Two of Europe’s footballing giants in Bayern Munich and Juventus are set to renew acquaintances when they meet in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals at Allianz Arena.
Out of an engrossing selection of quarterfinal clashes of this year’s Champions League, is the game between German Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and Italian Serie A giants, Juventus. Both teams have breezed past their opponents so far in the elite club competition which means that the two-legged affair between these two sides would be a mouth-watering encounter, bound to be full of twists and turns.
Bayern Munich annihilated Arsenal in the first leg of the Round of 16 against Arsenal before barely surviving at home to the Gunners in the reverse fixture. Juventus on the other hand, professionally outplayed a plucky Celtic side over the course of the two encounters.
However, it appears that Munich’s home defeat at the hands of Arsenal came as a wakeup call for a side that has breezed past its opponents in the Bundesliga. At the weekend, the current league leaders sent Hamburg running back to their city with their tails between their legs with a more-than-just-resounding 9-2 hiding.
That thumping has come at the right time for Bayern Munich who know that there won’t be any such score-line, when they meet a side that has lost just four times in the league and is yet to lose a game in the Champions League this season.
If stats are to be given some consideration, Juve manager, Antonio Conte would be having a keen eye on Bayern Munich’s defensive problems that were not exposed that much since their 3-1 defeat against BATE Borisov in the second group game of the competition.
Despite scoring quite freely, this Munich side has the tendency to leak goals at times which means, that Juventus will have a lot of chances to test Manuel Neuer, a talented keeper, but prone to making a few mistakes every now and then.
Juventus managed to beat Inter Milan at the weekend to go nine points clear at the top of the Serie A standings. The current Juventus side might be far from the finished product but it has showed that when it comes to defence, there is no team better than The Old Lady.
Conte’s side have managed to keep five clean-sheets as opposed to just one by Bayern Munich. This means that regardless of how good the Germans are, they have the tendency to let in goals, a habit that could cost them yet another chance of lifting a trophy that has eluded them for quite some time.
Moreover, Juventus can play compact football whenever they want to which could prove to be a decisive point over the course of the two legs. Whenever there is mounting pressure from opponents, Juventus showcase a defensive resolve that not many clubs can boast of.
During the first leg of the Round of 16 encounter against Celtic, Juventus relied on the counter and made the Scots pay the price for leaving gaping holes in defence. Expect Conte to adopt the same strategy against Munich.
No matter how awe-inspiring the Germans have been in front of goal, their defensive frailties will be thoroughly tested by Juventus who have every chance of defeating the mighty Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich annihilated Arsenal in the first leg of the Round of 16 against Arsenal before barely surviving at home to the Gunners in the reverse fixture. Juventus on the other hand, professionally outplayed a plucky Celtic side over the course of the two encounters.
However, it appears that Munich’s home defeat at the hands of Arsenal came as a wakeup call for a side that has breezed past its opponents in the Bundesliga. At the weekend, the current league leaders sent Hamburg running back to their city with their tails between their legs with a more-than-just-resounding 9-2 hiding.
That thumping has come at the right time for Bayern Munich who know that there won’t be any such score-line, when they meet a side that has lost just four times in the league and is yet to lose a game in the Champions League this season.
If stats are to be given some consideration, Juve manager, Antonio Conte would be having a keen eye on Bayern Munich’s defensive problems that were not exposed that much since their 3-1 defeat against BATE Borisov in the second group game of the competition.
Despite scoring quite freely, this Munich side has the tendency to leak goals at times which means, that Juventus will have a lot of chances to test Manuel Neuer, a talented keeper, but prone to making a few mistakes every now and then.
Juventus managed to beat Inter Milan at the weekend to go nine points clear at the top of the Serie A standings. The current Juventus side might be far from the finished product but it has showed that when it comes to defence, there is no team better than The Old Lady.
Conte’s side have managed to keep five clean-sheets as opposed to just one by Bayern Munich. This means that regardless of how good the Germans are, they have the tendency to let in goals, a habit that could cost them yet another chance of lifting a trophy that has eluded them for quite some time.
Moreover, Juventus can play compact football whenever they want to which could prove to be a decisive point over the course of the two legs. Whenever there is mounting pressure from opponents, Juventus showcase a defensive resolve that not many clubs can boast of.
During the first leg of the Round of 16 encounter against Celtic, Juventus relied on the counter and made the Scots pay the price for leaving gaping holes in defence. Expect Conte to adopt the same strategy against Munich.
No matter how awe-inspiring the Germans have been in front of goal, their defensive frailties will be thoroughly tested by Juventus who have every chance of defeating the mighty Bayern Munich.
