Julian Nagelsmann will be under the cosh as Bayern Munich take on Villarreal in a must-win Champions League encounter this midweek.
Bayern Munich are not enjoying a good time at the moment. The Bundesliga champions have performed below par in recent weeks, notably losing 1-0 to Villarreal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final encounter. It was followed by an equally challenging Bavarian derby against FC Augsburg, where they had to labour to a 1-0 victory.
A lucky penalty late in the game proved to be the only difference between the two sides, which further highlighted Bayern’s lack of dominance lately. On Tuesday, the German Rekordmeister will have the opportunity to right the wrongs as they welcome Villarreal to the Allianz Arena in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final match-up.
Over the years, Bayern coaches have been judged on the basis of their success in Europe. Nagelsmann, however gifted, should be no exception. An early exit from the Champions League, in that regard, could be considered a serious failure for a club that have never looked dominant enough this season, even in the domestic competitions.
Bayern were knocked out early in the DFB Pokal and in the Bundesliga, they have had to majorly rely on Borussia Dortmund’s inconsistencies to grab a healthy lead at the top.
They are coming up against a Villarreal side determined to perform well in Europe following an underwhelming La Liga campaign that sees them dawdling in the seventh position, with not much hope for a potential top-six finish.
The confidence in the Villarreal camp should be high given their first-leg performance. But coach Unai Emery will have seen clips of Bayern’s merciless comeback against RB Salzburg in the previous round, as we head towards this exciting match-up this midweek.
Team News & Tactics
Bayern Munich
Nagelsmann on the personnel: "Niki is ill, he's still out for four days. He has influenza A virus. That's bitter for us and for him. He will not be available tomorrow. The same goes for Coco, Choupo and Bouna. Otherwise everyone is available if nothing happens overnight." pic.twitter.com/kEI4dbBCmy
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 11, 2022
Julian Nagelsmann has dropped his team news heading into this game, confirming the absence of Niklas Sule due to influenza. Corentin Tolisso, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Bouna Sarr are the other players ruled out due to their respective injuries.
Nagelsmann has further hinted to field a strong and a rather familiar eleven, which means a four-man backline could be on the agenda. But he faces a selection dilemma in the defensive unit. Alphonso Davies is back to full fitness, but his performances have been below par.
In light of the Canadian’s poor form, Bayern could deploy Lucas Hernandez at left-back, with Tanguy Nianzou occupying the central defensive role alongside Dayot Upamecano.
In midfield, Nagelsmann could continue with Leon Goretzka, despite his slightly underwhelming performance against Augsburg. His combination and understanding with Joshua Kimmich give another dimension to Bayern’s possession play, with Goretzka also being capable of offering the thrust going forward.
Speaking of attack, Jamal Musiala could get the nod ahead of the underperforming Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane. The youngster could occupy the number ten slot, just behind Robert Lewandowski, with Kingsley Coman and Thomas Muller operating on either flank.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Neuer; Pavard, Nianzou, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kimmich, Goretzka; Muller, Musiala, Coman; Lewandowski
Villarreal
Unai Emery made a radical decision of changing his first eleven completely in the weekend draw with Athletic Club. One would expect him to revert those changes, as Villarreal look to stick with the same team that registered a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg.
With Alberto Moreno and Boulaye Dia being the only players out injured, Emery will have the privilege of choosing from an almost fully fit setup. Arnaut Danjuma and Gerard Moreno remain favourites to spearhead the frontline once again, with the former being the danger man due to his pace and goalscoring ability.
Moving in deeper, Emery is likely to deploy a traditional 4-4-2, with the experienced duo of Dani Parejo and Etienne Capoue taking control of things in the middle of the park. They can expect support from the wide players in Giovani Lo Celso and Francis Coquelin as both players are capable of drifting in centrally.
With midfielders moving into a central role, the onus will be on full-backs Juan Foyth and Pervis Estupinan to cover the flanks. They will play a vital role in minimising the impact of players such as Muller and Coman, whereas the understanding between Pau Torres and Raul Albiol could come in handy in helping Villarreal remain strong at the back.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Rulli; Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Estupinan; Lo Celso, Capoue, Parejo, Coquelin; Moreno, Danjuma
Key Stats
- With 85 goals in 105 appearances, Robert Lewandowski boasts the best scoring ratio of the Champions League era (0.81 goals per game), ahead of Lionel Messi (0.8) and Cristiano Ronaldo (0.77).
- Alphonso Davies is set to make his 110th competitive appearance for Bayern. He has 20 Champions League games under his belt.
- Bayern have recovered from an away first-leg defeat to win the tie on ten occasions in UEFA competitions.
- Bayern have had an exemplary record against Spanish teams at home lately. They beat Barcelona 3-0 at home in this season’s group stage, and Atletico Madrid last term.
- Bayern Munich are appearing in the Champions League quarter-finals for a competition record 20th time.
Player to Watch
Kingsley Coman
In the first leg, we had predicted Arnaut Danjuma to be the difference-maker. This time around, Kingsley Coman could take up that mantle as he has the knack for performing in big matches.
A left-winger by trade, Coman is an exceptional dribbler who can get past players in a whisker. He has the ability to find the balls behind the backline and most importantly, offer dangerous crosses into the box, which could play into the hands of a certain Robert Lewandowski.
Coman was one of Bayern’s most impressive attackers in the dismal performance against Augsburg on the weekend. And the Frenchman will hope to carry his good form against a Villarreal side that can be broken down with the right approach.
Prediction
Bayern Munich 3-1 Villarreal
Villarreal coach Unai Emery has strongly maintained that his side are not the favourites to go through despite a victory in the first leg. The former Arsenal boss might not be wrong either, as Bayern Munich do have a knack for stepping up when it is required.
This second leg encounter should be no exception, with the Bavarians set to come out all guns blazing in an effort to break the shackles of the opposition defence. At the same time, though, Villarreal are too good of an attacking side not to take exploit the vulnerable Bayern backline.
But it will be a surprise to see the Spanish giants dominate the German Rekordmeister, who remain the favourites to go through by securing a thumping win at the Allianz Arena.
