Europe's champions vs Europe's best team? How Harry Kane and Vincent Kompany have made Bayern Munich the biggest threat to PSG's Champions League crown

On Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen became Bayern's latest victims in a 3-0 defeat that saw Kasper Hjulmand's team completely outclassed in every department. Serge Gnabry raced clear to open the scoring in the 25th minute and Nicolas Jackson doubled the hosts' account with a fine header moments later, claiming his first Bundesliga goal since joining the club on loan from Chelsea.

A Loic Bade own-goal gave Bayern a three-goal advantage at the interval, as Kompany's decision to rest key trio Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise for the first half paid off handsomely. They all came on early in the second and helped Bayern cruise to victory against a Leverkusen side that hadn't lost a league game since August 23.

The final result also ended Leverkusen's two-season unbeaten run away from home, leaving Aleix Garcia certain of one thing. "Bayern are currently the best team in Europe," the Leverkusen midfielder told Sky Germany.

Hjulmand was similarly effusive in his praise: "We have to recognise that Bayern are an absolutely top team. They punished our mistakes immediately. We’re not satisfied with our performance, we have a lot to work on, but overall Bayern were just too good. We have to acknowledge that."

It feels like Bayern are too good for anyone right now, and thanks to Kompany's bold selection calls, the Bundesliga leaders are poised to claim their biggest scalp yet.

"From this moment on I am more confident of what the team can do. Obviously we are better when Harry plays but we will have a top-fit Harry against Paris," the Belgian coach said in his post-match press conference. "Today it felt like the moment for the other lads. Now we can go into that game without any fitness concerns. Tuesday will be the highest intensity you can have, the highest in Europe, I think."

PSG have every reason to fear Kane. The former Tottenham striker is in the form of his life, with 22 goals to his name from 15 appearances across all competitions so far this season, and he's emerged as the early front-runner for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Kane's latest stellar display came in the second round of the DFB-Pokal last Wednesday as Bayern eased to a 4-1 win over Koln. He produced a sublime turn and finish to make it 2-1 on the night and added his second when nodding in a Joshua Kimmich corner just past the hour mark. One of the main reasons Bayern have been so effective in recent weeks is Kane's ruthlessness from half-chances, both on the ground and in the air, and PSG will have to keep him quiet to have any hope of halting their momentum.

Under Kompany's guidance, Kane has become arguably the most lethal centre-forward in world football, but his playmaking skills have also been crucial for Bayern to make up for the absence of Musiala. The 32-year-old, who is ageing like a fine wine, doesn't just come alive in the box; he's always involved in the build-up and sets the tone with his technical brilliance.

Thanks to the presence of Jackson, Bayern also now have the option to use Kane as No.10, which worked perfectly during their Klassiker win over Dortmund last month. Kane has given Kompany "full credit" for his surge, saying: "I think he has unlocked a different level in me. He is a fantastic coach, not just tactically but also as a person."

Bayern are perfectly set up to play to Kane's strengths and Kompany knows exactly how to keep his motivation levels high. And, unlike last season, Kane is now delivering as part of a fully-functioning unit instead of shouldering nearly all the responsibility for their success.

"He's felt what his role in our team can be, also among his team-mates. He then also shows his quality, not just with goals but also how he gets others involved," Kompany said before the Dortmund game. "We hope he can keep that up, but there's no extra pressure on him if he happens to perform less once in a while. The others will compensate there. We've got great trust in our squad."

There is, however, one player who stands out for pushing Kane hardest for the title of Bayern's main man this term. Diaz became Bayern's third-most expensive player ever, after Kane and Lucas Hernandez, when he signed from Liverpool for €75 million (£66m/$87m) in the summer transfer window, but the deal didn't generate that much excitement in Munich.

Diaz had been deemed surplus to requirements at Anfield by Liverpool boss Arne Slot, and it was widely reported that Athletic Club's Nico Williams was Bayern's first-choice target. Dietmar Hamman even went so far as to claim Liverpool were "laughing" after banking such a huge fee for the Colombian, but Bayern fans have had way more to smile about than the Reds' faithful since his switch.

There was perhaps no Liverpool player more under-appreciated than Diaz during their run to the 2024-25 Premier League title. He racked up 18 goal contributions overall, second only to Mohamed Salah, and his ability to shift effortlessly between the left flank and central striker roles became of great importance down the finishing stretch.

Diaz has seamlessly transferred that form to Bayern, scoring eight goals in his first 15 appearances while setting up another five. Kompany has given Diaz and Olise licence to take games by the scruff of the neck, with the former leading the Bundesliga for shots attempted with 34 and the latter sitting second on 29.

Bayern often struggled for fluency last season, but Diaz has completed their attack by injecting a significant dose of intensity and quality. He is a master of creating chaos on the transition and leads their press, with a large chunk of the team's opportunities generated after he has battled to win the ball back high up the pitch.

