Bayern Munich resume their Champions League journey with a tricky trip to face Lazio, who aim to make a first quarter-final in 24 years.
Maurizio Sarri will feel mildly confident heading into the all-important Champions League Last 16 clash between Lazio and Bayern Munich at Stadio Olimpico. His team’s victory away to Cagliari ended their three-game losing streak in all competitions, as that bad run cast doubts over his job at the club.
Lazio came second in their group with Atletico Madrid, Celtic, and Feyenoord, with the Spanish giants finishing first. Their presence in the knockout rounds is only the third time they have made it this far, and they have not made it to the quarter-finals back in 2000, some 24 years ago, when Valencia ousted them.
The other occasion in the knockout rounds came in 2021, when, incidentally, Bayern Munich came out victorious in both those legs. Hence, while Sarri will want his side to win, he will realistically aim to stay alive in the tie rather than force the issue with trying to win.
Unlike Lazio, Bayern Munich suffered a morale-sapping defeat to title challengers and Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. On-loan star Josip Stansic scored the opener, followed by a strike from Florian Wirtz and a late screamer from Jeremie Frimpong. The defeat was a blow to their Bundesliga title hopes, with Bayer Leverkusen now five points clear at the top.
Thomas Tuchel will want his players to quickly re-focus on the task at hand in the Champions League, which could come across as a confidence booster. This season, winning the competition will be high on Bayern’s agenda, especially with the Bundesliga slowly slipping away.
Bayern Munich will hope they set out a repeat of their 2021 season performance away at Lazio when they came out 4-1 winners in Rome. This time, Sarri would be prepared for the challenge of the Bavarians, as this could be one of the interesting clashes of this round.
Team News & Tactics
Lazio
Maurizio Sarri could have a fully-fit squad to deal with, as only Spanish centre-back Patric is a significant doubt with a shoulder problem. Mario Gila and Alessio Romagnoli are pencilled in to play in the central defensive positions, with Adam Marusic and Elseid Hysaj the manager’s preferred choices in the full-back roles.
Davide Renzetti is also suspended for this clash, although he would not have started ahead of Ivan Provedel between the sticks. Sarri can also count upon on-loan Juventus midfielder Nicolo Rovella, and the Italian must fight for a place and convince the manager to pick him ahead of Danilo Cataldi and Matias Vecino, with the trio contending for one position out of the three available.
Sarri will certainly choose Matteo Guendouzi and Luis Alberto in the other two, and looking at his patterns, he might go with Cataldi in that holding midfield role. Further ahead, skipper Ciro Immobile, who scored his 200th Serie A goal at the weekend, will continue to lead the line for the Roman side. Gustav Isaksen will start on the right side of the front three, while Brazilian Felipe Anderson will attack through the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Alberto; Isaksen, Immobile, Anderson
Bayern Munich
Thomas Tuchel still has to deal with many players who are absent due to injuries, with Serge Gnabry, Alphonso Davies, Konrad Laimer, Kingsley Coman, and Bouna Sarr missing from action. There are also rumours of problems in the background with Matthijs de Ligt, who insisted he was fit for the weekend but was not selected.
The Dutchman might remain on the sidelines, considering Tuchel may not change his central defensive options for the trip to Rome. Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae will begin the game in the central positions, with Noussair Mazraoui and Raphael Guerreiro playing the full-back roles.
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are the starting midfielders under Tuchel, which might remain the case on Wednesday. On the bench, the manager has extra options, with January arrivals Sacha Boey and Eric Dier supporting the first-choice players. However, due to illness, fellow new arrival Bryan Zaragoza will miss this clash.
Tuchel will rely on Thomas Muller’s experience in the advanced midfield role, with Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala operating from wide areas. Harry Kane has been heavily involved in Bayern Munich’s Champions League campaign so far, and he would certainly aim to improve his stats by leading the line against Lazio.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Min-Jae, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane
Key Stats
- Lazio have only one victory in their last four matches in all competitions
- Lazio have only qualified for the Champions League knockout round for the third time in their history.
- Lazio last reached the quarter-finals 24 years ago, in 2000.
- Harry Kane has been involved in 4 goals and 3 assists in the Champions League for Bayern this season.
- Bayern Munich are unbeaten in the Champions League this season.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The social media trolling of Harry Kane potentially ending the season without a trophy has continued, as the trend has been carried forward from his Tottenham days. The loss to Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend has revealed speculation that the England captain might not win anything, even at Bayer. This club considers winning trophies as a right rather than a privilege.
Kane has big ambitions to fulfil, and what better way to do that than winning the Champions League? Bayern certainly have the quality to go the distance, but they would need their England captain to put in that goalscoring shift to put his doubters to rest, as he should start with a glorious performance against Lazio.
Prediction
Lazio 1-2 Bayern Munich
Maurizio Sarri would have seen clips from Lazio’s harrowing 4-1 loss at home against Bayern Munich in 2021 and will have a different objective for this clash on Wednesday. The Italian manager will not want his team to lose the game rather than play for a win, as Sarri would like to take on the game in Germany and give his team a fair chance.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, will come into this contest to get a numerical advantage over Lazio. Tuchel will certainly want to win big and forget last weekend’s result, although he might find out that Lazio are tougher than they appear. Hence, while the Bavarians are favourites to win, the scoreline will certainly give the Serie A side a chance to redeem themselves in Germany in the return leg.
