In arguably the biggest tie of the Round of 16 in the Champions League, European giants Bayern Munich and Liverpool go head-to-head on Wednesday. The two sides have history in the competition, having collectively won 10 Champions League titles between the. But they have failed to assert themselves in recent times.
Bayern’s last European triumph came in the 2012/13 season when they defeated Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund in the finals. Liverpool’s last win dates back to the 2004/05 season, when they famously defeated AC Milan in Istanbul.
However, the English team might just have the extra edge in this crucial tie. Going into the tie, Niko Kovac will be a worried man given that his team has failed to keep a single cleansheet in 2019.
Bayern have conceded eight goals in five games across all competitions this year which is not a stat you’d want to see when your team is on the verge of facing one of the finest attacks in England.
However, the return of Manuel Neuer to full fitness will be of reassuring for Bayern.
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First choice centre-backs Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule have been poor while Jerome Boateng has not been in the best of forms either.
Joshua Kimmich has probably been the only bright spot for the German side in their back-line. But it’s fair to say that Liverpool’s attack will fancy their chances against this shaky defence.
Pacy wingers in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are capable of widening the cracks in Bayern’s defence and Roberto Firmino's intelligent movement will be hard to track.
The Reds stuttered against Leicester City and West Ham earlier this month in the Premier League, but followed it up with a convincing 3-0 win over Bournemouth. Salah tops the goal-scoring chart in the Premier League with 17 goals to his name and he could prove to be more than a handful to David Alaba on the right.
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Statistics aside, it is the traits of Liverpool’s frontline that can cause some serious problems to Bayern.
Liverpool ought to adopt a fearless approach to the game. Meanwhile, Bayern’s defence must step up their game or will face the prospect of an early Champions League exit.
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