Bayern vs Lazio: An insurmountable task awaits visitors upon visit to reigning champs

Topics: TV Schedules, Bayern Munich, Lazio, UEFA Champions League

Barring a shocking collapse, current Champions League title holders Bayern should book their spot in the quarter-finals without much fuss.

Preview: Bayern vs Lazio

With a 4-1 road win in hand, it's all advantage Bayern as the Bavarian titans prepare to welcome Lazio for part two of their round of 16 tie. It's hardly surprising, as die Roten are the reigning Champions League title holders and the Aquile haven't won a European trophy in over 20 years. So, barring a shocking collapse, Bayern can already assume that they'll be featuring in the quarter-finals and perhaps beyond this season.

Hansi Flick's men come into this game having swept aside Werder Bremen 3-1 over the weekend thanks to goals from Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski's goal was especially notable as it pulls the Polish ace level with Schalke legend Klaus Fischer on 268 goals; should he score again this weekend he'll be the outright second all-time top goalscorer in Bundesliga history. The 32-year-old was also on target as Bayern cruised to their 4-1 over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico last month, which now moves him to third on the all-time goals list in this competition with 72 goals (and counting).

With Leipzig stumbling in a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern now have opened up a four point gap on top of the table, meaning that their quest to win a ninth straight league title is well in full swing. And at the very least, Bayern are guaranteed a spot in the Champions League next year even if they do surprisingly suffer a wobble between now and May, as they presently have a 16-point cushion between themselves and Bayer Leverkusen, who sits in fifth.

The same can't be said for Lazio. Simone Inzaghi's side avoided losing a third straight Serie A match thanks to a win over bottom-placed Crotone on Friday, but the Aquile were hardly soaring in that encounter. In fact, were it not for a very late goal from substitute Felipe Caicedo, the Biancocelesti would have ended up dropping two very crucial points at the Stadio Olimpico.

At the moment, Lazio sit in seventh spot, but have ensured that they remain within touching distance of Atalanta. Although there's still six points to overcome, they still do have a chance of dislodging the Bergamo-based outfit given that they still do boast a game in hand. Their Champions League campaign, however, is pretty much done and dusted following a heavy 4-1 loss at the STadio Olimpico last month, and while some of their players have publicly proclaimed they can still beat the reigning champions, it appears to be mere hollow words just to rally the team's fan base.

However, Bayern have struggled to keep clean sheets, and have failed to do so in their last six fixtures across all comps. This could give Lazio a chance to potentially nick a goal at the Allianz Arena, and while this obviously won't be enough to undo the damage from the first leg, if they do manage to score more than once, it could prove to be somewhat nervy for the Bavarian titans as they look to try to successfully defend their European title for the first time since the 1970's.

Team news: Bayern vs Lazio

Bayern: Douglas Costa, Corentin Tolisso, and Tanguy Nianzou are all definite absentees for the hosts, but the return of both Thomas Muller and Benjamin Pavard will not bode well for the visitors. However, key defender David Alaba could miss this one due to a muscular problem that kept him out during Bayern's 3-1 win over Werder Bremen.

Lazio: Both Luis Felipe and Anderson have been ruled out for the Biancocelesti, while Manuel Lazzari and Akpa Akpro are in doubt and will have to be evaluated prior to this match.

Match facts: Bayern vs Lazio

Bayern have won 17 of their last 18 Champions League games
Lazio have lost four of their last five away matches across all comps
The Biancocelesti have also won just one of their last six Champions League games (D4 L1)
Bayern are featuring in the UCL for the 24th time, while Lazio are making their sixth appearance in this competition
Die Roten have lost just one of their last 28 European matches (W22 D5)
Their sole loss was a 3-1 result during the 2018/2019 round of 16 against Liverpool, and since then they've won all seven of their European home ties
Bayern's home record against Italian teams is W10 D5 L5
The Bavarian titans have also won all of their last four, and their record in two-legged ties is W5 L6
Their overall round of 16 record is W12 L4
And they've lost just one of their last 26 European ties in which they won the first leg away from home
Lazio have won just three of their last 18 Champions League matches (D8 L7)
The Aquile have a record of W2 L2 in two-legged contests against German sides