Having played in Germany last season during his loan spell at Werder Bremen, Kevin De Bruyne is well placed to run the rule over tonight’s opponents.
The young Belgian, who returned to Stamford Bridge over the summer, enjoyed an impressive 2012/13 campaign in the Bundesliga, shining in a team where his talents were utilised all across the attacking positions.
Having started two of our three Premier League matches thus far, De Bruyne will hope to play a part this evening against a Bayern Munich side he knows well.
‘They are just a good all-round team, they have everything,’ he tells the official Chelsea website.
‘They play in a similar style to Barcelona but defensively they are a little bit better. Last season they were on fire and when I played for Werder Bremen against them we had some difficulties.
‘We lost 6-1 away, although we had 10 men which made it even harder. At home we lost 2-0 but they only scored the first goal in the 85th minute, so that was tough for us to take.
‘I did okay, even in the 6-1 defeat I didn’t have a bad game. I scored our only goal but obviously defensively we didn’t play very well. It can never be great when you lose 6-1.’
A managerial change at the club which won the treble last season has seen Pep Guardiola replace Jupp Heynckes, but De Bruyne believes their football philosophy will remain the same.
‘I think the style will be very similar,’ he says. ‘They like to retain the ball and keep possession, which is what they did last season. They already have their own style of play and I think it will be the same.’
With tonight’s game coming only three days after a trip to Manchester United, it’s been a big week for De Bruyne, but the player himself wouldn’t want it any other way.
‘Of course we are looking forward to the game, and we will do everything we can in order to win it.’
‘That’s why we want to play football, to be involved in the big matches, so let’s see what happens.’