Bayern Munich vs FC Porto
Competition: UEFA Champions League - Quarter-finals (second leg)
Competition: UEFA Champions League - Quarter-finals (second leg)
Match date: 21 April 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:45 BST
Venue: Allianz Arena (München, Germany)
Kick Off Time: 19:45 BST
Venue: Allianz Arena (München, Germany)
Bayern Munich dissappointed in the first leg, where they ended up losing 3:1 making it extremely hard to advance in the UCL.
After only a couple of minutes Xabi Alonso and Dante had made crucial
mistakes leading to two goals for Porto. There will be no room for that
kind of mistakes in the second leg, where the Bayern players are forced
forward, as they need to score at least two goals. It is obvious that Pep Guardiola is missing some crucial players, but he can still line up with a world class squad. It is also expected that Ribery and Schweinsteiger
will be in the squad, and they may get a few minutes if it is needed.
Bayern rested some players on the weekend, where they beat Hoffenheim
with 2:0. That gives them a good preview for the game this Tuesday in
Allianz Arena, where everything is usually possible. Bayern Munich have had
some big wins at home this season and the last one was against Shakhtar
(7:0) in the previous round of the UEFA Champions League. In the league
Bayern are 12-1-1 with at goal scoring balance of 43:6 this season, and
another great performance is required now.
FC Porto team surprised everyone in the first leg, as they
were better than Bayern Munich at some stages of the game. The Porto players
managed to pressure the Germans in the build up play, and that was
really important in terms of getting the win. Jackson Martinez
was also an important player. He returned from injury, but still he
caused the Bayern defenders quite some trouble with his strength. But
there is no doubt that it will be a completely different game in the
Allianz Arena, where Bayern will have all the support they need. Porto
are stronger at home, as they had some trouble in away games against
Shakhtar (2:2) and Basel (1:1). Porto had the advantage that they could
rest almost all players on the weekend, where they got a narrow 1:0 win
against Academica. The Portuguese side have incredible faith after the
first game, but they might be overwhelmed with the atmosphere in the
Allianz Arena. Besides, it is a big loss that both Danilo and Alex
Sandro will be suspended for this game.
Probable lineups:
Bayern Munich: Neuer – Rafinha, Boateng, Badstuber, J. Bernat – Xabi Alonso – Rode, Alcantara – M. Gotze, T. Muller – Lewandowski.
FC Porto: Fabiano – Pereira, Maicon, Marcano, Martins Indi – Casemiro, Herrera – O. Torres, R. Quaresma, Brahimi – J. Martinez.
