MULLER KEEN TO MAKE CASE FOR GERMANY RECALL

BERLIN: A year after being dumped by Germany head coach Joachim Low, Thomas Muller is set to showcase why he is so important for Bayern Munich—and Robert Lewandowski—at Chelsea in the Champions League.

Alongside Erling Braut Haaland, Bayern’s star striker Lewandowski is joint top-scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals going into the last 16, firstleg clash on Tuesday.

In order to keep him fresh, Muller was a second-half replacement in Friday’s 3-2 league win over bottom side Paderborn when Lewandowski netted twice.

The Poland striker is on a career-high 38 goals after 32 games in all competitions and is happiest with Muller alongside him. “It’s easier with Thomas next to me, he helps me out a lot,” Lewandowski has said of Muller.

“We always have one player more in the penalty area when he plays, I have more space and not always two or three opponents against me.”

It’s no coincidence that Lewandowski is enjoying his highest goal tally just when Muller’s 14 assists in Germany’s top flight also puts him near his personal best.

The 30-year-old is back to his best after significant setbacks for club and country in 2019.

Alongside fellow 2014 World Cup winners Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, Muller was told last March he was no longer needed by Germany as Joachim Loew rebuilt his squad following the 2018 World Cup debacle.

Then last autumn, Muller found himself repeatedly benched by Bayern to make room for Philippe Coutinho, who is on loan from Barcelona. When Niko Kovac was sacked in November, caretaker coach Hansi Flick restored Muller to the starting line-up, often at Coutinho’s expense, and he has flourished.