By Oliver Trust

BERLIN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of Wednesday evening's second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal against Paris, Bayern Munich's hopes rest largely on its attacking line.

With the signings of Harry Kane in 2023, Michael Olise in 2024 and Luis Diaz in 2025, Bayern has assembled one of Europe's most formidable front threes.

The trio has scored more than 100 goals in all competitions this season. All three arrived from the Premier League, giving the reigning German champion what has become an "English front line."

Kane's move from Tottenham for a reported 100 million euros drew widespread international attention, while Olise's transfer from Crystal Palace for 53 million euros was viewed more as a long-term project with an uncertain outcome.

Diaz, who cost a reported 67 million euros, also arrived with doubts after slipping down the pecking order at Liverpool.

In the 2025/26 season, however, the trio has flourished.

For many years, the Bundesliga was widely seen as a selling league. Bayern has tried to reverse that trend. Apart from Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, most English transfers to German clubs have struggled to deliver over the long term.

"It's an achievement that Premier League players train for us," Bayern board member Max Eberl said. The official described it as a milestone, "as we are the only ones in Germany."

As Bayern faces the highest expectations, "we have to consider international transfers when the national league can't provide comparable quality," Eberl added.

According to Kicker's database, Kane has 54 goals and 16 assists this season, Olise has 21 goals and 33 assists, including a league-record-equaling 22 assists in the Bundesliga, and Diaz has 25 goals and 22 assists.

The trio's quality was evident in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, when all three scored to keep Bayern's chances alive.

Ahead of Wednesday's return leg, Bayern has made clear it will stick to its open style, with confidence in the "English three" appearing undiminished.

Attacking football has become part of the team's identity, midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. "You can't change that in a few days, and we won't," he said.

Bayern's league goal record of 116 in 32 matches may prove to be only one part of the club's story this season as it continues to chase the treble.

With the 2026 Bundesliga title already secured, much now depends on the front three to carry Bayern forward in the German Cup final and the Champions League. ■