Bayern Munich enter a pivotal week carrying the weight of high expectations and genuine Ballon d'Or ambitions, with Harry Kane at the centre of both. The 33-year-old striker scored 73 goals across all competitions last season, a tally surpassed only by Lionel Messi's 82 in 2011/12, and is widely considered the frontrunner for the award to be presented in London on 26 October. Sporting director Max Eberl has backed Kane publicly, stating there is no other candidate in his view, and contract extension talks are progressing well, with a deal running to at least 2029 expected to be finalised soon.

On the pitch, Bayern sit sixth in the Bundesliga after two matches, with a 5-1 win over Stuttgart followed by a flat 0-0 draw at Schalke raising mild questions about consistency. That result also delayed Jamal Musiala's full reintegration. The 23-year-old made his first appearance of the season as a substitute at Schalke after missing several weeks due to a neurological condition, and the club is managing his return carefully, increasing his minutes gradually in close coordination with coach Vincent Kompany.

The Champions League opener against Bodø/Glimt at the Allianz Arena tonight offers Bayern a chance to reset the tone. The Norwegian side are no longer an unknown quantity after beating Manchester City and Atlético Madrid last season, but Kompany's squad, with Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz leading the attack, carries a 19.4 percent title probability according to the OPTA supercomputer, second only to Arsenal.