- Date: 5 March, Tuesday
- Kick-off Time: 8:00 PM (GMT)
- Stadium: Allianz Arena
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Preview:
In the second leg of the Round of 16 in the UCL (Bayern Munich vs Lazio), Bayern host Lazio in a desperate attempt to turn their fortunes and season around. The German club has been a shadow of its former self in the UCL this season and even fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to Lazio in the first leg last month. In the German league, Bundesliga, things aren’t much better either. For the first time in a decade, Bayern seem on the cusp of losing their title of German Champions.
The reigning champions were held by Freiburg to a 2-2 draw this week which further dented their title challenge. Currently, Die Roten are 7 points behind Xabi Alonso’s first placed Bayer Leverkusen, and a win for them this weekend could push the distance to 10 points. A grim situation to say the least.
On the other end of the spectrum are Italy’s beloved S.S Lazio. Perhaps the underdogs every time they participate in a European competition, the Italians are making a habit of being a thorn in every big club’s side. When they drew Bayern Munich in the RO16 draw, few gave them a chance of going through. However, after a valiant performance at home, Lazio managed to achieve victorious by a narrow 1-0 margin over Bayern. Now, the second leg beckons both squads.
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Bayern Munich vs Lazio Team News:
Bayern Munich:
Die Roten are a club in the midst of chaos. Ever since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at the club, tensions between key players and the gaffer have been rising. Tuchel has been quite vocal about his disapproval of Bayern’s talisman Kimmich and Goretzka in the midfield and constantly criticized the duo. After their recent performances, Tuchel has already confirmed his exit as manager at the end of the season. However, on the pitch things haven’t improved and now Bayern are also faced with an alarming increase in injuries.
The Bavarian side are currently suffering from a lack of options at right back. Tuchel’s side was dealt an early blow in the position when Bouna Sarr sustained an ACL injury back in December. His injury ruled him out for the rest of the season. Fast forward to February, first-choice right back Noussair Mazraoui suffered a hamstring strain in Bayern’s tie against Bochum. The news came as a massive blow as new fullback Sacha Boey had just sustained a long-term hamstring injury. Now, Bayern are forced to play Kimmich in the position. Across the pitch, things haven’t gotten much better, either. Winger Serge Gnabry is still recovering from his injury and wasn’t part of the squad for the tie against Freiburg. Kingsley Coman was earlier ruled out with a ligament tear.
Bayern will hope that Leroy Sane passes his fitness test before the tie against Lazio at home and returns to the squad.
Lazio:
The Italians have been on a good run in the UCL, but have suffered in the league recently. The club from Rome sustained a 1-0 loss against Milan this weekend, and currently sit 9th in Serie A.
Lazio will enter the game at Allianz Arena without the services of center-back Patric. As per the latest reports from the club, he is unlikely to return and travel with the squad to Germany. The Italian club will also be without midfielder Nico Rovella, who will remain sidelined with a groin strain. The Juventus loanee has started 14 games in the league for Lazio and has been a great creative outlet.
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Predicted Lineups:
Bayern Munich Expected XI:
Manuel Neuer (C,GK), Joshua Kimmich, Matthijs de Ligt, Min-jae Kim, Raphael Guerreiro, Aleksander Pavlovic, Leon Goretzka , Mathys Tel, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane
Lazio Expected XI:
Ivan Provedel (GK), Adam Marusic, Mario Gila Fuentes, Alessio Romagnoli, Elseid Hysaj, Matteo Guendouzi, Matias Vecino, Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson, Ciro Immobile (C), Mattia Zaccagni
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Head-to-Head Record:
Bayern and Lazio had never faced each until the Round of 16 in the Champions League in 2021. While Bayern emerged victorious in both legs of the tie in that season, Lazio sealed a famous victory against Bayern in the first leg this time around. Now, they will try to emulate Bayern yet again and head into the next round. The three ties between the two clubs have resulted in goals galore with a total of 9 goals having been scored in the 3 games.
Last three results:
- Lazio 1-0 Bayern Munich :- UEFA Champions League – 15 February, 2024
- Bayern Munich 2-1 Lazio:- UEFA Champions League – 18 March 2021
- Lazio 1-4 Bayern Munich:- UEFA Champions League – 24 February 2021
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Prediction:
Bayern Munich vs Lazio is your archetypal David vs Goliath battle. The Germans are enduring their worst season in more than a decade and are even ailing with injuries. The management and senior players seem to be at odds, too. In this environment, a big performance from Bayern could elevate the club from the surrounding negativity and revive a dying campaign. Meanwhile, Lazio will attempt to rewrite the story of the first leg and complete the best underdog story of the season. However, in reality, it might be a close-contested contest with Bayern having a slight edge.
Predicted Score: Bayern Munich 2-0 Lazio
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Betting Odds and Tips:
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Betting Tips:
Bookmakers expect Bayern to blow away Lazio and win comfortably. Bookmakers also expect more than 2.5 goals in the match.
Bayern Munich vs Lazio Odds:
- Bayern win: 1.26
- Draw: 6.20
- Lazio win: 11.00
Odds Source: Oddspedia.com
Bookmaker: Stake
Where to watch Bayern Munich vs Lazio:
- India: Sony Liv, Sony Sports Network
- Italy: Amazon Prime Video, Sky Italia
- Germany: DAZN, Prime Video
- USA: Paramount +
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