Bayern Munich - Dinamo Zagreb Preview: Bayern bid to end Dinamo's incredible unbeaten run

After winning every game in the DFB-Pokal, Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League this season, Bayern Munich are hoping to maintain their 100% start to the campaign when they face Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening.

Bayern looking like champions

Bayern are, unsurprisingly, in stellar form once again. The Bavarians have blitzed through the opening part of the season and look like they could finally get past the semi-final stage under Pep Guardiola. Last year, as they fell to Barcelona, it was the fourth successive campaign in which the Bundesliga champions reached the final four. The Spaniard will want to make it to Milan this year, and claim his third Champions League crown as a coach.

While their form as a collective has been impressive, no player at the club has received as much world-wide acclaim as Robert Lewandowski. The Pole shocked the football world when he scored five goals in just nine minutes against VfL Wolfsburg last week. After he was brought on at half-time with Bayern 1-0 down, he took control of the game and notched up his incredible haul between the 51st and 60th minute.

Goalscoring was never really a problem for Guardiola, although depth out wide was highlighted as an area that hindered their bid for trophies on all fronts. This campaign seems to be different, with Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa performing above expectations after their summer arrivals. The Brazilian has already registered 10 assists, while Coman has been scoring and setting up goals on a regular basis.

Dinamo will be no push-overs

They will, however, face a stern test when the Croatian champions arrive at the Allianz Arena. They have already illustrated their giant killing potential in the competition, following their mightily impressive 2-1 win over Arsenal on matchday one. Josip Pivarić and Junior Fernandez got the goals on a famous evening for the capital club, and now they will fancy their chances of springing further surprises throughout the group stage.

Zoran Mamić's men are in fantastic form domestically, and are yet to taste defeat in the league. After eleven games, Dinamo are three points clear of their biggest rivals, Hadjuk Split, and look set to be right up there at the end of the year - another championship title would be their 11th in a row.

What is perhaps the most amazing stat about the Croatian giants, is that they are currently approaching a full calendar year without defeat. In what has been an astonishing run, Dinamo's lost defeat came back on 27th November 2014 against Astra, during the UEFA Europa League group stages. Overall, Mamić has overseen 45 games without losing since that tie and he won't be prepared to go down without a fight.

Mamić himself is no stranger to German football after he turned out for VfL Bochum, Bayer Leverkusen and SpVgg Greuther Fürth, amongst others, during his playing career. The win over Arsenal was Dinamo's first in 16 attempts during the group stages, and the manager will have his sights set on ending their winless run of 10 games against German opposition.

What they're saying

Guardiola was full of respect for their upcoming opponents, "They have gone 45 matches unbeaten; there is not much more you need to say about this Dinamo side." In fact, the Spaniard played down Bayern's strength in comparison to the rest of the group: "I cannot tell you if we are stronger than the other teams in the group." However, he did go on to praise all areas across the Bayern team and added, "We have good balance."

Mamić tackled the question of 'Can you beat Bayern?' with some dry wit. "It's normal to think we can play the best match in the club's history and they can have one of the worst nights in their history," he said. The Dinamo boss did, however, remain positive and confident in his team's ability: "Everything is possible in sport. If we put in a performance like the one against Arsenal, we can get a positive result."

Referee

Aleksei Kulbakov will be the man in charge of this clash. The Belarusian is the only official from his native country that regularly referees in UEFA's high-profile club competitions. The 35-year-old excelled in the Belarus Premier League at just 23 and, two years later, he was added onto the UEFA list at 25 - the youngest age possible.

Team news

Bayern will still be without long-term absentees Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, Jan Kirchhoff, Mehdi Benatia and Holger Badstuber heading into the tussle. Arturo Vidal has a knee problem and may not be risked with a game against Borussia Dortmund to come this weekend. Sebastian Rode is also doubtful, as the Bundesliga champions' injury list only seems to grow larger every week.

For the visitors, they have much less to worry about when it comes to injuries. Domagoj Pavičić (foot) and veteran defender Gordon Schildenfeld (thigh) are set to miss out, however. Leonardo Sigali and Ivo Pinto are doubtful and, with three of those four players in defence, they will be slightly concerned with Bayern's strength in attack. However, Dinamo will be able to welcome back Gonçalo Santos after serving suspension.