The air in Munich is already filled with tension as Bayern await the visit of the giants from Ukraine, Shakhtar. Bayern is no stranger to having to finish incomplete work in second legs. Their most recent problematic tie in the Round of 16 came in the 2011-12 season. Down 1-0 against Basel, the Bavarians had to turn the tie around or risk missing out on a home final. Bayern came back with venom and vigor, changing the one goal deficit into a 7-1 lead on aggregate. The pressure is on Pep Guardiola; Bayern cannot concede the all important away goal unless they can score many at the other end. Shakhtar's defense stopped Bayern's attack from scoring in the first leg of course. Mircea Lucescu is a wily coach; he has the experience needed to create a game plan which can defeat Bayern.
Despite the recent big results, Bayern's performances on the pitch have not been too good. Against FC Köln in the Bundesliga, they struggled defensively, going on to win 4-1 at the end because of Manuel Neuer's heroics. Against Eintracht Braunschweig in the DFB Pokal, they struggled largely and needed two wonder strikes to win. Against Hannover at the weekend in the league, a controversial penalty awarded by the referee for a foul on Lewandowski saw an evenly balanced match (1-1 at the time of the penalty) end in Bayern's favor (1-3). The performances will have to improve; consistency is needed without a doubt.
Xabi Alonso is suspended for Bayern; his red card in the first leg was his second crucial mistake in the Champions League this season, the first coming in the group stages against Manchester City. Bastian Schweinsteiger started the weekend match from the bench and will be expected to guide his team in this one. Philipp Lahm returns from injury and is not expected to start although his experience might be needed if the tie is not settled after an hour. Thiago and Javi Martinez are rehabilitating from injuries. As for Shakhtar, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Sergey Krivtsov, Alex Teixeira and Ivan Ordets are all doubtful.
Will Shakhtar be the first underdog to knock out a giant in the Round of 16 of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League? Interested in learning how you can watch the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League? Check out our UEFA Champions League Multi-Platform Broadcast Guide.
Bayern Munich vs Shakhtar Donetsk team sheets
Bayern's Starting XI: Neuer, Ribéry, Lewandowski, Robben, Rafinha, Boateng, Götze, Müller, Alaba, Badstuber, Schweinsteiger.
Shakhtar's Starting XI: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Shevchuk, Fred, Stepanenko, Costa, Teixeira, Taison, Adriano.
Bayern's bench: Reina,Dante, Benatia, Pizarro, Bernat, Rode, Lahm.
Shakhtar's bench: Kanibolostsky, Nem, Fernando, Gladkiy, Kryvtsov, Ilsinho, Dentinho.
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