Bayern Munich will be looking to come from a goal down when they host Lazio. The German champions have advanced to the quarterfinals for three consecutive years and are finally vying for a seventh European title, while the Serie A team is on the verge of making its first quarterfinal appearance in twenty years.
Preview (Bayern Munich vs. Lazio)
Bayern Munich may have anticipated a smooth transition to the later stages of the Champions League after an autumn stroll through Group A, where they finished atop the standings by eight points, but they suffered a significant setback at Stadio Olimpico, losing 1-0. Midway through the second half of a tightly contested match, Dayot Upamecano was sent off and conceded a penalty. It set up a pivotal moment for Lazio captain Ciro Immobile. He calmly converted from the spot. Shortly after, it was revealed that Thomas Tuchel, the Bayern manager, will be leaving Bavaria in the summer.
Tuchel led Chelsea to the championship one year later and led Paris Saint-Germain to the 2020 Champions League final. Things have not gone as planned during his tenure in Munich. Following Friday’s 2-2 draw against Freiburg, Die Roten have won just one of their past five games. They are now 10 points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Notable for the caliber of its goals—two of which came from Mathews Tel and Jamal Musiala—that exciting match in the Black Forest further dashed dreams of retaining the championship and allowed Leverkusen to widen their lead.
After an exciting trip through Group E, which included Ivan Provedel’s incredible late equalizer against Atletico Madrid, Lazio is back in the Champions League knockout round. However, they are still 90 minutes, or maybe even more, away from the quarterfinals. The latter stages saw Maurizio Sarri’s team clinch the Rome club’s third participation. Immobile’s penalty put them up in the match as it moved to Bavaria.
Team News
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich will be able to welcome back Matthijs de Ligt from his Bundesliga ban. Dayot Upamecano will serve a suspension for his red card in Rome. In as many Champions League home games as he has played, Kane has directly contributed to 19 goals; nonetheless, in his three home knockout appearances, he has not scored a single goal. With 26 goals to his credit, captain Ciro Immobile leads Lazio’s all-time scoring record in European play. However, the Italy striker’s average away from home is just one goal every 231 minutes, while at Stadio Olimpico it is one goal per 85 minutes. Up front, he will take Taty Castellanos’ place.
Luis Alberto is the Lazio player in the Champions League this season with the most opportunities created (21) and line-breaking passes (62) made in centre midfield. The primary injury concerns for the visitors are Nicolo Rovella, who plays for Juventus, and Patrick, a center-back from Spain. However, Mattia Zaccagni recently made a comeback and played in the front three against Milan.
Bayern Munich 3-1 Lazio
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