Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Manchester United have had a harrowing start to the season in almost every sense imaginable, and for the first time ever have lost three of their opening five Premier League games. Just after a demoralising defeat by Brighton, they now begin their Champions League campaign away to Bayern Munich.
Of all the opponents United could have hoped to face next as they bid to pull themselves out of the giant hole they find themselves in, Bayern would be one of the last. The Bavarians have won 11 Bundesliga titles in a row and have not lost at home in the Champions League group stages for 10 years.
They have made an unbeaten start to the season in Germany while their already formidable attack is now led by Harry Kane, who United dreamed of signing in the summer. Kane has made a prolific start to life with his new club, scoring four goals in his opening four matches, while Rasmus Hojlund, the man United signed instead, is not yet fit enough to play 90 minutes for Erik ten Hag's side.
Given how Brighton, Arsenal, Tottenham and even the defeated Wolves and Nottingham Forest have exposed United defensively this season, Wednesday's match has the potential to get very ugly for the Red Devils, especially when considering how badly they have fared away from home in the last two seasons.
However, Bayern have some areas of vulnerability that United can exploit if they play their cards right. GOAL outlines some of the ways Ten Hag's side can get at Bayern and pull off an unlikely result that can kickstart their season...