Group A Kick-off 19:45 (BST)
Lying third in an evenly-poised Group A after suffering a 2-1 defeat at Bordeaux last time out, Bayern Munich are in need of a home victory over the same opponents to lift themselves back into contention.
Louis van Gaal’s side are hardly impressing in the Bundesliga this season, but the Dutch coach has urged his players to draw inspiration from the club’s rich heritage.
“It’s a kind of tradition here in Munich to win the really important games,” he said.
“We are Bayern Munich, a club which always has to win – unfortunately this is not always possible. But it is absolutely a must if we want to reach the first knockout round. I would be happy if this time eleven players could finish the game – then we would have a good chance to win.
“We saw it in Bordeaux when we played the second half with ten and later on just with nine players but still had our chances to draw. In the second half, we were at least on a par.
“And, who knows, perhaps Les Girondins will do the same favour for us that we did for them two weeks ago: push us to produce our best. And we should never forget: it’s a kind of tradition here in Munich to win the really important games.
Van Gaal is without Franck Ribery, Ivica Olic, Breno and Christian Lell, while Thomas Müller and Daniel Van Buyten are suspended.
Meanwhile, group leaders Bordeaux are relative novices at this level, and coach Laurent Blanc hopes his players can earn respect with a positive result tonight.
“It is an important game for both teams but our situation is much more comfortable with seven points,” said Blanc. “Bayern are under pressure, but we must not relax and think we have already won anything – that would be completely the wrong way to approach it. We will do as we did two weeks ago. We want to win here.
“Of course we’re in a good position and we are confident. On the other hand, we have to expect strong opponents, especially in the first minutes when Bayern will attack and try to score an early goal.
“I know Louis van Gaal trusts his team and its strength and we will not show a lack of respect. It’s a good thing to get more respect.
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