Bayern Munich backed to be too strong for Chelsea in Champions League opener as Germany legend says Harry Kane & Co among seven true contenders for European title

Bayern are one of the select few teams in the big five European Leagues to have a 100 per cent win record this season. Indeed, the Bavarians swat aside newly-promoted Hamburg 5-0 over the weekend to make it three wins in as many Bundesliga games. In those three games, Vincent Kompany's men have scored 14 goals and have conceded just twice. 

On the other hand, Chelsea's start to their league campaign has been less ideal. After a goalless stalemate against Crystal Palace on the opening matchday, the Blues cruised to successive wins against West Ham and Fulham, before another draw – a dramatic 2-2 finish against Brentford.

Matthaus was quite optimistic about Die Roten's chances in the Champions League this season in his column for Sky. 

"For me, Bayern is one of the six best teams in Europe and among the teams that can win the title," asserted the ex-midfielder. "These include defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City and, to a lesser extent, Arsenal."

Previewing the encounter against Chelsea, Matthaus added: "Their opening opponent, Chelsea, may be the Club World Champions, but I expect Bayern to win at home. They will have learned their lesson from last season's Champions League, when they failed due to their poor conversion rate. In the 5-0 win against Hamburg on Saturday, Bayern slowed down after half an hour because they knew that the coming weeks would be physically demanding."

Although Harry Kane claimed that the 2025-26 Bayern squad was "one of the smallest" he has ever played in, while complaining about lack of depth, it is, in fact, Enzo Maresca's side who might be feeling too "thin" ahead of their trip to Allianz Arena. Just days before the transfer deadline, new signing Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to be out for at least another two months. Joao Pedro, in the words of the head coach, was not "fully fit" during the Brentford clash, coming off in the 79th minute. Meanwhile, youngsters Estevao and Dario Essugo are also dealing with problems. The dazzling Brazilian winger was left out of the squad for their trip to Gtech Community Stadium as Essugo was ruled out for the next three months due to a thigh injury.

After locking horns on Wednesday evening, the two sides will return to domestic duty at the weekend. Both heavyweights play their next league games on Saturday, with Bayern taking on Hoffenheim at the Allianz Arena, while Chelsea travelling to Old Trafford to take on an under-fire Manchester United.