Bayern still only fear the tax man

Germans are as patriotic as anyone, but outside Bavaria there is no great love for Bayern Munich.

Pride of the Bundesliga they may be, and they could well provide six of Germany’s starting line-up in the World Cup, but this evening up and down the country, from Hamburg to Stuttgart, there will be a lot of ‘Germancunians’ hoping to see them stumble at Old Trafford.

“Your hatred is our pride,” is a favourite saying of Bayern fans when confronting their rivals and Manchester United supporters will easily understand that nothing breeds hatred like success. Last season Bayern broke all records in winning a historic treble: this season they have gone further, wrapping up the most one-sided Bundesliga in history by a record margin.