No rest for Harry Kane! Bayern Munich choose to play star striker against Koln despite Bundesliga title hopes being in tatters - and it's just four days until crucial Arsenal Champions League second leg

It was a bizarre decision from Tuchel to hand a start to Kane in the league fixture against a relegation-threatened Koln as their chances of retaining their Bundesliga crown are almost up in smoke. The Bavarians are 16 points behind leaders Leverkusen and a victory for Xabi Alonso's side on Sunday against Werder Bremen will end Bayern's reign in Germany.

Bayern have had a disastrous domestic campaign so far and the Champions League remains their only hope for silverware. They churned out a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the Gunners at the Emirates on Tuesday, so it's all to play for in the decisive second leg on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena. This means Kane, 30, will be playing three games within a week.

Kane has been in incredible form with his new club, scoring 39 times in 38 matches across all competitions since signing from Tottenham last summer. He is chasing Robert Lewandowski's all-time Bundesliga goalscoring record of 41 goals in the 2020-21 season and is currently nine behind the Polish striker.

Tuchel's eagerness to field his star striker might have stemmed from his intention to keep Kane in a competitive rhythm. However, he will have just over 72 hours to recover for the crucial tie against Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday.