Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, has admitted that he is having difficulty sleeping ahead of his team’s Champions League meeting with Manchester City. This will be the first time Tuchel has returned to England since he was sacked by Chelsea in September. In the past 10 meetings between the two sides, Tuchel has only won three times. He last defeated a side managed by Pep Guardiola in 2021 when his Chelsea team won the Champions League final. Since then, City have twice beaten Chelsea in the Premier League before Tuchel’s departure.
Tuchel believes his team will need to be at the “top of their game” in order to beat City, who have won their last eight games in all competitions. He also said that he cannot learn much from other games he has played against Guardiola, as it is “unique what Pep does”. Bayern Munich’s full-back Joao Cancelo will also return to Manchester for the first time since his January loan move from City. Tuchel said he is “happy” Cancelo is in his side but discussions have not taken place as to whether Bayern will make his move permanent.
Tuchel hopes Cancelo can manage his emotions and not be “over-motivated and over-excited”, but also not too shy. He said: “It is not enough to know it. A lot of people know smoking is bad for you but they still do it.” The manager added that he will try to go to bed early and get some sleep, but it is hard when he is thinking about the match. He concluded by saying that Bayern Munich are entitled to be confident after their results and performances in the Champions League so far, and they need to be confident and on top of their game in order to create problems for City.