and centre-half Dayot Upamecano, but the most notable absentee is arguably Jamal Musiala, whose creativity, vision and dribbling skills are so integral to Bayern's attacking threat.

Indeed, the latter's unavailability is especially problematic for Kane, who rates Musiala as one of his most talented team-mates ever.

"He has some of the best individual attributes I've seen," he told ESPN just before Musiala suffered a hamstring injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season. "It's a pleasure to play with him, as he can be a complete game-changer."

Bayern have others, of course, including the similarly-skilled Olise, but it's clear that Kane isn't going to get quite the same quality or consistency of service without Musiala in the starting line-up, which means the need for him to make the most of the big chances that come his away has only intensified.

Kane has certainly never shied away from responsibility. He's been coping with intense pressure for almost his entire career and is not one for making excuses for himself, or his team.

In that sense, it's not in the least bit surprising that he's refused to blame the injuries for Bayern's blip in the Bundesliga (just eight points from their last five games).

"Our goal is always to win and, to achieve that, we need everyone, so it will be up to the players who don’t play as often," he told Sky Germany.

"But there are no excuses. Every team deals with injuries and absences. We've managed these situations well throughout the season. Now is not the time to stop."

Of course, coping without key players in the Bundesliga is one thing for Bayern; doing so in the knockout stages of the Champions League is quite another.

Despite their recent dip in form, Bayern remain six points clear in Germany with just five rounds remaining and that's primarily because defending champions Bayer Leverkusen have failed (rather understandably and inevitably) to hit the same heights as last season.

Bayern's poor performances have been more frequently punished in the Champions League, with Kompany's team missing out on automatic qualification for the last 16 after losing three of their games in the league phase.

They were also blessed to scrape past Celtic in the play-off round, with qualification only secured thanks to a fortuitous 94th-minute goal from Davies at the Allianz Arena. So, while Bayern are perfectly placed to reclaim their domestic title, there are plenty of question marks still hanging over their continental credentials.

Lothar Matthaus is nonetheless confident that the Bavarians will win the battle between two of his former clubs, not least because he retains the utmost faith in their under-fire forward.

"Things aren't going well for Kane, but I wouldn’t call it a crisis," the legendary midfielder told FCInter1908. "He still knows where the goal is and he will start scoring again."

Bayern could clearly do with him rediscovering his killer instincts at San Siro, and he certainly won't want for motivation. Kane was clearly irked by the way in which Inter reacted to Frattesi's 88th-minute winner at the Allianz Arena.

"They celebrated like they'd won the tie," he said last week. "But it's all to play for. It's just one goal and there are still 90 minutes to play."

And he's obviously right. Bayern aren't out yet. Nothing has yet been decided. They've got another chance. This time, though, Kane has to take it.