Sadio Mane has jokingly warned Thomas Muller not to make a “mistake” and pass to Robert Lewandowski as Bayern Munich and Barcelona square off.
The two sides clash in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, with each of them aiming to continue their perfect starts to the campaign. German champions Bayern earned a 2-0 victory over Serie A giants Inter Milan on the opening matchday, whilst the Catalans thumped Viktoria Plzen 5-1.
The hotly-anticipated showdown at the Allianz Arena will be an emotional occasion for Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. He makes his first return to Bavaria since quitting Bayern for the Nou Camp earlier this summer.
In an amusing message, Mane has warned new teammate Muller to ensure he doesn’t pass to Lewandowski out of habit. As quoted by Spanish outlet Sport, the German international said: "Sadio has been joking, telling me not to make a mistake and pass the ball to Lewandowski during the game. We have to play our game tomorrow and not focus too much on Lewy."
It will be a strange fixture for Muller in light of the potent, often-telepathic relationship that he struck up with Lewandowski. In eight years as teammates, the pair won eight Bundesliga crowns, three German cups and the Champions League.
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In the meantime, they regularly combined for goals and assists. More often than not, Lewandowski was the beneficiary of the German’s creativity, with Muller teeing up 63 Bundesliga goals over the last three seasons.
Speaking further about his relationship with the Pole, Muller said: "Our connection on the pitch grew over time. But now we have a lot of versatile players up front and we don't have a single reference. Opponents don't know who the regular striker is and we have to make it work."
Lewandowski has enjoyed an extremely-bright start to life as a Barcelona player. Since his €45million (£38.9m) switch to the Nou Camp, he has scored nine goals in just six games - a record that includes a hat-trick in his Champions League debut for the club.
Speaking after Lewandowski’s Allianz return was confirmed with the draw for the group stage of the Champions League, Muller wrote on Instagram : “What a nice draw for all football fans! Mr. Lewan-goal-ski, see you soon in Munich. Let’s go, let’s rock the Champions League season.”
Meanwhile, his direct replacement, Mane, has also enjoyed a promising first few months with Bayern. The former Liverpool star has scored five goals in his opening nine competitive appearances since his summer switch from Anfield.
