Lazio lock horns with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena tonight in the second leg of the two-legged Champions League Round of 16 clash.
After dominating the Bundesliga for a staggering 11 seasons, Bayern Munich are finally facing a challenging campaign as Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen have gone to the top of the league by ten points clear. The Bavarians have already suffered four league losses and having departed from the DFB Pokal, they are potentially on course to their first trophyless campaign since 2013. Bayern found it hard to find character in the first leg as they could not match Ciro Immobile’s goal and defender Dayot Upamecano got himself sent off. Thomas Tuchel’s job is on the line tonight as there were rumours of his sacking before the match but he has survived till now. However, a negative result can quickly change that.Â
Meanwhile, Lazio will hope to defend the one-goal lead on aggregate with all their might. An ultra-defensive approach from Maurizio Sarri is expected tonight considering the Bayern Munich attacking onslaught. The Biancocelesti have tasted defeat in each of their last two games, losing 2-1 against Fiorentina and 1-0 versus Milan. These two losses have massively dented their hopes of a top-four finish this season and now the Europa League positions are also becoming threatened. Lazio have a solid run of games coming up and they can change their fortune if they manage to secure the maximum points from them. The clash in Bavaria tonight will be the perfect match to gain momentum.
Here are the predicted line-ups for the match according to La Repubblica:
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Dier, de Ligt, Davies; Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sané, Musiala, Tel; Kane
Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni.
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Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
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