Bayern sacked head coach Niko Kovac a few weeks ago after a thumping of their own – 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt – and are not quite the European superpower they once were. Spurs, meanwhile, will hope that their own change of manager will give them a boost and that José Mourinho can mastermind a famous Champions League victory. What would be a better Christmas present than revenge?

Here are seven great sporting revenge stories to inspire Spurs to victory in Munich. José, get the overhead projector out and show these to the lads…

1. Liverpool v Barcelona (2019)

Lesson: It’s not over till it’s over

After beating Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg of the semi-final at the Nou Camp, Barcelona vowed not to be complacent… but a promise from former Reds striker Luis Suarez that he wouldn’t celebrate any goals he scored was not the only sign that Barca were perhaps a little too confident ahead of the second leg. Jürgen Klopp’s men tore the stunned Catalans apart in front of a roaring Anfield crowd, with stand-in forward Divock Origi the unlikely hero – he scored the opener and the dramatic aggregate winner in a 4-0 victory that spurred the Reds all the way to the famous trophy.

2. Brett Favre v Green Bay Packers (2009)

Lesson: There’s no love lost in sport

Favre and the Packers are best of friends again now, but things got frosty in 2008 when Green Bay refused to grant their long-time quarterback and franchise hero the unconditional release that meant he could keep playing for another NFL team, after Favre reversed his decision to retire. Eventually they parted ways acrimoniously, and in 2009 Favre wound up playing for the Packers’ hated division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, beating his old team home and away on the way to the NFC Championship game.

3. Michael Bisping v Dan Henderson (2016)

Lesson: Holding grudges sometimes does pay off

“I said I would win and I did.” That’s what Michael Bisping tweeted after defeating Dan Henderson in a thriller at UFC 204, after Henderson left him knocked out and bloodied on the canvas when they first met seven years prior. Bisping retained his middleweight title belt and his pride in front of his home crowd in Manchester, avenging a defeat that had sat uncomfortably with him for years.

4. Emmanuel Adebayor v Arsenal (2009)

Lesson: He who laughs last laughs loudest

Most Premier League fans will remember Man City’s Emmanuel Adebayor sliding on his knees, arms outstretched, in front of the Arsenal supporters, as rubbish rained down from the stand. The Togolese striker was angry that Arsenal fans had accused him of money-grabbing when he left for City in 2008 but had the last laugh when he scored in a 4-2 win and raced the length of the pitch to celebrate in their faces. Stupid, maybe, but iconic nonetheless.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers v Golden State Warriors (2016)

Lesson: The very best never give up

This was the year the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series, the first time any team had done so – a capitulation so memorable it became a meme. Star-studded Golden State had trampled over LeBron James’s Cavs in the 2015 Finals, and James wanted revenge for being denied a title at his hometown club. He played like a man possessed as the Cavaliers came from behind to win the series 4-3, denying the Warriors a perfect end to the best statistical NBA season in history.

6. Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier (1974-5)

Lesson: You can always correct your mistakes

Muhammad Ali didn’t lose very often, and when he did, he usually took the first opportunity to avenge it. After falling to Joe Frazier in their first bout, nicknamed “The Fight of the Century”, when he insulted Frazier beforehand and evidently underestimated him in the ring, Ali beat Smokin’ Joe by unanimous decision in 1974. Then the great man had the final word by stopping Frazier in the 14th round to take the world heavyweight championship in the Thrilla in Manila the following year.

7. Fernando Morientes v Real Madrid (2004)

Lesson: Let people underestimate you at their peril

Although Fernando Morientes had scored more than 100 goals for Real Madrid, the club deemed the striker surplus to requirements at the start of the 2003-04 season and shipped him out on loan to Monaco. How they came to regret that decision… Morientes scored the goal that knocked his parent club out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage – and wasn’t shy about celebrating it either.

Selected live UEFA Champions League fixtures on BT Sport

RB Salzburg v Liverpool
Tuesday 10 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Chelsea v Lille
Tuesday 10 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Lyon v RB Leipzig
Tuesday 10 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Ajax v Valencia
Tuesday 10 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Inter Milan v Barcelona
Tuesday 10 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Dinamo Zagreb v Manchester City
Wednesday 11 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Club Brugge v Real Madrid
Wednesday 11 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Bayer Leverkusen v Juventus
Wednesday 11 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Paris St Germain v Galatasaray
Wednesday 11 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

Bayern Munich v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday 11 December, kick-off 8pm, BT Sport

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