Liverpool currently look forward to one of the biggest weeks of the season. Before a trip to Old Trafford in the Premier League, the Reds face Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League, and in what will prove to be a pivotal week ahead, the Reds need to be up to the task in front of them.
Bayern Munich come to Anfield on Tuesday night in not the greatest of shapes. They currently sit second in the Bundesliga, behind Borussia Dortmund, but won their last fixture 3-2 against Augsburg on Friday night.
During the week, Bayern manager Niko Kovac already expressed his growing concerns of facing Liverpool, after being handed arguably the worst draw possible.
Kovac said after the Augsburg game:
The second ball with all that room in the back is something that can’t happen, Liverpool would punish us for that sort of mistake. Defensively, we need to be better working backwards, and that is something that will be going into my analysis.
Going into the match, the Liverpool front three must be licking their lips. So what has happened to Bayern and how do they fare going into this huge game?
Throughout past times, Bayern have always been a very confident outfit. On and off the pitch, they always expect to win, no matter who they are facing.
Sometimes this attitude is portrayed in the wrong manner and is one of the reasons why the rest of the Bundesliga have such a shared dislike towards the Bavarian side.
What is interesting, though, is that Bayern have not had the usual confidence about this game.
Throughout this season, they have been targeted on the flanks, which is perfect for the way in which Liverpool play. Full-backs Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba are both seriously good footballers but are always capable of doing the dirty work.
This season, Bayern have been stuck in a transitional period. The old guard of Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, and Franck Ribery who have been the face and core of this Bayern side for so long have either retired recently or coming to the end.
The transitional period comes from Bayern wanting to constantly integrate new young quality into their ranks. Signings such as Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Corentin Tolisso plus others have been marked as the new look for the club, but they have fallen short of the mark.
They passed through Group E with flying colours. They were, however, run very close by Ajax for the top spot.
Going into the game, Bayern have been similar to Liverpool in that they have been hit with injuries in a number of pivotal positions.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is likely to start at Anfield, whilst winger Kingsley Coman is fit despite being taken off against Augsburg. Goalscorer Thomas Muller is suspended for both legs.
Bayern will, however, be boosted with the knowledge of Virgil van Dijk being suspended for Liverpool, and Joe Gomez being ruled out. This leaves the Reds waiting on the fitness of Dejan Lovren to determine who will partner Joel Matip at the back.
Despite the growing concerns around this game, Neuer hasn’t fallen short of confidence and has stated that Bayern ‘will not fear’ Anfield. Where have we heard that before?
The game will by no stretch be easy for Liverpool. Bayern are still a serious side who have a lot of fantastic footballers. They have the mix of players who know what it takes to get over the line and the new young players who will either thrive at Anfield or buckle.
The usual Bayern formation switches from 4-3-3 to 4-3-2-1, with their main midfielders being Leon Goretzka and Thiago. As Muller is suspended, they could deploy a creative trio behind Robert Lewandowski.
The backline of Bayern is in not poor as such, but they’re definitely prone to struggling against fast forward lines. It will most certainly be two from Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Niklas Sule, with the two usual full-backs either side.
