We say this a lot, but it really is do or die time for Bayern Munich right now. After a disastrous first leg which saw the team lose 1-0 and Dayot Upamecano sent off with a red card, Thomas Tuchel and his men need to find some way to break down a resolute Lazio defense and overturn the deficit when the Italians visit the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night.
It has been done before — Bayern are no strangers to overturning deficits. However, recent results have diminished faith in the team’s ability to cope with adversity. Will Tuesday’s game be any different?
Team news
There’s not much to report. Leroy Sané is back and available for selection, but otherwise Bayern Munich will have to play with a squad nearly identical to the one that lined up in the draw vs SC Freiburg on the weekend.
Now, before you go further, you probably have questions about the lineup. Well, we’ve got you covered. We did an extremely in-depth preview of the game on our most recent podcast episode, which you can listen to below (or directly on Spotify):
The short version is this — Mathys Tel is expected to start alongside Harry Kane up top, because Bayern needs someone who will actually play as a striker. Jamal Musiala, Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlović, Joshua Kimmich, Kim Min-jae, and Manuel Neuer are all guaranteed starters.
That only leaves the following questions:
- Will Tuchel bench Thomas Müller for Leroy Sané?
- Will Alphonso Davies or Raphaël Guerreiro start at left-back?
- Will Eric Dier or Matthijs de Ligt start next to Kim Min-jae at center-back?
The way you answer those questions determines what the lineup ends up looking like. Here is just one possibility:
Will that be enough to beat Lazio? Who would you choose instead? Again, don’t forget to check out our podcast if you’re interested in our reasoning (along with a discussion about Tuchel’s future and Davies’ contract) and comment below!
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
