Next target: Confirm role of favourites and first place against Kyiv

The Champions League returns to the Allianz Arena! FC Bayern celebrate their home opener in the still young 2021/22 season with the match against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday evening (from 21:00 CEST in the live updates and on free web radio on fcbayern.com). This preview includes the most important information about the meeting with the Ukrainian double winners.

Bayern's preparations for the Kyiv game were in full swing on Tuesday. Here are the best pictures:

The situation for Bayern

After eight competitive wins in a row, Bayern are full of confidence going into the contest with Dynamo. "Thanks to the results of the last few weeks, there is a lot of enthusiasm and self-confidence that we want to maintain. But every game is a new one," said Serge Gnabry at the press conference before the game, "we always set ourselves new goals. Game after game we make sure we win and don’t ease up." This is especially true after the successful 3-0 opening win in Barcelona.

"It's about confirming we can be one of the favourites," said coach Julian Nagelsmann before the Kyiv clash. "If you want to win this thing, you have to win most of the games. That’s what we want." The omens are definitely positive. Since a 3-2 loss against Manchester City almost eight years ago, the German record champions have not lost a home game in the Champions League group stage - the record since then: 20 wins and one draw.

There have been some memorable contests against Dynamo Kiev, and we looked back at a special one:

Opponents Dynamo Kyiv

Kyiv have come out of the starting blocks just as well as Bayern. Although Dynamo suffered their first competitive defeat of the season in the domestic Super Cup against Shakhtar Donetsk (3-0) a week ago, the Ukrainians are still unbeaten in the domestic Premier League and lead the table with 25 points after nine games. In addition, Mircea Lucescu's team achieved a respectable 0-0 draw against Benfica in their opening UCL fixture. "Kyiv are absolute top favourites in most of their league games. They have a very young and talented team and Viktor Tsygankov is an outstanding player," warned Nagelsmann.

The fact that Tsygankov has scored seven times in nine league games this season is one of the Ukrainians' hopes of creating an upset in Munich. "Their strikers play very deep," analysed the FCB coach as he described what will be important for his players. "Avoiding the counter is a very important tactical point," said the 34-year-old, who did not want to give up on being favourites. "I have confidence my team will win the game!"

We introduce you to the Ukrainian double winners in our portrait:

Team news

The injury situation at Munich is relatively untroubling, even if, in addition to the absent Sven Ulreich (knee injury) and Corentin Tolisso (calf problems), Kingsley Coman is "not yet an option for Kyiv," according to Nagelsmann. Coman is taking part in team training again after heart surgery, but still needs some time to return to 100%. "He's fine. He’s very happy the ordeal is over, and he can appear and play freely again," said Nagelsmann on Tuesday.

There are absences for the visitors, especially in attack. In addition to Eric Ramírez, who recently suffered from coronavirus, Vladyslav Kulach and the injured Ibrahim Kargbo Jr. (broken tibia and fibula), Artem Besedin (cruciate ligament tear) and Vitaliy Buyalskyi (groin problems) did not travel to Germany.

What the coaches said

Julian Nagelsmann: "There are three points up for grabs. We want to have six points and stay top of the table. The plan is a little more tactical. Kyiv's strikers play very deep. We want to have more presence in defence so we can build up pressure through our own possession game. Avoiding the counter is a very important tactical point. If we implement that, we can live up to our role as favourites."

Mircea Lucescu (Dynamo Kiev coach): "Bayern Munich are a machine. The team are almost programmed to win and score points. For me it's the best team and the biggest favourites in the Champions League. It's very important we play at a high level. We're looking forward to the game."

Premiere for referee Marco Guida

Marco Guida will take charge of the game on Wednesday evening. The 41-year-old Italian is making his third appearance as a Champions League referee, and this is his first game featuring FC Bayern or Dynamo. Guida's assistants are his compatriots Filippo Meli and Giorgio Peretti, and Fabio Maresca is the fourth official. Maurizio Mariani and Paolo Valeri act as video assistants.

Here are the most important facts and figures about the game against Kyiv: