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Team News
Scott Chipperfield and Philip Degen have been ruled out with thigh injuries. Kay Voser is back from a long term knee ankle injury that kept him out since September. Basel has made some changes to their Champions League squad for this part of the season. They have included Stephan Andrist and Degen.
Bayern meanwhile has some injury problems to deal with. Bastian Schweinsteiger is out with ankle ligament damage. Daniel Van Buyten and Diego Contento have both been ruled out with injuries. Breno’s knee problems continue to haunt him.
Form
Third in the Bundesliga table, Bayern is currently struggling. In five league games in 2012, Bayern has recorded just two victories, two draws and a defeat. Basel is six points clear of the Swiss Super League currently. However, they have drawn their last three games.
If there is any time to upset Bayern perhaps, it is now. For inside information on Bayern, Basel will have to look no further than their coach Heiko Vogel. Vogel was the youth coach at FC Bayern for nine years and managed Toni Kroos, Holger Badstuber, Diego Contento and Thomas Mueller.
These are the last three results of the teams:
Young Boys 2-2 Basel
Basel 0-0 Sion
Neuchatel 1-1 Basel
Freiburg 0-0 Bayern
Bayern 2-0 Kaiserslautern
Stuttgart 0-2 Bayern
Interesting Facts and Quotes
Bayern has won six out of their previous nine away games in the Champions League. While Bayern’s defence conceded six goals in the group stages, Basel conceded 10, more than any other side in the group stages.
Bayern has conceded just once in their past five matches in all competitions. They have kept three consecutive clean-sheets. However, their away record is poor with just four wins in their previous 12 ventures away from the Allianz Arena.
This is what Mario Gomez had to say:
“We cannot take them lightly because we saw with Manchester United what happens when you do that. With their fans behind them, Basel are very, very hard to beat, but we know we have the quality and the will to reach the next round.”
Previous Meetings
Bayern 3-0 Basel (2010-11 Champions League group stages)
Basel 1-2 Bayern (2010-11 Champions League group stages)
Winner
Bayern has not been in great form. Basel might secure a result against the Bavarians and even take a lead in the tie. I am not really sure about who will win this. I would like to hear your thoughts on this one.
