An even weaker field, combined with unpredictable circumstances, point to the simplest answer: Bayern to return to the top of the mountain
Unfortunately, Covid-19 is the inexorable shadow that looms over all social and sporting interactions.
It is difficult to predict quite what effect it might have on various squads and timings in this season’s Uefa Champions League.
Last season, a compressed format saw matches from the quarter-finals onward take place in Portugal, and all over a single leg. While Bayern Munich eventually justified their standing as favourites by winning the lot, the unusual circumstances lent themselves to some less predictable outcomes, most notably in the form of unprecedented runs by RB Leipzig and Lyon.