Man Utd vs Bayern Munich LIVE: Red Devils knocked out of Champions League after defeat at Old Trafford

The Premier League would be at risk of missing out on an extra Champions League place next season should Manchester United and Newcastle United fail to make it out of the group stages of this year’s competition.

The group stages of the Champions League are changing next season with the introduction of a ‘Swiss-style’ format, while four additional teams will be added to take the number of clubs to 36.

That means there will be four extra places up for grabs, with Uefa awarding two of them to the countries who collectively performed best in Europe in the previous season.

“Well we know what to do. We have to win.” said the Manchester United boss when asked how he is feeling ahead of Bayern Munich’s arrival.

“We want to stay in Europe so we have to play our best and we are able to do it. We are, everyone sees, quite inconsistent in this moment but also [have] highs in the team.

“The highs from performance levels. Sometimes it can drop below, but it is up to us to do it more regularly. You see in the last couple of weeks, in a couple of games, we played brilliant football and we have to make sure that we bring it tomorrow on the pitch.”

Christoph Freund, Bayern Munich’s sporting director, explained what he is expecting from tonight’s match and it should come as no surprise that he wants to win.

“We’re travelling to Manchester with the feeling that we have something to make up for.” said Freund, “It’s good that things can get going again after a game like the one in Frankfurt and that we can put things right. It’s important to show a reaction on the pitch.

“It’s a Champions League game. Manchester United against Bayern Munich is always special. There is still a lot at stake for United; it will be a heated atmosphere. We want to play a good game and remain unbeaten in the group.”

The Manchester club had done a treble and so posed with their trio of trophies. Not the treble, admittedly, because the photo taken on Friday showed Alejandro Garnacho with the Premier League’s goal of the month award, Harry Maguire with the player of the month prize and Erik ten Hag with its managerial equivalent.

Perhaps the young Argentinian will conjure something else spectacular, but it already feels safe to assume United will not retain the other two awards.

A day after the picture came a crushing defeat. Perhaps that was Manchester United in a nutshell: the brief sense of progress followed by the evidence there has been none.

The markers of improvement and excellence instead belong to others. Bournemouth’s first victory at Old Trafford in their 124-year history made them the latest in a long list of clubs who, over the last decade, have ended a long wait for a win at United’s home.

Manchester United’s need and desire to win the game will see them push forward too often leaving their defence vulnerable to Bayern’s rapid counter-attacks.

Erik ten Hag’s men will go in front, bringing hope to the Old Trafford crowd, before the German champions turn up the tempo and run out easy winners.

Manchester United 1-3 Bayern Munich.

Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Shaw, Dalot; McTominay, Mainoo; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund

Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Kane

Marcus Rashford is available again after returning from Champions League suspension but is a doubt after missing training on Monday due to illness.

Victor Lindelof is also a doubt due to a knock, while Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount and Lisandro Martinez are also sidelined.

Bayern Munich are already through as group winners and may make changes following their shock 5-1 defeat to Frankfurt on Saturday.  Serge Gnabry is a doubt after picking up a knock while Matthijs de Ligt is yet to return from a knee injury.

The match will kick off at 8pm GMT on Tuesday 12 December at Old Trafford.

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage from 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via the Discovery+ app.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Champions League action as Manchester United host Bayern Munich knowing that their survival in Europe’s top flight is on the line.

United are currently fourth in Group A but only one point off second place meaning they could potentially reach the knockout rounds if they defeat the German champions. However, the Red Devils are also reliant on Copenhagen and Galatasaray playing out a draw in their fixture taking place at the same time.

If either of those teams win the result at Old Trafford will not matter as United would be unable to finish second. A consolation prize would be a third place finish and a spot in the Europa League yet for that to happen Erik ten Hag’s men need to defeat Bayern. That is the most crucial aspect of tonight’s match.

We’ll have all the updates, team news and action throughout the night so stick around as we build up to kick off at 8pm.