DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) – The seasons of Manchester City and Bayern Munich have each been defined by one signature – for better or worse.
As City prepare to finish off Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday after beating the German champions 3-0 in the first leg, Erling Haaland has been replaced at striker today redefined.
Haaland has scored 47 goals in 40 games in all competitions, and may have 13 more games to play this season. Norway scored against Bayern in the first leg after demolishing another German side, Leipzig, by five goals in the previous round.
Then there is Sadio Mané. The Senegal forward was supposed to reshape Bayern’s attack into a fluid, flexible threat that was less reliant on a traditional striker when he joined from Liverpool last year with the departure of Robert Lewandowski.
However, Mané has not contributed much to the field in recent months and has disturbed the stability of the team. He has been a sidekick ever since a leg injury ruled him out of the World Cup, and was dropped from the squad for Bayern’s draw at Hoffenheim on Saturday for what the club called “misconduct ” after confronting his teammate Leroy Sané in the locker room. room after defeat to City. German media said he punched Sané in the face.
Tuchel has said Mané apologized as a “role model” in a process that had a “cleansing effect” on the team’s mood, but was not followed by any improvement on the pitch.
Bayern and coach Thomas Tuchel are keeping their hopes of home advantage slim and promise to finally turn their team’s form around.
“We all know that we need a completely different performance. We know we can do it but we have to get it on the pitch,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said after Saturday’s draw against Hoffenheim left Tuchel with two wins in five games since his departure. replaced Julian Nagelsmann last month.
Center forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who missed the first leg with a knee injury, is back in training and could play in the second game. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has a broken leg, while replacement Yann Sommer has been under scrutiny after missing saves against City and Hoffenheim, while defender Lucas Hernandez is also out in the long run.
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