Kane has said he felt an "instant connection" with Diaz, and you can see that bond in their link-up play, which no team in Europe has found an answer to yet. That €75m price tag suddenly looks like a bargain, and Diaz is finally getting the credit he deserves.

Kompany has also been rewarded for taking a risk on Bayern academy jewel Lennart Karl. The 17-year-old was still playing for the Under-19s in February, but Kompany has since fast-tracked his development, first by including him in Bayern's Club World Cup squad, then by giving him a regular place in the senior side this season.

Karl now has 13 first-team appearances under his belt, including four starts, and has been a revelation. Capable of playing as a right winger or a No.10, the German wonderkid plays with a level of maturity and confidence that belies his years. He's a quick, agile forward who dribbles with a low centre of gravity and excels at taking the ball on the half-turn.

Comparisons with Arjen Robben have also been drawn because Karl has a wand for a left foot. There were certainly shades of the Bayern icon in Karl's first goal for the club, which saw him ghost past three Club Brugge defenders before unleashing an unstoppable shot straight into the top corner.

That stunning effort made Karl the youngest player to ever score for Bayern in the Champions League, and three days later, he opened his account in the Bundesliga against Borussia Monchengladbach with another remarkable strike after cutting in from the left.

"He's a fantastic player. He's not afraid to dribble," Kane has said of his supremely talented new team-mate. "He just has to keep working hard, and he'll have a great future ahead of him."  

Kompany is carefully managing Karl's minutes, but he's now a proper wildcard option for Bayern. At the very least, the teenager's versatility could prove useful to cover any injuries and suspensions, and at best, he has the potential to be a decisive impact player as the season progresses.

Bayern are by some distance the top scorers across Europe's top-five leagues, which is in no small part due to a shrewd tactical tweak from Kompany. The former Burnley boss prioritised possession and controlling games in his first year at the helm, but Bayern are now a far more direct team that focuses on vertical passing and explosive counter-attacks.

They are also regularly retreating into a mid-block to tempt opponents forward and open up more space in behind, particularly after they go ahead. The aim is to break quickly and incisively as soon as the ball is recovered, and the results have been devastating.

Bayern now attack with up to six players to overload the defensive line as Kompany encourages his full-backs to bomb forward. It's an aggressive, high-energy approach that you'd think would leave Bayern vulnerable to counters themselves, but that has not been the case. With so many players in close proximity when they lose the ball, Bayern rapidly close down their opponents and force mistakes.

"He brought his own hunger to a team that was perhaps a little complacent," explained Koln coach Lucas Kwasniok of "giant, real bear" Kompany following their Pokal meeting. "He instilled a distinct identity in Bayern's work against the ball – there's no room for compromise. The players are fully committed because they see that they can devour their opponents this way. They practically squeeze air out of you."

Defenders like Jonathan Tah, Konrad Laimer and Josep Stanisic are not blessed with pace, but they're very rarely exposed because so few teams are able to play through the Bayern press. There's only a small window of opportunity when it does happen, too, because Bayern bust a gut as a collective to get back into a solid shape.

Interestingly, Gnabry now stays up instead of Kane when Bayern are defending, which also makes a big difference to the rapid turnovers. Kompany has turned the team from a slinky into a coiled spring, and it's been absolutely thrilling to watch their evolution.

"It's practically impossible to beat Bayern right now," Kwasniok added. "That's the truth, because they're simply incredibly good. I've rarely seen a top team willing to invest so much. They have the unyielding will to win the treble."

PSG will be the toughest test yet for Bayern, who lost 2-0 to the Ligue 1 champions in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, but they should go into Tuesday's game full of belief. Luis Enrique's team have been superb in the Champions League again, with a scarily impressive win at Barcelona wedged in between demolition jobs against Atalanta and Leverkusen, but Marseille, Lorient, Strasbourg and Lille have all taken points off them in the French top-flight.

Injuries could play into Bayern's hands, too. Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele is a doubt while Desire Doue has been ruled out for the foreseeable future after suffering a tear in his left thigh. There will also be a gaping hole in the PSG defence as Illia Zabarnyi serves a one-match ban for the red card he picked up against Leverkusen. Marquinhos has only just returned from a layoff, too, and with Kane, Diaz and Olise firing all cylinders, Bayern have the tools to overpower the French giants. 

A draw would put both sides in a strong position for automatic qualification to the round of 16, but Kompany has vowed Bayern "will go all out" for another win while continuing to embrace a "rock n' roll" style of play. It's precisely that attitude that has won the Belgian the full trust of his players and the fans.

"They have hit the jackpot with Kompany," Bayern icon Lothar Matthaus said to Sky Germany after the ex-Burnley boss was handed a two-year contract extension in October. "Kompany has again involved the players in his decisions and clear, open, honest speeches. He reinvented FC Bayern after four or five years of unrest and did a lot of things that the club missed in those years."

That opinion will be universal if Kompany's relentless team can silence Parc des Princes, and Bayern can then really start dreaming about a seventh Champions League crown.