Bayern hasn’t spared any of their opponents this season- all eight opponents in all competitions have returned home without any points to their name. Can BATE stop this Bavarian express?
BATE caused one of the biggest surprises of the first match-day when they put Lille to the sword in France. They struck three against the side that came through the play-offs by beating Copenhagen. By the 70th minute, Lille looked disinterested in that match. The final result was beyond doubt. BATE is coming into this match on the back of a 5-1 league victory. They won their sixth straight Belarusian title in 2011.
BATE plays home games in another ground as their ground seats only five thousand spectators. They are about to welcome one of the most legendary sides in the history of the game. FC Bayern has won this very competition four times. They have also had utter heart-break in the form of five defeats in the final, the highest number alongside Juventus and SL Benfica.
Bayern played Werder Bremen at the weekend in a nervy and scrappy game. The game served as a ‘reality check’ to a side that has been absolutely demolishing their opponents. Bremen offered a stern test. They were very compact and hardly allowed Bayern’s two playmakers Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos any time on the ball.
As a result, the performances of both the midfielders were subdued. However, Bremen has conceded late goals in almost all of their games so far. Jupp Heynckes made three substitutions to ensure that Bremen would suffer the same fate they suffered against Dortmund and Hannover. Kroos was replaced by the muscular Shaqiri, Claudio Pizarro by Mario Mandzukic and Schweinsteiger by Javier Martinez.
Bremen couldn’t take their chances on the day but Bayern did. Luiz Gustavo scored his second screamer of the season to break the deadlock. The energetic Shaqiri then bullied his way into the final third of the pitch and hit a perfect pass for Mandzukic. The Croat scored his sixth of the season to put the game beyond doubt.
Matthias Sammer heavily criticized the performance. The best performance for Bayern in terms of control perhaps came in the opening day of the Champions League. The score-line against Valencia on match-day one was 2-1. However, the margin should have been much wider. The possession was in Bayern’s favour heavily (74%). Valencia did not manage to register a single shot on goal in the first half. Manuel Neuer had another quiet day.
Arjen Robben was ruled out of Saturday’s clash against Bremen as a precaution. He has also been ruled out of the match against BATE. Mario Gomez, Rafinha, David Alaba and Diego Contento are all victims of long-term injury. A comeback date isn’t available for any of them yet. Bayern, however, is moving along just fine with a make-shift back-line.
Bayern’s recent away record in the Champions League is poor. They lost to City in the group stages in a meaningless match, to Basel in the round of 16 and to Real Madrid in the semi-finals last season. They drew against Napoli in the group stages but did beat Marseille in the quarter-finals.
Provided that Bayern does not become complacent, they should run away with this one.
Prediction: BATE 0-3 Bayern
BATE plays home games in another ground as their ground seats only five thousand spectators. They are about to welcome one of the most legendary sides in the history of the game. FC Bayern has won this very competition four times. They have also had utter heart-break in the form of five defeats in the final, the highest number alongside Juventus and SL Benfica.
Bayern played Werder Bremen at the weekend in a nervy and scrappy game. The game served as a ‘reality check’ to a side that has been absolutely demolishing their opponents. Bremen offered a stern test. They were very compact and hardly allowed Bayern’s two playmakers Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos any time on the ball.
As a result, the performances of both the midfielders were subdued. However, Bremen has conceded late goals in almost all of their games so far. Jupp Heynckes made three substitutions to ensure that Bremen would suffer the same fate they suffered against Dortmund and Hannover. Kroos was replaced by the muscular Shaqiri, Claudio Pizarro by Mario Mandzukic and Schweinsteiger by Javier Martinez.
Bremen couldn’t take their chances on the day but Bayern did. Luiz Gustavo scored his second screamer of the season to break the deadlock. The energetic Shaqiri then bullied his way into the final third of the pitch and hit a perfect pass for Mandzukic. The Croat scored his sixth of the season to put the game beyond doubt.
Matthias Sammer heavily criticized the performance. The best performance for Bayern in terms of control perhaps came in the opening day of the Champions League. The score-line against Valencia on match-day one was 2-1. However, the margin should have been much wider. The possession was in Bayern’s favour heavily (74%). Valencia did not manage to register a single shot on goal in the first half. Manuel Neuer had another quiet day.
Arjen Robben was ruled out of Saturday’s clash against Bremen as a precaution. He has also been ruled out of the match against BATE. Mario Gomez, Rafinha, David Alaba and Diego Contento are all victims of long-term injury. A comeback date isn’t available for any of them yet. Bayern, however, is moving along just fine with a make-shift back-line.
Bayern’s recent away record in the Champions League is poor. They lost to City in the group stages in a meaningless match, to Basel in the round of 16 and to Real Madrid in the semi-finals last season. They drew against Napoli in the group stages but did beat Marseille in the quarter-finals.
Provided that Bayern does not become complacent, they should run away with this one.
Prediction: BATE 0-3 Bayern
